Michigan State University
21-14, 5-6
Illinois
29-10, 8-2
Illini Nip Spartans, 6-3
4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Box Score | PDF Box : ILL 6,, MSU 3 
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
MIchigan State dropped a 6-3 decision to Illinois on Friday afternoon to open the three-game series between the Big Ten rivals. Illinois improves to 29-10, 8-2 B1G. MSU drops to 21-14, 5-6 against Big Ten competition.
A four-run fifth inning for the Ililni blew open a tight game - the vistiors ed 2-0 on a pair of unearned runs inthat came in the third and fourth innings, aided by Spartan errors. In the fifth, the Illini strung together five base hits to put up a crooked number on the scoreboard an make it a 6-0 ballgame.
MSU chipped away at the lead, scoring twice in the fifth and once more in the sixth to make it a three-run ballgame.
Breanna Wonderly went the distance for the Illini in the circle, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and five strikeouts. Kristina Zalewski went five innings, allowing four earned runs, scattering 10 hits and striking out two to fall to 2-5 on the year Jordan Watson came on in the fifth and threw two innings of no-hit relief.
The Spartans and Illinois play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2 pm.
TOP PERFORMERS
- McKenzie Long went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
- Kristina Zalewki made her 10th start of the season,
QUOTABLE
" I was a little disappointed by our approach at the plate, and were a little sloppy today and have to clean those things up. I don't want to take anything away from Illinois - they read things well and played the field to their advantage, and came away with a win. We know what we need to work on, and that's the challenge to our team - clean those things up for tomorrow.."
Head coach Jacquie Joseph .
STATS AND STORYLINES
- A leadoff double in the top of the first by Kiana Sherlund gave the Illini an early baserunner, but after she was sacrificed over to third by Alyssa Gunther, Zalewski struck out the next two batters to strand Sherlund at third.
- The Illini got something going in the third, as Maddi Doane, Kiana Sherlund, and Alyssa Gunther strung together a pair of hits around an MSU error to put the first run on the board.
- A two-base error led off the top of the fourth for the Illini, putting Ruby Rivera on second. Rivera made it over to third on a ground ball, and a two-hit single up the middle by Doane brought her home for a 2-0 lead.
- A pair of singles and a HBP loaded the bases for Illinois in the top of the fifth with none out, Zalewski got the next out on a popup, but Rivera delivered a double into the gap in right center to bring three more runs across and a 5-0 Illini lead. A single by Leigh Farina brought home another Illini run (still with just one out), but MSU got out of the inning when Ebonee Echols made an impressive sliding catch in shallow left and quickly threw to second to double off the runner.
- Sarah Gutknecht led off the bottom of the fifth with a standup double into the left field corner, and McKenzie Long legged out an infield single and came around to score on a three-base error to cut it to 6-2. The Spartans got two more baserunners.
- The Spartans staged a rally in the bottom of the sixth. Kelcey Carrasco led off the inning with a single right up the middle, and one out later, Sarah Gutknecht drew a walk. McKenzie Long singled through the right side and advanced to second as the throw came home in an effort to snag the pinch runner Summer Callahan at home, but she was safe for MSU's third run of the game. With runners at second and third, Wonderly got the next two batters on a strikeout and a ground ball to second to end the Spartan threat.
- In the bottom of the seventh, Lea Foerster looked to start a rally with a one-out single to right field, but a strikeout and impressive catch by Shurlund in center robbed Carrasco of a base hit to end the game.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Breanna Wonderly (14-9)
L: Zalewski, Kristina (2-5)
Batting:
2B: Kiana Sherlund 1 ; Ruby Rivera 1
RBI: Alyssa Gunther 1 ; Ruby Rivera 3 ; Leigh Farina 1 ; Maddi Doane 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Alyssa Gunther 1 ; Annie Fleming 1 ; Jill Nicklas 1 ; Ruby Rivera 2 ; Maddi Doane 1
HBP: Nicole Evans 2
Batting:
2B: Gutknecht, Sarah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Callahan, Summer 1 ; Gutknecht, Sarah 1 ; Long, McKenzie 1
HBP: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Baccay, Melanie 1
