Tuesday, April 9
Mount Pleasant, MI
4:00 PM ET
Michigan State University
15-22
16
at
4
Central Michigan
16-19-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
R
H
E
Michigan State
4
2
1
0
1
8
16
12
2
Central Michigan
0
2
1
0
0
1
4
10
2
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Shipp, Leah (2-3)
L: Howell, S. (4-6)
Batting:
2B: Echols, Charla 1 ; Echols, Ebonee 1
HR: Baccay, Melanie 1 ; Echols, Charla 2 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 1 ; Joyner, Laney 1
RBI: Baccay, Melanie 2 ; Echols, Charla 3 ; Echols, Ebonee 1 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 4 ; Hendershott, Katelyn 1 ; Joyner, Laney 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Baccay, Melanie 2 ; Echols, Charla 3 ; Joseph, Abby 1 ; Echols, Ebonee 3 ; Ladd, Caitie 2 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 2 ; Quinlan, Katie 1 ; Joyner, Laney 1 ; Schreckengost, Shae 1
SB: Echols, Ebonee 1 ; Eveland, Kaitlyn 2 ; Quinlan, Katie 1
Batting:
2B: Mills, S. 1
3B: Knapp, S. 1
RBI: Knapp, S. 1 ; Mills, S. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Knapp, S. 1 ; Dean T. 1 ; Vieira, R. 1 ; Mills, S. 1
HBP: Mills, S. 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
3
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
2B
/ Softball
3B/C
/ SoftballC/3B
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball3B
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball
SS/UTL
/ Softball
SS/UTL
/ Softball1B/UTL
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
DP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
Five-Homer Barrage Helps Spartans to 16-4 Win at CMU
4/9/2019 6:44:00 PM | Softball
MSU wins third straight game
SPARTAN SYNOPSIS
Michigan State exploded for five home runs and earned a commanding 16-4 victory (six innings) at Central Michigan on Tuesday afternoon. Â
Â
The Spartan homer parade featured four players  – Charla Echols had two, Melanie Baccay hit a two-run shot, Kaitlyn Eveland had a three-run homer, and Laney Joyner added a pinch hit grand slam in the top of the sixth. It helped extend MSU's winning streak to three games and improved the Spartans to 15-22. CMU falls to 16-19-1 on the season.
Â
Charla Echols added a double to her two homers, recording three RBI. Kaitlyn Eveland was 2-for-4 with four RBI, and Ebonee Echols was 2-for-4 with a double. MSU had 12 base hits and drew eight walks on the day.Â
Â
Leah Shipp pitched 4.1 strong relief innings to earn the win, including getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fourth when the Chippewas were threatening to pull within a run as MSU held a 7-3 lead.  She scattered four hits, walking just one.Â
Â
Rachel Viera was 3-for-3 for CMU with a run scored, while both Shaidan Knapp (triple) and Erika Underwood had two base hits. Samantha Howell took the loss in relief, allowing six MSU runs in 1.2 innings pitched.Â
Â
The Spartans return to action this weekend when they head to No. 19/12 Minnesota for a three-game Big Ten series.Â
Â
Â
QUOTABLE
"Our bats really got going last weekend in the Maryland series, and it was really nice to see that continue today in a non-conference game. It was a great outing for Leah Shipp too – it was her longest outing in the circle since her first game of the season.  We need to maintain a level of consistency – and we will certainly be challenged this weekend when we head to Minnesota to face a dangerous Gopher team."
TOP PERFORMERS
STATS AND STORYLINES
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Michigan State exploded for five home runs and earned a commanding 16-4 victory (six innings) at Central Michigan on Tuesday afternoon. Â
Â
The Spartan homer parade featured four players  – Charla Echols had two, Melanie Baccay hit a two-run shot, Kaitlyn Eveland had a three-run homer, and Laney Joyner added a pinch hit grand slam in the top of the sixth. It helped extend MSU's winning streak to three games and improved the Spartans to 15-22. CMU falls to 16-19-1 on the season.
