Saturday, March 23
East Lansing, Mich.
1:00 PM ET
Michigan State University
11-17, 0
4
vs
7
Penn State
15-14, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Penn State
1
0
0
0
0
0
6
7
10
2
Michigan State
0
0
3
0
0
1
0
4
10
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bailey Parshall (6-9)
L: Gregory, McKenna (3-6)
Batting:
2B: Anna Deshaies 1
HR: Toni Polk 1 ; Haley Vallejos 1
RBI: Toni Polk 2 ; Chelsea Bisi 1 ; Haley Vallejos 3 ; Melina Livingston 1
SF: Chelsea Bisi 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Toni Polk 2 ; Claire Swedberg 1 ; Chelsea Bisi 1 ; Haley Vallejos 1 ; Dani Fey 1 ; Melina Livingston 1
SB: Melina Livingston 1
Batting:
2B: Quinlan, Katie 1 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 1
RBI: Quinlan, Katie 1 ; Meech, Mackenzie 1 ; Echols, Ebonee 1 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 1
SF: Echols, Ebonee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Quinlan, Katie 1 ; Echols, Charla 1 ; Meech, Mackenzie 1 ; Callahan, Courtney 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
dp/rf
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
ph/dp
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C/3B
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
SS/UTL
/ Softball1B/UTL
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballDP
/ Softball
Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Seventh-Inning PSU Rally Sinks Spartans, 7-4
3/23/2019 4:29:00 PM | Softball
Teams trade late-inning wins in the first two games of the series.
SPARTAN SYNOPSISÂ Â Â
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Michigan State couldn't hold off a seventh-inning rally from Penn State, and fell in a 7-4 decision on Saturday to the visitors. The Spartans entered the final frame with a 7-4 lead, but the Nittany Lions hit a pair of home runs in the top of the seventh as part of a six-run rally that allowed them to even the weekend series at a game apiece.Â
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On Friday, the Spartans had the last hurrah with a walkoff homer by Caitie Ladd in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn an 8-7 victory. On Saturday, it was Penn State's turn, as it entered the top seventh inning in a 4-1 deficit and came out of it with a 7-4 lead, thanks to homers by Tori Polk and Haley Vallejos that spurred the six-run rally.
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Penn State (15-14, 1-1 B1G) manufactured a run in the top of the first and did ot score again until its seventh-inning rally. Meanwhile, MSU (11-17, 1-1 B1G) put three runs on the board in the third and added what looked like an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Ebonee Echols was 2-for-3 while both Katie Quinlan and MacKenzie Meech went 2-for-4 on the day. Kaitlyn Eveland also had an RBI double and was 1-for-4 at the plate.
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Jordan Watson threw 4.1 relief innings, coming on for starter Leah Shipp in the second. Watson allowed six hits and three runs (all earned), which all came in the top of the seventh inning; she was replaced by McKenna Gregory who also surrendered three earned runs in her one inning of work.Â
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For Penn State, Polk was the only player with multiple hits on the day, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Vallejos had three RBI on her homer in the seventh.  Like the Spartans, the Nittany Lions used three pitchers; starter Hannah Shields went 2.1 innings and was charged with all three Spartan runs in the third inning. Kylee Lingenfelter threw 3.2 innings, scattering four hits and giving up MSU's fourth run in the sixth, and staff ace Bailey Parshall threw the seventh, earning the win with a pair of strikeouts in MSU's final at-bat.Â
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The series is now tied 1-1, denying either team a sweep. The teams face off again in the rubber match on Sunday at 1 pm at Secchia Stadium.
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 QUOTABLEÂ
"Its disappointing, but also a good lesson for us – every team in the Big Ten can play and will challenge us every game. Yesterday we got the better end of it with a walkoff, and they had a big rally in their final at-bat today to get a win. We had one bad inning today, but one bad inning can also hurt you pretty good. Tomorrow, we get another shot to end the series the way we'd like to." Â
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 TOP PERFORMERSÂ
•  Katie Quinlan went 2-for-4 with an RBI and five putouts in center field.
