Saturday, February 16
Atlanta, Ga.
12:30 PM ET
Michigan State University
3-6
3
at
10
Georgia Tech
5-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Georgia Tech
2
1
0
4
1
0
2
10
14
0
Michigan State
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
7
2
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: M. Bruce (2-0)
L: Gregory, McKenna (0-2)
Batting:
2B: B. Roper 1
3B: D. Puckett 1
HR: K. Krzus 2
RBI: B. Roper 2 ; K. Krzus 5 ; D. Puckett 1 ; C. Huckabay 2
Base Running:
RUNS: B. Zeitler 1 ; B. Roper 1 ; T. Awald 2 ; R. Prairie 1 ; K. Krzus 2 ; C. Stanford 1 ; D. Puckett 1 ; S. Webb 1
Batting:
2B: Echols, Ebonee 1
HR: White, Lexi 1
RBI: Eveland, Kaitlyn 1 ; White, Lexi 2
SH: Ladd, Caitie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Echols, Ebonee 1 ; White, Lexi 1 ; Baccay, Melanie 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballC/3B
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
SS/UTL
/ Softball1B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballDP
/ Softball
Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Spartans Fall in ACC/B1G Challenge Finale to Georgia Tech
2/16/2019 3:33:00 PM | Softball
Ebonee Echols goes 3-for-4
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
Michigan State fell in the finale of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Saturday, dropping a 10-3 decision to host Georgia Tech. MSU is now 3-6 overall on the season.
One big inning once again did in the Spartans, as a four-run fourth broke a 3-3 deadlock and gave the Yellow Jackets a lead they would not relinquish. MSU had its opportunities, but had just six base hits and drew eight walks – two each to Charla Echols and Kaitlyn Eveland. MSU stranded 12 runners in the game, while Georgia Tech stranded 13 after 14 base hits.
Alli Walker went six innings for the Spartans, pitching the first and last three innings. MaKenna Gregory took the loss in the circle after allowing the four-run fourth. Walker scattered 11 hits and allowed six runs, striking out a season-best five. Morgan Bruce earned the win in a relief role, going 5.1 innings and striking out three, walking five without allowing a run.
Offensively, Ebonee Echols led the Spartans with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, including a double in the second inning. Lexi White hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second, her first of the season. Eveland drew a bases-loaded walk in the same inning to account for the third run.
Katie Krzus hit a pair of homers and had five RBI for the Yellow Jackets. Crosby Huckabay had three base hits and Breanna Roper had two.
The Spartans head to Phoenix, Ariz. next weekend to take part in the Purple Classic at Grand Canyon University.
QUOTABLE
"Obviously this wasn't what we were looking for before the weekend. It's taking us a bit to settle into some new roles and most importantly, find some consistency. We were far better today defensively. Alli Walker went six innings in the second game and really toughed it out through some jams. It may be hard sometimes for people to find the positive in losses, but that's absolutely what we're going to do as we strive to find that consistency we're looking for. We're going to head home and reinforce that we're on the right track in many areas and continue to work."
TOP PERFORMERS
• Ebonee Echols had a season-best three base hits, going 3-for-4 with a double.
• Alli Walker both opened and closed the game in the circle. In total, she surrendered six runs (five earned) and struck out a season-best five in six innings.
• Lexi White had two hits (including her first homer of the season) and two RBI.
STATS AND STORYLINES
• Walker got a pair of ground ball outs to start the inning, but walked Tricia Awald. Katie Krzus homered to center to give the Yellow Jackets an early 2-0 advantage.
• Breanna Roper added an RBI single in the second inning to push the Georgia Tech lead to 3-0.
• MSU pulled within a run in the bottom of the second. Ebonee Echols singled to right, and Lexi White followed with a homer over the left-field wall to make it 3-2. The Spartans went on to load the bases on walks to Baccay, Charla Echols, and Caitie Ladd with two outs, and Georgia Tech made a pitching change, going to Morgan Bruce. Bruce walked Eveland to tie the game at 3-3.
• McKenna Gregory came on in the fourth inning for the Spartans in the circle. An error and a walk had two on for the Yellow Jackets, and Krzus hit her second homer of the day, this one over the left field wall, to make it a 6-3 lead for Georgia Tech. Drew Puckett followed with a triple off the wall in left center, and a single by Crosby Huckabay brought home Puckett for the 7-3 advantage.
• Riley Paxson led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to left, her first base hit of the season after seeing limited action in the first weekend due to a nagging injury. Charla Echols moved pinch runner Summer Callahan to second on a ground ball, and Kaitlyn Eveland followed with a walk, her second of the day. Both runners were stranded.
• Alli Walker returned to the circle in the fifth. A dropped third strike to Bailee Zeitler with one out allowed her to take first, and Roper brought her around to score on a base hit to center that was just out of the reach of a diving Katie Quinlan. Walker punched out Awald on a pitch at the knees for the second out of the inning, and got a fielder's choice to end the inning when Eveland got the forceout at third.
