Saturday, February 8
MIami, Fla.
5:30 pm
Michigan State University
0-3
4
vs
10
Cal
2-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Cal
0
1
0
1
1
3
4
10
17
1
Michigan State
0
0
1
0
0
3
0
4
6
3
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Perez, Alexandra (0-0)
L: Walker, Alli (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Smith, Makena 1 ; Sparacino, Karlee 1
3B: Saiki, D'Asha 1
RBI: Bradley, Amani 2 ; Espalin, Lauren 2 ; Sparacino, Karlee 2 ; Kondo, Cameron 1 ; Saiki, D'Asha 1 ; Yingling, Candace 1 ; Coelho, Mikayla 1
SH: Smith, Makena 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Smith, Makena 1 ; Espalin, Lauren 1 ; Hammoude, Nicole 1 ; Zobac, Kacey 1 ; Sparacino, Karlee 1 ; Saiki, D'Asha 1 ; Agbayani, Aleia 3 ; Nunez, Sabrina 1
CS: Smith, Makena 1
HBP: Espalin, Lauren 1
Batting:
RBI: Wyllie, Kennedy 2 ; Bartz, Joanna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ladd, Caitie 1 ; Meech, Mackenzie 1 ; Joseph, Abby 1 ; Bartz, Joanna 1
CS: Snyder, Brooke 1
Game Leaders
rf/dp
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
ph/c
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
3B/C
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball
SS/UTL
/ Softball
SS/UTL
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
Photo by: Eric Espada/Michigan State University
Late Rally Leads Cal Past MSU in Rematch
2/8/2020 9:40:00 PM | Softball
Miami, Fla. - Michigan State dropped its rematch with Cal, 10-4, on Saturday night in Miami. Cal is now 2-2 on the season, while the Spartans fall to 0-3 to start the 2020 campaign.Â
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The squads traded rallies in the late innings. The Golden Bears held a 3-1 lead after five, and then put together a three-run sixth inning to make it 6-1. MSU came back in the home half of the frame to score three of their own to trim the deficit to 6-4, but then had trouble recording outs in the seventh. Cal plated four runs on five hits to once again put the game out of reach.Â
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The Spartan bats were cold in the early part of the contest but came alive in that sixth inning when they strung together three base hits along with three walks to trim a 6-1 deficit down to 6-4.   Cal rattled off 17 base hits in the game, including five in the final frame. MSU was issued a season-high five walks in the game, and delivered six base hits.
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Leah Shipp made her first start of the season and went four innings, surrendering just two runs and twice leaving the bases loaded. Alli Walker came on in relief and went 2.0 innings, and Sarah Ladd finished off the game for MSU.  For Cal, Alexandra Perez both started the game and then re-entered late, going a combined 6.2 innings and issuing three walks, striking out three, and scattering five hits.Â
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Michigan State wraps the Felsburg Invitational at FIU on Sunday when it takes on Syracuse at 12:30 pm.
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QUOTABLE
"It's too early to be too negative - but we know that we're shooting ourselves in the foot and making things a lot harder on ourselves. We're committing errors, we're allowing runs with two outs. Part of it is our youth and perhaps overthinking things a bit, and part of it is how early in the season it is. But if we want to give ourselves a chance, we need to set ourselves up for success and not make every at-bat an uphill battle because we're already behind. I know that we have the ability, and we're so close. Now, its about getting some more reps together as a team and making the routine plays. We'll come with our best efforts tomorrow to end the weekend on a high note."
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TOP PERFORMERS
STATS AND STORYLINES
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The squads traded rallies in the late innings. The Golden Bears held a 3-1 lead after five, and then put together a three-run sixth inning to make it 6-1. MSU came back in the home half of the frame to score three of their own to trim the deficit to 6-4, but then had trouble recording outs in the seventh. Cal plated four runs on five hits to once again put the game out of reach.Â
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The Spartan bats were cold in the early part of the contest but came alive in that sixth inning when they strung together three base hits along with three walks to trim a 6-1 deficit down to 6-4.   Cal rattled off 17 base hits in the game, including five in the final frame. MSU was issued a season-high five walks in the game, and delivered six base hits.
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Leah Shipp made her first start of the season and went four innings, surrendering just two runs and twice leaving the bases loaded. Alli Walker came on in relief and went 2.0 innings, and Sarah Ladd finished off the game for MSU.  For Cal, Alexandra Perez both started the game and then re-entered late, going a combined 6.2 innings and issuing three walks, striking out three, and scattering five hits.Â
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Michigan State wraps the Felsburg Invitational at FIU on Sunday when it takes on Syracuse at 12:30 pm.
