Sunday, February 24
Phoenix, Ariz.
11 AM ET/ 9 AM MT
Michigan State University
3-10
5
vs
9
University of North Dakota
5-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
North Dakota
0
1
3
0
2
3
0
9
12
0
Michigan State
0
1
2
0
2
0
0
5
11
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nikki Pica (2-5)
L: Gregory, McKenna (0-3)
S: Emily Rosas (1)
Batting:
2B: M. Marzolino 1 ; Angel Love 2
HR: Jocelyn Kirk 2
RBI: Jocelyn Kirk 5 ; Angel Love 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Deja Miller 1 ; Jocelyn Kirk 3 ; M. Marzolino 1 ; Dani Romero 2 ; L. Hathaway 2
CS: V. Minor 1
HBP: Dani Romero 1
Batting:
2B: Ladd, Caitie 1 ; Joyner, Laney 1
HR: Ladd, Caitie 1
RBI: Ladd, Caitie 2 ; Echols, Ebonee 1 ; Meech, Mackenzie 1 ; Joyner, Laney 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Quinlan, Katie 1 ; Ladd, Caitie 2 ; Echols, Ebonee 1 ; Meech, Mackenzie 1
SB: Eveland, Kaitlyn 1 ; Echols, Ebonee 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
rf/1b
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
ph/lf
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
SS/UTL
/ SoftballSS/UTL
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
Spartans Drop Purple Classic finale to UND, 9-5
2/24/2019 1:34:00 PM | Softball
Ladd smacks her first homer of the season
SPARTAN SYNOPSISÂ Â Â
Â
Michigan State fell in the finale of the Purple Classic at Grand Canyon University, dropping a 9-5 decision to North Dakota. MSU had a weekend-best 11 base hits, but stranded nine runners.
Â
Caitie Ladd went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and a two-run homer. Â Â Katie Quinlan and Mackenzie Meech both went 2-for-4, with Meech picking up an RBI.Â
Â
Three Spartan pitchers saw time in the circle. Leah Shipp started the game and went 2.1 inning, Alli Walker went 1.2, and McKenna Gregory finished the final three innings. Each allowed three earned runs.Â
Â
Angel Love went 3-for-4 for the Fighting Hawks (5-9), while Jocelyn Kirk went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI. Starter Nikki Pika earned the win, scattering eight hits over 4.1 innings; Emily Rosas earned the save for her 2.2 innings of work, allowing three hits and no runs.Â
MSU travels next week to SEC country to play at Alabama in the Crimson Classic.   Â
.Â
 TOP PERFORMERSÂ
•  Caitie Ladd was 2-for-3, scoring twice and adding a pair of RBI. .
•  Mackenzie Meech and Katie Quinlan were both 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Â
STATS AND STORYLINESÂ
•  North Dakota put the first run on the board in the second inning. A leadoff walk to Dani Romero was followed by a double down the left field line by Angel Love, bringing home Romero and allowing Love to go to third. Caitie Ladd made a great grab on a ball deep into the hole at short to get Alicia Young at first, and then Shipp popped up Victoria Minor to get a quick second out.Â
Â
•  MSU countered in the bottom of the second. Mackenzie Meech singled up the middle, and Laney Joyner followed with a double.to score Meech and knot the score a 1-1.Â
Â
•  In the top of the third, Joscelyn Kirk smacked a one-out two-run homer to re-establish a 3-1 Fighting Hawks lead. That triggered a pitching change for the Spartans, who brought on Alli Walker. Walker gave up a walk and a double to Love – her second of the game - score a fourth run before getting out of the inning.