• MSU had runners at the corners with one out after back-to-back walks to Paxson and Charla Echols, and pinch runner Abby Joseph tagged up and went to third on a fly ball to right. Eveland moved Echols to second on a ground ball, and Bruce walked Meech to load the bases for Quinlan, but she just missed legging out an infield single to keep the inning going.
• Georgia Tech added two runs in the top of the seventh on an RBI singles by Puckett and Huckabay. Ebonee Echols led off the home half of the seventh with a single for her third hit of the day, but the Spartans couldn't get her around to score.
Michigan State fell in the finale of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Saturday, dropping a 10-3 decision to host Georgia Tech. MSU is now 3-6 overall on the season.
One big inning once again did in the Spartans, as a four-run fourth broke a 3-3 deadlock and gave the Yellow Jackets a lead they would not relinquish. MSU had its opportunities, but had just six base hits and drew eight walks – two each to Charla Echols and Kaitlyn Eveland. MSU stranded 12 runners in the game, while Georgia Tech stranded 13 after 14 base hits.
Alli Walker went six innings for the Spartans, pitching the first and last three innings. MaKenna Gregory took the loss in the circle after allowing the four-run fourth. Walker scattered 11 hits and allowed six runs, striking out a season-best five. Morgan Bruce earned the win in a relief role, going 5.1 innings and striking out three, walking five without allowing a run.
Offensively, Ebonee Echols led the Spartans with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, including a double in the second inning. Lexi White hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second, her first of the season. Eveland drew a bases-loaded walk in the same inning to account for the third run.
Katie Krzus hit a pair of homers and had five RBI for the Yellow Jackets. Crosby Huckabay had three base hits and Breanna Roper had two.
The Spartans head to Phoenix, Ariz. next weekend to take part in the Purple Classic at Grand Canyon University.
QUOTABLE
"Obviously this wasn't what we were looking for before the weekend. It's taking us a bit to settle into some new roles and most importantly, find some consistency. We were far better today defensively. Alli Walker went six innings in the second game and really toughed it out through some jams. It may be hard sometimes for people to find the positive in losses, but that's absolutely what we're going to do as we strive to find that consistency we're looking for. We're going to head home and reinforce that we're on the right track in many areas and continue to work."
- Head Coach Jacquie Joseph
TOP PERFORMERS
• Ebonee Echols had a season-best three base hits, going 3-for-4 with a double.
• Alli Walker both opened and closed the game in the circle. In total, she surrendered six runs (five earned) and struck out a season-best five in six innings.
• Lexi White had two hits (including her first homer of the season) and two RBI.
STATS AND STORYLINES
• Walker got a pair of ground ball outs to start the inning, but walked Tricia Awald. Katie Krzus homered to center to give the Yellow Jackets an early 2-0 advantage.
• Breanna Roper added an RBI single in the second inning to push the Georgia Tech lead to 3-0.
• MSU pulled within a run in the bottom of the second. Ebonee Echols singled to right, and Lexi White followed with a homer over the left-field wall to make it 3-2. The Spartans went on to load the bases on walks to Baccay, Charla Echols, and Caitie Ladd with two outs, and Georgia Tech made a pitching change, going to Morgan Bruce. Bruce walked Eveland to tie the game at 3-3.
• McKenna Gregory came on in the fourth inning for the Spartans in the circle. An error and a walk had two on for the Yellow Jackets, and Krzus hit her second homer of the day, this one over the left field wall, to make it a 6-3 lead for Georgia Tech. Drew Puckett followed with a triple off the wall in left center, and a single by Crosby Huckabay brought home Puckett for the 7-3 advantage.
• Riley Paxson led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to left, her first base hit of the season after seeing limited action in the first weekend due to a nagging injury. Charla Echols moved pinch runner Summer Callahan to second on a ground ball, and Kaitlyn Eveland followed with a walk, her second of the day. Both runners were stranded.
• Alli Walker returned to the circle in the fifth. A dropped third strike to Bailee Zeitler with one out allowed her to take first, and Roper brought her around to score on a base hit to center that was just out of the reach of a diving Katie Quinlan. Walker punched out Awald on a pitch at the knees for the second out of the inning, and got a fielder's choice to end the inning when Eveland got the forceout at third.
• MSU had runners at the corners with one out after back-to-back walks to Paxson and Charla Echols, and pinch runner Abby Joseph tagged up and went to third on a fly ball to right. Eveland moved Echols to second on a ground ball, and Bruce walked Meech to load the bases for Quinlan, but she just missed legging out an infield single to keep the inning going.
• Georgia Tech added two runs in the top of the seventh on an RBI singles by Puckett and Huckabay. Ebonee Echols led off the home half of the seventh with a single for her third hit of the day, but the Spartans couldn't get her around to score.
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