B1G Opener Goes To Nebraska, 9-6

Friday, March 23

Lincoln, NE

6:30 PM

Michigan State University

11-14, 0

Nebraska

22-9, 0

Michigan State

Nebraska

3/23/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

March 23, 2018

Box Score | PDF Box: Nebraska 9, MSU 6

SPARTAN SYNOPSIS

Michigan State opened the Big Ten season with a 9-6 loss at Nebraska.

The Spartans (11-14) tied their season high with 11 base hits; five of those went for doubles, including two each for Ebonee Echols and McKenzie Long. Long went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Echols was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk. Kristina Zalewski started the game and gave up five earned runs on five hits and a walk through one and a third innings. Bridgette Rainey came on in relief and tossed 4.2 innings, scattering six hits and allowing three earned runs, strking out four and walking three.

Nebraska (22-9) also had 11 hits on the day, which included four doubles and two homers. Sydney Barrow was 3-for-4 with an RBI, smacking two doubles and a homer. Kaylan Jablonski earned the win for the Huskers, going four innings and allowing just two earned runs,walking three and striking out three.

The conditions added a degree of difficulty forboth teams - the Huskers committed five errors (MSU had one) and a 30 mph wind played games with fly balls, helping contribute to the combined 11 extra-base hits on the day.

MSU trailed by 5-1 and 6-2 deficits, but battled back to get within a run, trailing 6-5 after four innings. A three-run rally for the home team put the game out of reach for MSU, as a seventh-inning rally fell short.

The Spartans take on Nebraska in game two of the series on Saturday in a 2 pm ET start in Lincoln.

TOP PERFORMERS

McKenzie Long went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. .

Ebonee Echols went 2-for-3 with two doubles and scored twice.

Bridgette Rainey came on in relief and allowed six base hits and struck out four in 4.1 innings of work.

QUOTABLE
"We showed some resiliency today - we competed, and kept fighting back. We still are looking for and need to get those key hits - we left 10 on base and struck out seven times - which is a season high for us. We also had 11 hits, which tied our season high. I thought we were ready to play, and we competed to the final play of the game. Tomorrow is a new day and I'll look for the same approach tomorrow."

Head Coach Jacquie Joseph

STATS AND STORYLINES

The Huskers got going in the top of the first. After Zalewski issued a leadoff walk to Alyvia Simmons, Tristen Edwards hit a 2-1 pitch over the wall in center for a 2-0 Nebraska lead. Madi Unzicker smacked a one-out double to right to put another runner on base, but Zalewski regrouped and got out of the inning without further damage.

MSU got on the board in the top of the second. It started with a double by McKenzie Long, who was moved to third on a sac bunt by Melanie Baccay. After Lindsey Besson walked, a throwing error after a ground ball to third allowed Long to score, cutting the Nebraska lead in half, 2-1.

The home team opened up its lead in the second. A leadoff double, single,and sac bunt put the two leadoff runners in scoring position, and Simmons doubled to bring both runners home for a 4-1 lead. The Spartans made a pitching change, bringing Rainey on in relief. Simmons stole third, and then home as the Spartans caught Edwards (who reached on a walk) in a rundown between first and second. Rainey got the final two outs on a fielder's choice and a fly ball to end the inning with MSU trailing 5-1.

The Spartans put the first two runners on in the top of the third - Ebonee Echols walked, and Lea Foerster singled up the middle. The center fielder mishandled the ball, and the runners advanced to second and third. With one out, Long put down a perfect bunt to load the bases. After a fly ball to left by Lexi White recorded the secocnd out of the inning, Echols came home on a wild pitch to trim the deficit to 5-2.

Rainey got the first two outs of the bottom of the third, but the Huskers put three straight base hits together to plate another run and push the lead to 6-2.

MSU led off the fourth with a pair of baserunners - Lindsey Besson led off by reaching on an error, and Kelcey Carrasco singled. After Jablonski got Eveland to go down swinging, Ebonee Echols singled to left to bring home a run. Lea Foerster was walked intentionally to get to freshman Caitie Ladd, who went up 3-0 in the count before lacing a single through the left side to bring home another run, cutting the deficit to 6-4. A popup by Long scored Echols to make it 6-5.

After keeping the Huskers off the board on a pair with a pair of Rainey strikeouts in the bottom of the fourth, MSU continued to press offensively. The Huskers brought on sophomore Sydney McLeod to pitch in the top of the fifth, and she was greeted by a leadoff single from Lexi White.

Laura Barrow led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run, her first of the season and third hit of the game. A walk and fly ball later, a comebacker to the circle forced Rainey to make a quick throw that went into the dirt and allowed the runner to reach and move to second, putting two in scoring position for Tristen Edwards - who singled up the middle to bring two runs home and extend the Husker lead back to four, 9-5.

MSU rallied in the seventh, loading the bases on a Long double, walk by Lexi White, and Baccay reached on an error. McLeod struck out the next two batters, but Joanna Bartz stepped in and delivered a singleup the middle. Long came home with the sixth run of the game, but White was out at the plate as she tried to scorethe seventh.