Spartans Win Wild Finale in Extras, 10-9

SPARTAN SYNOPSIS

Michigan State ended its season with a dramatic 10-9 victory in eight innings at Rutgers on Saturday afternoon.

Caitie Ladd led off the eighth inning with a solo homer to left field, her second of the game. That would stand up as the game-winner, as Alli Walker allowed a double in the bottom of the eighth but got a pair of routine ground balls to end the game with the tying run on third.

The Spartans entered the bottom of the seventh with a 9-6 lead, but a walk to Katie Wingert and a hit batter put two on base for Anyssa Iliopoulos, who had played the role of Spartan killer in game one with a pair of homers. Iliopoulos continued that role into the nightcap when she tied the game with a three-run homer, knotting the game at 9-9 with no outs in the home half of the frame.

MSU had taken the lead with a four-run second inning, surrendered it in the fourth when Jess Hughes hit her second homer of the game. The Spartans scored in each of the final three regulation innings, with Kelly Zackrison and Courtney Callahan coming up with big RBI plate appearances in the fifth, and a solo homer by Laney Joyner in the sixth. After Alli Walker worked a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth, another RBI by Callahan – this one a single to right - gave MSU another run in the top of the ninth.

In addition to Ladd's two homers, the Spartans got three base hits from both Zackrison and Callahan. Callahan added had two RBI. Charla Echols had a double and a homer as well. Jordan Watson started the game and went two innings, while Walker finished up with 6.0 innings pitched, scattering six hits and striking out two to earn her ninth win of the season.

Reliever Corah Price took the loss (16-9) after four innings of four-hit relief, striking out three. Jess Hughes was 2-for-5 (both homers) and had three RBI, while Myah Moy went 3-for-4. Iliopoulos's seventh-inning homer was her only hit of the day, but was maybe the most important of the day for the Scarlet Knights, who wrap the regular season with a 11-12 mark in Big Ten play and 28-23 overall. The Spartans finish at 16-34 and 4-18 in Big Ten play.

Rutgers took the first two games of the series, 7-5 on Friday and 7-3 in the first game on Saturday. The Spartans had a series-best 13 hits in the nightcap. The teams combined for 18 homers over the three-game series – Caitie Ladd had four (two in the nightcap on Saturday) and Charla Echols had two.

QUOTABLE
"It was a nice way to end the season on a high note. We were resilient and kept fighting, which says something about their character that we kept fighting through the final inning, the final at-bat. We have to say goodbye to our four seniors, who have meant so much to us as players and people. They will not only leave their mark in the record books, but have each have left a very distinct mark on our program."

Head Coach Jacquie Joseph

TOP PERFORMERS

Kelly Zackrison was 3-for-4 with a sac bunt in her final collegiate game.
Courtney Callahan was 3-for-3 with a sac fly and two RBI, all career bests.
Caitie Ladd had her second two-homer game in the series and third of the season. She finished the nightcap 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Charla Echols was 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homer.

STATS AND STORYLINES

MSU took a lead via a first-inning home run for the third straight game, as Charla Echols smacked her seventh of the season As they have all series, the Scarlet Knights countered with a homer in the home half of the first, getting a leadoff homer from Jess Hughes to tie the game at 1-1.

In the top of the second inning, the Spartans got back to back singles from Kelly Zackrison and Courtney Callahan to start off the frame, and Kaitlyn Eveland laid down a sac bunt to move the runners into scoring position. Lexi White singled into right field to plate both to make it 3- 1 in favor of the Spartans, but was eliminated from the basepaths as she got caught flirting with taking second on an anticipated throw home . Laney Joyner walked, and Caitie Ladd made it a 5-1 game with a long homer to left center, her 10^th of the season.

Rutgers pulled within a run in the bottom of the second. Marra led it off with a double to right center, and Nicole Anico walked on a full count for a pair on base. Myah Moy stepped in and homered to left to pull her team to within 5-4.

Jordan Watson started the game and went two innings, scattering three hits. She was replaced by Alli Walker in the third

Rutgers senior Jess Hughes gave her team the lead with her second homer of the game, a two-run shot that made it 6-5 in the bottom of the fourth.

MSU put together three base hits and a sac fly for a pair of runs to retake the lead in the top of the fifth. A double by Charla Echols followed by Meech reaching on an error and a walk to Ebonee Echols loaded the bases. Kelly Zackrison singled home Charla Echols to tie it, and a sac fly by Courtney Callahan brought home pinch runner Abby Joseph to reclaim the lead, 7-6.

After Alli Walker worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth, Laney Joyner led off the sixth inning with a solo homer, her third of the season, to push the Spartan lead out to two, 8-6.

Rutgers threatened in the bottom of the sixth. Walker got the first two outs of the inning, but then Moy singled to right to extend the frame. Pinch hitter Madyson Cole reached on an error to put runners at the corners for Hughes, who already had two homers in the game and looked for another big hit to try to take the lead. Walker got her to pop out to Ladd at short to end the inning and strand two runners.

MSU added a ninth run in the top of the seventh, pushing their lead to 9-6. Ebonee Echols reached on a throwing error by the pitcher, moved to second on a sac bunt by Zackrison, and then came home on Callahan's third base hit of the day.

Iliopoulos played the role of hero for the Scarlet Knights again in the bottom of the seventh inning, smacking a three-run home run to tie the game at 9-9. A pair of walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs for Rutgers with Hughes coming to the plate, but Walker got a ground ball to second to strand all three runners and sent it to extra innings.

Caitie Ladd wasted no time as the game moved into the eighth inning, sending the first pitch off pitcher Corah Price over the left field wall. It was Ladd's 11th home

In the bottom of the eighth, Nicole Bowman doubled to right center, bringing Iliopoulos to the plate with one out. Walker got her to ground out to second, but it moved Bowman to third with two outs. Walker retired Marra on a groundout to end the game.

Team Stats

Kelly Zackrison

Courtney Callahan

Caitie Ladd

Charla Echols

Players Mentioned

Courtney Callahan

Charla Echols

Ebonee Echols

Kaitlyn Eveland

Abby Joseph

Laney Joyner

Caitie Ladd

Alli Walker

Jordan Watson

Lexi White

Kelly Zackrison