Michigan State University
11-2
UNC-Wilmington
9-4-1
Winning Streak Reaches Six as Softball Downs UNCW, 8-7
3/4/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
Michigan State got a strong relief performance from sophomore Celeste Wood in the circle combined with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate with three RBI to help the Spartans to an 8-7 victory over UNC-Wilmington on Saturday in the start of the Georgia Bulldog Invitational.
The Spartans improve to 11-2 on the season, and win their sixth straight game - the team's longest winning streak since the 2013 season, when MSU's longest streak was also six games.
MSU took an early 2-0 lead, but UNC Wilmington put one on theboard in the second and two more in the third to take a brief 3-2 advantage. MSU exploded for five runs in a fourth inning that featured two pitching changes for the Seawolves - MSU got triples from both Ebonee Echols and Kaitlyn Eveland in the frame, and an RBI double from McKenzie Long. UNCW countered in the bottom of the frame with three runs in an inning that MSU was forced to make two pitching changes as well - but Wood was that second pitching change, and she got the final two thirds of the frame to get MSU out of the jam and stranding two runners.
MSU tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Sarah Gutknecht. Every postition player had at least one hit in the game for MSU on the afternoon, tallying a total of 13 hits.
Jordan Watson got the start for MSU and went three innings, scattering six hits, but was charged with five runs. Valerie Kaff went a third of an inning in relief before Wood entered for the final two outs of the fourth. Wood scattered three hits, allowing one run and striking out four.
Eveland led the Spartans with a 3-for-3 day at the plate, which included her first triple of the season. Long, Wood, and Kelcey Carrasco all had two-hit efforts.
MSU plays No. 17 Georgia at 6 pm to complete today's doubleheader.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Celeste Wood went 2-for-4 with three RBI, and tossed 3.2 innings in relief, scattering three hits and striking out two.
- Kaitlyn Eveland went 3-for-3 with a triple, and RBI, and a stolen base.
- Kelcey Carrasco and McKenzie Long each had a pair of hits with Long adding two RBI.
QUOTABLE:
"That was a big, big outing for Celeste Wood in relief. With a doubleheader today, we really needed her to be effective and be able to eat innings - and that's just what she came through with for us. She was big in the circle, and big at the plate - she's just a kid who is a great competitor. We don't have much time for turnaround before we take on the best team we've seen so far - this is a Georgia team that is strong in all aspects of the game and will be a great challenge for us."
- Head Coach Jacquie Joseph
STATS AND STORYLINES
- The Spartans jumped out in the top of the first. Lea Foerster was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, McKenzie Long laid down a bunt single, and Celeste Wood brought them both home with a double to right. Seahawk pitcher Sarah Davis settled down, and after a sac bunt by Kaitlyn Eveland to move Wood to third, Davis struck out the next two to end the inning.
- UNCW picked up its first base hit in the top of the second when Anna Hessenthaler stroked a leadoff single. She moved to second on a sac bunt, and came home on a single by Meghan Whitecavage to halve the deficit. In the bottom of the third, UNCW loaded the bases with two out, and an RBI single by Hannah Runge tied the game at 2-2 and left the bases full for Whitecavage. She was hit by a pitch to bring home another run and give the Seahawks a 3-2 lead, but Watson got a ground ball out to end the inning.
- Ebonee Echols tripled down the right field line to lead off the fourth - it was her 14th career triple, giving her sole posession of fourth place in the Spartan record book. She came home on a sac fly by Kelcey Carrasco to tie the game, 3-3. A walk to Davis, a fielder's choice, and a walk to Foerster left two on with two out for McKenzie Long - at which point the Seahawks made a pitching change. Long doubled to left center off the new pitcher, Laurel Koontz, to give the Spartans back the lead, 5-3. Celeste Wood followed with an RBI single to plate Long,. Eveland came up with her first triple of the season to score Wood, which pushed the Spartan lead to 7-3.
- Watson was greeted with back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the fourth, and she was replaced in the circle by Val Kaff. Kaff walked the first two batters she faced to force in a run, but then got a fielder's choice to get the lead runner on a forceout at home to preserve the 7-4 edge. Another walk ended Kaff's day, and Celeste Wood came in to the circle and got a fielder's choice that plated another run to pull the Seahawks within a run .
- Sarah Gutknecht's RBI single in the sixth gave MSU some insurance - both Foerster and Eveland reached on base hits, and Gutknecht's two-out single brought home Foerster. That insurance run was critical, as the Seahawks put one run on the board in the bottom of the seventh to make it 8-7, but Wood stranded a pair of runners when she got Winslow to pop out to second to end the game.
- Wood's 3.2 innings is the longest outing of her career. She tied her season best with two strikeouts and also allowed just one run.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wood, Celeste (2-0)
L: Davis (4-1)
Batting:
2B: Long, McKenzie 1 ; Wood, Celeste 1
3B: Eveland, Kaitlyn 1 ; Echols, Ebonee 1
RBI: Long, McKenzie 2 ; Wood, Celeste 3 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 1 ; Gutknecht, Sarah 1 ; Carrasco, Kelcey 1
SH: Eveland, Kaitlyn 1
SF: Carrasco, Kelcey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Foerster, Lea 3 ; Long, McKenzie 2 ; Wood, Celeste 1 ; Echols, Ebonee 1 ; Baccay, Melanie 1
SB: Eveland, Kaitlyn 1
HBP: Foerster, Lea 1
Batting:
RBI: Chamblee 1 ; Adamczyk 1 ; Runge 2 ; Whitecavage 2 ; Moore 1
SH: Runge 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wilkinson 2 ; Chamblee 2 ; Hessenthaler 1 ; Haynes 1 ; Bryan 1
HBP: Wilkinson 1 ; Whitecavage 1