Â
Charla Echols added a double to her two homers, recording three RBI. Kaitlyn Eveland was 2-for-4 with four RBI, and Ebonee Echols was 2-for-4 with a double. MSU had 12 base hits and drew eight walks on the day.Â
Â
Leah Shipp pitched 4.1 strong relief innings to earn the win, including getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fourth when the Chippewas were threatening to pull within a run as MSU held a 7-3 lead.  She scattered four hits, walking just one.Â
Â
Rachel Viera was 3-for-3 for CMU with a run scored, while both Shaidan Knapp (triple) and Erika Underwood had two base hits. Samantha Howell took the loss in relief, allowing six MSU runs in 1.2 innings pitched.Â
Â
The Spartans return to action this weekend when they head to No. 19/12 Minnesota for a three-game Big Ten series.Â
Â
Â
QUOTABLE
"Our bats really got going last weekend in the Maryland series, and it was really nice to see that continue today in a non-conference game. It was a great outing for Leah Shipp too – it was her longest outing in the circle since her first game of the season.  We need to maintain a level of consistency – and we will certainly be challenged this weekend when we head to Minnesota to face a dangerous Gopher team."
- Head Coach Jacquie Joseph
TOP PERFORMERS
- Kaitlyn Eveland was 2-for-4 with four RBI, tagging a three-run homer in the first. Â
- Charla Echols smacked two home runs and a double.  Â
- Leah Shipp threw 4.1 innings in relief, scattering five hits. She struck out one and walked one without surrendering an earned run.Â
- Ebonee Echols, MacKenzie Meech each had two base hits in the game, with Echols recording a double.
STATS AND STORYLINES
- Michigan State got things going right away, as Charla Echols laced a one-out double to left. MacKenzie Meech moved her to third, and Ebonee Echols' single up the middle scored her sister from third. Caitie Ladd walked, and Kaitlyn Eveland emptied the bases with a three-run homer.
- Charla Echols picked up her second base hit of the game in the top of the second with two out, as she smacked a two-run shot that also scored Melanie Baccay, who had drawn a walk. Echols' homer pushed the Spartan lead to 6-0.Â
- CMU cut down the Spartan lead in the bottom of the second. Rachel Viera singled up the middle to lead off the inning, and two outs later, Samantha Mills doubled down the left field line to get her team on the scoreboard. Shaidan Knapp followed with a single to score Mills to make it 6-2.Â
Â
- An RBI single by Kaitlyn Eveland brought home Ebonee Echols in the third inning for her fourth RBI of the day. Echols had reached on a leadoff double.Â
- Ericka Underwood singled to lead off the home half of the third, and  Dean followed with a fielder's choice. Viera singled with two outs, bringing a third run across the plate for the Chippewas.Â
Â
- CMU challenged in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases on a leadoff single, hit by pitch, and a two-out intentional walk to Underwood. Shipp came up with a big strikeout of Dean to end the inning without allowing a run.Â
Â
- Eveland was on base again in the top of the fifth via fielder's choice and came around to score on a fly ball by Joanna Bartz that was misplayed in the outfield. Eveland's run made it 8-3 Spartans.Â
Â
- Charla Echols smacked a second homer in the game in the top of the sixth inning to make it 9-3. The Spartans loaded the bases for pinch hitter Katelyn Hendershott, who worked a base on balls to make it a 10-3 score.  Laney Joyner stepped in as a pinch hitter and rocked one over the wall in center field for a grand slam that made 14-3. After Shae Scheckengost drew a walk, leadoff hitter Melanie Baccay hit her second homer of the season, a two-run effort, to cap an eight-run rally and make it 16-3.Â
Â
- The Chippewas got one back in the bottom of the sixth on a triple by Knapp, who came home on a throwing error. That brought the home team within 16-4, but Shipp didn't allow another hit and closed out the victory for the visitors.
Â
-  Charla Echols' two homers tied the school record for the 27th time in program history and third time this season:  Her sister Ebonee smacked two homers in the finale of the Maryland series just two days ago, and earlier in the season by Caitie Ladd (vs. Indiana, March 29).  Among current players, Kelly Zackrison (April 28, 2018 vs. Rutgers), Lexi White (May 8, 2017 vs. Indiana) and Kaitlyn Eveland (April 8, 2017) have also had two home runs in a game.
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