•  MacKenzie Meech went 2-for-4 with an RBI
•  Ebonee Echols was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.Â
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STATS AND STORYLINESÂ
•  The Nittany Lions plated a run in the top of the first when leadoff Tori Polk singled, went to second on the throw, advanced to third on a fly ball by Claire Swedberg, and came home on a sac fly by Chelsea Bisi.Â
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•  MSU put together its first rally in the bottom of the third, once it had been through the lineup once. Katie Quinlan legged out a one-out single, and Charla Echols and MacKenzie Meech followed with right-field singles to score Quinlan and leave runners at the corners. PSU made the pitching change to bring on Lingenfelter, who gave up a sac fly to Ebonee Echols to give MSU a 2-1 lead. Kaitlyn Eveland doubled to center field to bring home the third run.Â
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•  In the top of the sixth, Ally Kurland reached base and went to second as Katie Quinlan lost her fly ball in the sun, and she went to third on a foul ball caught by Abby Joseph in right field. Watson walked Destiny Weber to put runners at the corners, but got pinch hitter Tori Dubois looking at a called third strike to end the inning.Â
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•  MSU tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth to pad the lead. Lexi White laced a two-out single to left field, and came around to score on a double into left by Katie Quinlan.Â
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•  Penn State made a late push, and tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the seventh. Pinch hitter Anna Deshaies led off the top of the frame with a double to right field, and she came around to score when Livingston singled to left. Toni Polk followed with a two-run homer over the wall in right field to knot the game at four-all. MSU made a pitching change, bringing on McKenna Gregory; she walked the first two batters she faced and then got a popout for the first out of the inning. Haley Vallejos stepped in and delivered a homer that ricocheted off the scoreboard in left to go up 7-4.Â
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•  Bailey Parshall came on to pitch the seventh for Penn State, striking out two of the batters she faced to pick up the win in the circle for the Nittany Lions.Â
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•  Jordan Watson threw 4.1 innings, tying the second-longest outing of the season for the junior.Â
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Michigan State couldn't hold off a seventh-inning rally from Penn State, and fell in a 7-4 decision on Saturday to the visitors. The Spartans entered the final frame with a 7-4 lead, but the Nittany Lions hit a pair of home runs in the top of the seventh as part of a six-run rally that allowed them to even the weekend series at a game apiece.Â
Â
On Friday, the Spartans had the last hurrah with a walkoff homer by Caitie Ladd in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn an 8-7 victory. On Saturday, it was Penn State's turn, as it entered the top seventh inning in a 4-1 deficit and came out of it with a 7-4 lead, thanks to homers by Tori Polk and Haley Vallejos that spurred the six-run rally.
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Penn State (15-14, 1-1 B1G) manufactured a run in the top of the first and did ot score again until its seventh-inning rally. Meanwhile, MSU (11-17, 1-1 B1G) put three runs on the board in the third and added what looked like an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Ebonee Echols was 2-for-3 while both Katie Quinlan and MacKenzie Meech went 2-for-4 on the day. Kaitlyn Eveland also had an RBI double and was 1-for-4 at the plate.
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Jordan Watson threw 4.1 relief innings, coming on for starter Leah Shipp in the second. Watson allowed six hits and three runs (all earned), which all came in the top of the seventh inning; she was replaced by McKenna Gregory who also surrendered three earned runs in her one inning of work.Â
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For Penn State, Polk was the only player with multiple hits on the day, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Vallejos had three RBI on her homer in the seventh.  Like the Spartans, the Nittany Lions used three pitchers; starter Hannah Shields went 2.1 innings and was charged with all three Spartan runs in the third inning. Kylee Lingenfelter threw 3.2 innings, scattering four hits and giving up MSU's fourth run in the sixth, and staff ace Bailey Parshall threw the seventh, earning the win with a pair of strikeouts in MSU's final at-bat.Â
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The series is now tied 1-1, denying either team a sweep. The teams face off again in the rubber match on Sunday at 1 pm at Secchia Stadium.
Â
 QUOTABLEÂ
"Its disappointing, but also a good lesson for us – every team in the Big Ten can play and will challenge us every game. Yesterday we got the better end of it with a walkoff, and they had a big rally in their final at-bat today to get a win. We had one bad inning today, but one bad inning can also hurt you pretty good. Tomorrow, we get another shot to end the series the way we'd like to." Â
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- Head Coach Jacquie Joseph
 TOP PERFORMERSÂ
•  Katie Quinlan went 2-for-4 with an RBI and five putouts in center field.
•  MacKenzie Meech went 2-for-4 with an RBI
•  Ebonee Echols was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.Â
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STATS AND STORYLINESÂ
•  The Nittany Lions plated a run in the top of the first when leadoff Tori Polk singled, went to second on the throw, advanced to third on a fly ball by Claire Swedberg, and came home on a sac fly by Chelsea Bisi.Â
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•  MSU put together its first rally in the bottom of the third, once it had been through the lineup once. Katie Quinlan legged out a one-out single, and Charla Echols and MacKenzie Meech followed with right-field singles to score Quinlan and leave runners at the corners. PSU made the pitching change to bring on Lingenfelter, who gave up a sac fly to Ebonee Echols to give MSU a 2-1 lead. Kaitlyn Eveland doubled to center field to bring home the third run.Â
Â
•  In the top of the sixth, Ally Kurland reached base and went to second as Katie Quinlan lost her fly ball in the sun, and she went to third on a foul ball caught by Abby Joseph in right field. Watson walked Destiny Weber to put runners at the corners, but got pinch hitter Tori Dubois looking at a called third strike to end the inning.Â
Â
•  MSU tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth to pad the lead. Lexi White laced a two-out single to left field, and came around to score on a double into left by Katie Quinlan.Â
Â
•  Penn State made a late push, and tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the seventh. Pinch hitter Anna Deshaies led off the top of the frame with a double to right field, and she came around to score when Livingston singled to left. Toni Polk followed with a two-run homer over the wall in right field to knot the game at four-all. MSU made a pitching change, bringing on McKenna Gregory; she walked the first two batters she faced and then got a popout for the first out of the inning. Haley Vallejos stepped in and delivered a homer that ricocheted off the scoreboard in left to go up 7-4.Â
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•  Bailey Parshall came on to pitch the seventh for Penn State, striking out two of the batters she faced to pick up the win in the circle for the Nittany Lions.Â
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•  Jordan Watson threw 4.1 innings, tying the second-longest outing of the season for the junior.Â
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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