Spartans Fall in Big Ten Tournament on Seventh-Inning Walkoff

Thursday, May 12

State College, Pa.

2:30 PM

Michigan State University

27-28

Illinois

35-20

Michigan State

Illinois

Spartans Fall in Big Ten Tournament on Seventh-Inning Walkoff

5/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

May 12, 2016

Box Score

SPARTAN SYNOPSIS

A seventh-inning rally allowed Illinois to erase a two-run deficit and come away with a 3-2 victory over Michigan State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in State College, Penn. on Thursday afternoon. The Spartans finish the season at 27-28.

A pair of errors for the Spartans helped the Illini rally in the bottom of the seventh, as Illinois had as many hits in the frame (3) as they had in the first six innings of the game. Back-to-back errors helped plate all three UI runs, scoring the go-ahead runs with two runners on and just one out.

Michigan State got on the board first, but it took until the sixth inning for fans to see any numbers in the run columns. Entering the inning with just one base hit - a double in the fourth inning by McKenzie Long - the shortstop singlehandedly doubled that total with a single into the hole at short. PitcherBreanna Wonderly hit Lea Foerster for a second baserunner, and after battling through an eight-pitch at-bat, Sarah Gutknecht sent a shot into the gap in right center, allowing her to reach on a standup double and bring home both runners for a 2-0 Spartan lead.

MSU had entered the Big Ten Tournament winners of five of their last seven games, but lost two of their last three on walkoff hits.

The Spartans lose just three seniors from the 2016 squad, and should return 15 letterwinners to their 2017 squad.

TOP PERFORMERS

Sarah Gutknecht's standup double in the sixth inning plated the first runs of the game.
McKenzie Long went 2-for-3 with a single, a double, and a run scored.
Kristina Zalewski finished at 15-15 on the season, tossing her fifth consecutive complete game and scattering six hits and striking out five.

Quotable

"Its a difficult pill to swallow for sure, because that's not how you want a season to end - but a credit to Illinois, because they continued to battle. We were in control, and then we kicked it couple of times, and boom, the game is over. In the long run, I want the bitter taste in our mouths to be a benefit to us, because we will remember this. We need to remember and allow it to be a learning opportunity, and then work to make sure that we script a different ending. "

-- Head coach Jacquie Joseph

STATS AND STORYLINES

The teams were treated to a pitchers duel through the first five innings, with the teams combining for just four hits and six baserunners, with neither allowing a runner to cross the plate.

The Spartans finally broke through in the top of the sixth inning. McKenzie Long started the rally with two outs, legging out a single to short. Lea Foerster was hit by a pitch, and that brought Gutknecht to the plate. On a full-count pitch, Gutknecht connected with a shot into right center, plating the two runs and getting her into second on a standup double.

After scoring 17 of 22 runs with two outs in the Ohio State series last weekend, MSU's first two runs of the game came with two gone in the sixth inning. They were the fifth and sixth consecutive runs scored for MSU with two outs on the scoreboard.

Ruby Rivera led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single to right to try to start a rally. Danielle Trezzo moved her over to second on a sac bunt, and Emily Brodner popped an infield single to put runners at the corners. Carly Thomas delivered a single to right to cut the MSU lead to 2-1, leaving runners on first and second. An error at firsst on a Kylie Johnson offering allowed the Illini to tie the game, and still left runners at the corners. Another error allowed the game-winning run to cross the plate.