Michigan State University
15-4
ETSU
8-12
Seventh-Inning Rally Gives Spartans a Walkoff Win
3/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Box Score | PDF Box Score: MSU 9, ETSU 8 
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
Michigan State got a walkoff victory over East Tennessee State in the bottom of the seventh inning on Friday afternoon to kick off the Kennesaw State Owl Challenge. The Spartans win their third straight and improve to 15-4 overall. ETSU falls to 8-12 on the season.
MSU, which trailed by four runs in the first inning, took an an 8-6 lead in the fifth, but saw East Tennessee State rally for a pair in the top of the seventh to tie the game. Lea Foerster's bases-clearing triple in the fifth gave MSU its first lead of the day after trailing by as many as four runs in the first inning. In the seventh, a leadoff walk to Kelcey Carrasco and single by Kelly Zackrison put the Spartans in a good position with none out, and Melanie Baccay brought home Carrasco with the winning run when the second baseman bobbled her hit up the middle for an error.
Bridgette Rainey earned the win, her seventh of the season, after coming in with the bases loaded and none out in the top of the seventh. She allowed the tying runs on a walk and a wild pitch, but struck out two.
Some swirling winds kept things interesting for the fiedlers on both teams today, as MSU surrendered a season-high 13 base hits and committed three errors. The Spartans finished with 10 base hits and walked seven times, (tying their season high), and two ETSU errors helped the cause. MSU had a pair of doubles from Foerster and Celeste Wood, who started the game in the circle and ended up with a no decision after three inning of work.
The Spartans face host Kennesaw State in the nightcap of their Friday doubleheader.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Lea Foerster had a double with three RBI, giving MSU its first lead in the fifth inning.
- Ebonee Echols went 2-for-3 with an RBI
STATS AND STORYLINES
- ETSU got things going right in the top of the first, as Mykeah Johnson reached on an error, and Kelsey Chernak and Danielle Knoetze followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. A fly ball to right by Tiffany Laughren was snagged by Lexi White for the first out, but Johnson came in to score. A double to the wall in left center by Taylor Carter brought a second run across, and another base hit brought home both runners for a 4-0 deficit. The Spartans turned a DP on a grounder to third to end the inning.
- The Spartans looked to counter immediately in the bottom of the first. Foerster was hit by a pitch, and Echols legged out an infield single. A Celeste Wood sac bunt moved the runners into scoring position, and back-to-back walks to Sarah Gutknecht and Kaitlyn Eveland left the bases loaded and forced one across. The Buccanners went for a pitching change, bringing in Sharlene Godoy to relieve Lindsey Fadnek. Godoy walked her first batter - McKenzie Long - to bring home another run - cutting the ETSU lead in half (4-2). Kelcey Carrasco put a blooper into shallow right that the second baseman lost in the sun, allowing another run to score a third run in the inning, the Bucs got out of the inning, but not before MSU plated three runs on just one hit.
- MSU scored the tying run in the fourth, as the Spartans put togehter a pair of base hits. Melanie Baccay legged out a one-out single to third, and Foerster reached on an error. Two batters later, Baccay came home on a single by Echols to tie the game, but Echols and Foerster both tried to advance - the Bucs caught Foerster in a rundown between home and third, which ended the inning.
- ETSU rallied in the fifth to take a lead. A leadoff single into right for Johnson led off the inning, and two batters later, a Spartan error put a second runner on base for Laughren , who smacked a double into the gap in right center to score Johnson for the g0-ahead run. A little bloop into shallow center scored Knoetze and noved Laughren to third and left runners at the corners with one out. Watson retired the next two to get out of the inning.
- MSU got four straight singles to lead off the bottom of the fifth to cut into the deficit, as Gutknecht, Eveland, Long, and pinch hitter Katelyn Hendershott brought home a run with their consecutive base htis. Zackrson reached on a fielder's choice and then pitcher Rebecca Wahrmund got Baccay to pop up for the second out, still with the bases loaded. That brought up the top of the lineup, and Lea Foerster emptied the bases with a double that empited the bases and gave the Spartans their first lead of the day, 8-6.
- The Bucs put the first three on in the seventh with a pair of singles and a hit batter. The Spartans made a pitching change and brought in Bridgette Rainey, who walked Cassi PIckett to bring the Bucs within a run, 8-7. A wild pitch scored the tying run, but Rainey got Kelsey Smith abd Kylie Toler do go down swinging to get to two outs, and worked a full count on pinch hitter Quinn Giesick, but walked her to load the bases. That brought up the top of the lineup, and Johnson grounded out to short to end the threat.
- The Spartans made sure to strike early to wrap it up in the bottom of the seventh. Kelcey Carrasco walked to lead off the inning, and went to third on a single to right by Kelly Zackrison. Melanie Baccay hit a ground ball to the second baseman, who fumbled it, allowing the freshman to reach first and Carrasco to cross the plate for the 9-8 victory.
- Celeste Wood started the game and went three innings, surrendering four first-inning runs, three earned, and struck out two. At the plate, she had a sac fly and a double.
- Michigan State drew seven walks in the game, tying their season high set vs. North Dakota in a 22-5 win on Feb. 18.
- The Spartans got their second walkoff win of the season - MSU downed NC State on Feb. 11 on a homer by Celeste Wood in the bottom of the seventh to win, 6-4.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rainey, Bridgette (7-3)
L: R. Wahrmund (1-1)
Batting:
2B: T. Laughren 1 ; T. Carter 1 ; Q. Giesick 1
RBI: T. Laughren 2 ; T. Carter 2 ; C. Pickett 3
SF: T. Laughren 1
Base Running:
RUNS: M. Johnson 2 ; K. Chernak 1 ; D. Knoetze 3 ; T. Laughren 1 ; T. Carter 1
HBP: T. Laughren 1
Batting:
2B: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Wood, Celeste 1
RBI: Foerster, Lea 3 ; Echols, Ebonee 1 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 1 ; Long, McKenzie 1 ; Carrasco, Kelcey 1 ; Hendershott, Katelyn 1 ; Baccay, Melanie 1
SH: Wood, Celeste 1
SF: Carrasco, Kelcey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Echols, Ebonee 1 ; Gutknecht, Sarah 2 ; Long, McKenzie 1 ; Carrasco, Kelcey 2 ; Zackrison, Kelly 1 ; Baccay, Melanie 1
CS: Echols, Ebonee 1
HBP: Foerster, Lea 1
