Big Inning Sinks Spartans, 11-5

Friday, April 1

State College, Pa.

7:00 PM

Michigan State University

19-16, 0

Penn State

16-14, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Michigan State	2	0	1	0	0	2	0	5	11	1
Penn State	0	3	0	0	3	5	X	11	15	1

4/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

April 1, 2016

Final Stats

SPARTAN SYNOPSIS

Penn State blew open a one-run game with a five-run sixth inning to take game two of a Big Ten doubleheader from Michigan State, 11-5, on Friday night. The Spartans (19-16, 1-4 B1G) drop both ends of the doubleheader to their hosts, who improve to 16-14, 5-0 B1G.

A costly MSU throwing error with two on and two out in the home half of the fifth allowed Penn State to turn a tie ballgame into a 6-3 lead.

MSU rallied within a run in the top of the sixth at 6-5, but left the bases loaded after the Nittany Lions made a pitching change, bringing in game one starter Marlaina Laubach. Laubach allowed a single to pinch hitter Lexi White to score MSU's fifth run, but then allowed the Spartan offense just one single the remainder of the game. Laubach earned the save, entering in relief of starter Madison Siefert (4-4).

Kristina Zalewski took the loss (8-9), giving up a season-high 15 hits, eight earned runs, and strking out three. Each team committed one error, but MSU's was the most costly, leading to that three-run fifth inning for the Nittany Lions.

Kaitlyn Eveland went 3-for-4 with a double, while Ebonee Echols hit her second home run of the day, a solo shot in the third inning.

The teams play the final game of the series on Saturday at 3 pm on the Big Ten Network.

QUOTABLE

"Today was very disappointing. Missed opportunities, costly errors, stranded runners - there's not one specific area that caused us to lose both games today, but there's plenty of things we could have done in all three phases that could have changed the outcome of one - or both - games. Tomorrow is critical for us now - we really painted ourselves into a corner today. " - Head Coach Jacquie Joseph

TOP PERFORMERS

Ebonee Echols went 2-for-4, smacking her second home run of the day.
Kaitlyn Eveland went 3-for-4 with a double.
Both Jordan Davis and Lexi White had pinch-hit RBI singles.

STATS AND STORYLINES

MSU wasted no time in game two, getting a pair of runs on the board in the top of the first. Ebonee Echols, McKenzie Long, and Sarah Gutknecht rapped out three consecutive one-out singles, with Gutknecht's scoring Echols. Celeste Wood reached on a fielder's choice, putting Long at third. Wood and Long executed the double steal, as Wood was safe at second and Long came home to double the Spartan lead.

The home team answered the call in the bottom of the second. A leadoff single by Alyssa VanDerveer and Knief getting hit by a pitch put the first two batters on, and Kristina Brackpool sacrificed the runners into scoring position. Erin Pond delivered a single through the right side, which tied the game for the home team. Tori Dubois doubled to center on a 1-1 pitch to bring home Pond for a 3-0 advantage. After Zalewski hit Macy Jones to put a pair of runners on, she got Mollie Sorenson to go down swinging.

Ebonee Echols hit her second home run in as many games with a solo shot in the third inning to tie the game at 3-3.

Penn State put together a rally in the fifth to take a 6-3 lead. Single by VanDerveer and Knief, followed by a Brackpool reaching on a fielder's choice, put runners at the corners. A ground ball to third went wide on the throw to first, allowing VanDerveer to score for a 4-3 lead, still with a pair of runners on base. Dubois stepped in and delivered a two-run double to bring home two more runs, all with two out, after committing the error.

MSU countered immediately, leading off the sixth with a single by Wood and a double by Eveland. Jordan Davis came in and chased pitcher Madison Seifert with a single that scored Wood to make it 6-4. The Nittany Lions made a pitching change, going back to game one starter Marlaina Laubach, who limited MSU to just four hits in the top half of the doubleheader. Laubach got a ground ball out with Besson up, and fought through a 10-pitch at bat with Lexi White, but the freshman, on to pinch hit for Luna, dropped a single into right to bring home pinch runner Kelly Zackrison to make it a one-run game. A throwing error by the shortstop allowed Lea Foerster to reach first, loading the bases. Ebonee Echols reached on a fielder's choice that forced out Reiser at home, and Long flew out to left to leave the bases loaded.

Zalewski was greeted in the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back singles by the top two batters in the PSU lineup, but got the first out on a fielder's choice that left runners on the corners. VanDerveer stepped in and smacked her fourth hit of the game - a single up the middle - to make it 7-5. Lexi Knief, who herself was perfect on the day at 2-for-2, brought the eighth run across the plate with a double up the middle, leaving a pair in scoring position with just one out. Zalewski got Brackpool on a ground ball, but Pond's single brought home two more for a 10-5 PSU lead. A double by Dubois capped the five-run rally for the home team, allowing them to take an 11-5 lead into the seventh.