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QUOTABLE
"It's too early to be too negative - but we know that we're shooting ourselves in the foot and making things a lot harder on ourselves. We're committing errors, we're allowing runs with two outs. Part of it is our youth and perhaps overthinking things a bit, and part of it is how early in the season it is. But if we want to give ourselves a chance, we need to set ourselves up for success and not make every at-bat an uphill battle because we're already behind. I know that we have the ability, and we're so close. Now, its about getting some more reps together as a team and making the routine plays. We'll come with our best efforts tomorrow to end the weekend on a high note."
- Head Coach Jacquie Joseph
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TOP PERFORMERS
- Joanna Bartz had a pair of base hits and an RBI, scoring once.Â
- Kennedy Wyllie had a pair of RBI with her first career base hit in the sixth inning.
- Leah Shipp started the game and went four innings, then re-entered in the seventh.
STATS AND STORYLINES
- Cal put a run on the board in the second with a one-out rally. Aleia Agbayani walked, and a single by Makena Smith put two on for Amani Bradley. She put the ball into play, and an error allowed her to reach safely and score Agbayani. A hit batter loaded the bases, but Shipp recovered to strike out Kacey Zobac to work out of the jam.Â
- Joanna Bartz picked up a base hit to lead off the third with a perfectly-placed bloop single into left center. Laney Joyner followed with a single through the right side, and a throwing error trying to nab Bartz going to third allowed the junior to score and sent Joyner to third.Â
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- Shipp got out of bases-loaded jams in both the first and second innings, surrendering just one run. She retired the side in order in the third, but in the fourth gave up back-to-back hits to Agbayani and Smith to put a pair in scoring position for Bradley, who singled into left to bring home the lead runner. Smith got caught in a run down between third and home for a critical second out, and a line ball to third ended the threat, stranding a Cal runner at third.Â
- A two-out triple to right bt D'Asha Saiki, followed by a walk, put runners at the corners for Cal in the top of the fifth. Mikayla Coehlo laced a single through the right side to score Saiki, but Thomas was gunned down at third trying to take the extra base to end the inning. The base hit gave Cal a 3-1 leadÂ
- Cal tacked on three runs with a two-out rally in the sixth inning. The inning led off with a runner reaching on an error. Walker left the bases loaded to get out of the inning without any further damage.Â
- The Spartans rallied in the sixth inning, plating three runs. It started with walks by Caitie Ladd and Meech followed by hits from Schreckengost, Wyllie, and Bartz. MSU had the bases loaded with just one out, but the Bears got out of the inning on a fielder's choice and a ground ball out to second.Â
- Cal rallied to get those runs back in the seventh. The Bears put runners at the corners thanks to an error and a base hit with no outs, which spelled the end of the day for Walker in the circle. Shipp re-entered and gave up back-to-back singles that loaded the bases and then scored a run, allowing Cal  to push its lead back out to three runs with none out. Shipp got Zobac when she snared a wicked comebacker with her glove hand, then whirled to double Bradley off second for the second out of the inning.. Karlee Sparacino dashed the Spartans hopes for no more damage in the next at-bat, as she cleared the bases with a double off the wall in left center, and Saiki followed with a single through the right side to score Sparacino for a 10-4 lead. MSU went to Sarah Ladd in the circle to get the final out, and she got a ground ball to end the inning.Â
- Of the 10 runs allowed in the game, the Spartans once again only gave up two earned – MSU only allowed two earned runs in the first meeting with the Bears on Friday as well. Â
- Leah Shipp went 4.0 innings in her first start of the season, and then re-entered the game in the seventh inning with two on and none out. She allowed 10 hits combined and was charged with four runs, one earned.Â
- Schreckengost had a base hit for the third straight game, the only Spartan to have a hit in each of the three games to start the season. She had four base hits in 2019, her first campaign in Green & White.Â
- Kennedy Wyllie had her first career base hit in the sixth when she entered as a pinch hitter. Her base hit scored two runs, her first career RBI.Â
- Katelyn Hendershott battled through nine-pitch at-bats in her first two plate appearances.Â
- Alli Walker has come on in relief in each of MSU's three games this season.Â
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Tuesday, February 11
Spartans All-Access: Jenae Wash
Thursday, April 11
Spartans All-Access: Coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley
Thursday, April 20