Michigan State University
21-15, 5-7
Illinois
30-10, 9-2
Spartans Fall 6-5 in Extra Innings to Illinois
4/15/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Box Score | PDF Box Score: ILL 6,MSU 5 (8) 
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
MSU played its second extra-inning game of the Big Ten season, and fell 6-5 to Illinois in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday.
Pinch hitter Rowan McGuire was the hero for the visitors with an eighth-inning RBI single with two runners aboard. MSU held 4-1 and 5-3 leads in the game, but Illinois battled back with two runs in each the fourth and seventh innings before their go-ahead run in the top of the eighth. Illinois improves to 30-10, 9-2 BiG, and the Spartans are now 21-15, 5-7 Big Ten.
The Spartans took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Kelcey Carrasco, then got solo homers from Lea Foerster (second inning) and Lexi White (fourth). Leigh Farina led the Illini with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate, and Veronia Ruelius had two RBI (in the seventh inning).
Illinois stranded 11 batters, while MSU left six on base. Illinois pitcher Breannna Wonderly earned her second win in the series in as many games, scattering nine hits and allowing two earned runs, overcoming four errors by her team to get the win.
The teams conclude their three-game series this afternoon in the nightcap of the doubleheader.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Ebonee Echols had two base hits, while Kelcey Carrasco had a base hit and two RBI. .
- Lea Foerster (10th) and Lexi White (third) hit solo home runs,
- Bridgette Rainey started the game and went four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and five hits, and Jordan Watson entered in the fifth and surrendered three hits in regulaton innings before being replaced by Rainey in the eighth with two on and none out. Watson took the loss to fall to 5-3, with five hits, and three earned runs in three innings. Rainey went five innings, scattering six hits and allowing two earned runs.
STATS AND STORYLINES
- A pair of walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for the Illini in the top of the first with one out, and a sac fly by Ruby Rivera brought home the first run of the game. Rainey got out of the inning with a popup to short to maintain the 1-0 deficit.
- The Spartans loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the first. but infield chops by the next two batters got the forceout at home to leave the bases loaded with two outs. Kelcey Carrasco laced a single to right center, scoring three runs to give MSU their first lead of the series.
- Lea Foerster's 10th homer of the season came in the bottom of the second inning to make it 4-1 in favor of the Spartans. It is her career high, and also tied for seventh all-time in MSU's single season record book.
- With two on and none out, Leigh Farina laced an RBI single to right, followed by a sac fly to center by Maddi Doane to pull the visitors within one (4-3) in the top of the fourth. Kiana Sherlund laid down a perfect bunt to move Doane to second with one out, but Rainey worked out of the jam to keep the Spartans in the lead.
- MSU looked to stage another rally in the bottom of the fourth. Lexi White led off with her third homer of the season - a shot to left - and Melanie Baccay followed with a one-out double to center , but Wonderly retired the next two on ground balls.
- Jordan Watson came on and threw a no-hit fifth inning, but a one-out double by Farina and a Spartan error left runners at the corners for the top of the Illini lineup. A chopper to third by Sherlund was corralled by Kaitlyn Eveland to make the play at the plate to extinguish Farina for the second out of the inning, but still left runners at the corners for Alyssa Gunther - but she hit a comebacker to Watson that she easily tossed to first to end the inning.
- In the seventh, the Illini got a leadoff single from Annie Fleming and a two-out walk by pinch hitter Stephanie Abello to put a pair of runners on, and the Illini turned to pinch hitter Veronica Ruelius. She sent a double to the wall in left to score two runs and knot the game, 5-5. Farina lined out to Long at short to end the inning.
- With work to do, MSU sent its 2-3-4 hitters to the plate. Echols led off with a single to center, and came around to third on an error by the center fielder that allowed the ball to roll to the wall. Wonderly got back-to-back infield ground balls to freeze pinch-runner Kelly Zackrison at third, and Gutknecht flew out to end the inning.
- In the top of the eighth, the Illini put together back-to-back base hits to lead off the inning, and Rainey re-entered the game. A fly ball to shallow brought home a run and a 6-5 Illini lead, but Rainey came back with a strikeout of the Illini's leading hitter, Nicole Evans. and then a popout to short to end the inning.
- Wonderly got two popouts in the eighth before a strikeout to end the game.
- MSU had three runners thrown out at the plate in the game - two in the first inning on force plays, and one in the third. MSU also got out one Illini runner at home.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Breanna Wonderly (15-9)
L: Watson, Jordan (5-3)
Batting:
2B: Veronica Ruelius 1 ; Leigh Farina 1
RBI: Rowan McGuire 1 ; Ruby Rivera 1 ; Veronica Ruelius 2 ; Leigh Farina 1 ; Maddi Doane 1
SH: Alyssa Gunther 1
SF: Ruby Rivera 1 ; Maddi Doane 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kiana Sherlund 1 ; Annie Fleming 1 ; Jill Nicklas 1 ; Stephanie Abello 1 ; Sam Acosta 1 ; Maddi Doane 1
SB: Jill Nicklas 1 ; Sam Acosta 1 ; Maddi Doane 1
HBP: Annie Fleming 1
Batting:
2B: Eveland, Kaitlyn 1 ; Baccay, Melanie 1
HR: Foerster, Lea 1 ; White, Lexi 1
RBI: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Carrasco, Kelcey 2 ; White, Lexi 1
SH: Gutknecht, Sarah 1 ; Besson, Lindsey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Long, McKenzie 1 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 1 ; Gutknecht, Sarah 1 ; White, Lexi 1