Â
•  The Spartans picked things right back up in the bottom of the third. Caitie Ladd doubled to lead off the inning and went to third on the throw, and came home on a pinch-hit infield single by Ebonee Echols. Echols stole second, and came around to score on a Meech single to make it 4-3. Â
Â
•  After a scoreless fourth on both sides, North Dakota got a two-run single from Love – her third hit of the day – to push their lead back out to three. McKenna Gregory came on to pitch with two on and none out and got the first out of the inning, but then gave up the single to Love.Â
Â
•  MSU quickly got back within a run in the bottom of the frame. Katie Quinlan lifted a bloop single into short left to lead off, and then Caitie Ladd hit a ball over the wall in right center, her first homer of the season.Â
Â
•  The teams continued to trade blows. A pair of singles set up a three-run homer by Joscelyn Kirk that pushed the North Dakota lead out to 9-6 in the top of the sixth inning.Â
Â
•  MSU loaded the bases in the sixth and had a runner in the seventh, but couldn't get another run around to cut into the deficit.Â
Â
Â
Â
Michigan State fell in the finale of the Purple Classic at Grand Canyon University, dropping a 9-5 decision to North Dakota. MSU had a weekend-best 11 base hits, but stranded nine runners.
Â
Caitie Ladd went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and a two-run homer. Â Â Katie Quinlan and Mackenzie Meech both went 2-for-4, with Meech picking up an RBI.Â
Â
Three Spartan pitchers saw time in the circle. Leah Shipp started the game and went 2.1 inning, Alli Walker went 1.2, and McKenna Gregory finished the final three innings. Each allowed three earned runs.Â
Â
Angel Love went 3-for-4 for the Fighting Hawks (5-9), while Jocelyn Kirk went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI. Starter Nikki Pika earned the win, scattering eight hits over 4.1 innings; Emily Rosas earned the save for her 2.2 innings of work, allowing three hits and no runs.Â
MSU travels next week to SEC country to play at Alabama in the Crimson Classic.   Â
.Â
 TOP PERFORMERSÂ
•  Caitie Ladd was 2-for-3, scoring twice and adding a pair of RBI. .
•  Mackenzie Meech and Katie Quinlan were both 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Â
STATS AND STORYLINESÂ
•  North Dakota put the first run on the board in the second inning. A leadoff walk to Dani Romero was followed by a double down the left field line by Angel Love, bringing home Romero and allowing Love to go to third. Caitie Ladd made a great grab on a ball deep into the hole at short to get Alicia Young at first, and then Shipp popped up Victoria Minor to get a quick second out.Â
Â
•  MSU countered in the bottom of the second. Mackenzie Meech singled up the middle, and Laney Joyner followed with a double.to score Meech and knot the score a 1-1.Â
Â
•  In the top of the third, Joscelyn Kirk smacked a one-out two-run homer to re-establish a 3-1 Fighting Hawks lead. That triggered a pitching change for the Spartans, who brought on Alli Walker. Walker gave up a walk and a double to Love – her second of the game - score a fourth run before getting out of the inning.
Â
•  The Spartans picked things right back up in the bottom of the third. Caitie Ladd doubled to lead off the inning and went to third on the throw, and came home on a pinch-hit infield single by Ebonee Echols. Echols stole second, and came around to score on a Meech single to make it 4-3. Â
Â
•  After a scoreless fourth on both sides, North Dakota got a two-run single from Love – her third hit of the day – to push their lead back out to three. McKenna Gregory came on to pitch with two on and none out and got the first out of the inning, but then gave up the single to Love.Â
Â
•  MSU quickly got back within a run in the bottom of the frame. Katie Quinlan lifted a bloop single into short left to lead off, and then Caitie Ladd hit a ball over the wall in right center, her first homer of the season.Â
Â
•  The teams continued to trade blows. A pair of singles set up a three-run homer by Joscelyn Kirk that pushed the North Dakota lead out to 9-6 in the top of the sixth inning.Â
Â
•  MSU loaded the bases in the sixth and had a runner in the seventh, but couldn't get another run around to cut into the deficit.Â
Â
Â
A Road Less Traveled | Spartans All-Access
Thursday, April 17
A Higher Standard | Spartans All-Access
Tuesday, February 11
Spartans All-Access: Jenae Wash
Thursday, April 11
Spartans All-Access: Coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley
Thursday, April 20