Saturday, May 15
Columbus, Ohio
2 pm
Michigan State University
14-24, 0
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at
2
Ohio State
22-19, 0
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4
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7
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H
E
Michigan State
0
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8
1
Ohio State
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4
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Photo by: (Ben Solomon/Michigan State Athletics)
Thrilling Win, Heartbreaking Loss for Softball at Ohio State
5/15/2021 7:54:00 PM | Softball
GAME CAPSULE
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Michigan State and Ohio State State battled through a pair of tight contestsin a Saturday doubleheader, splitting the pair of conference games. MSU staged a four-run seventh-inning rally in game one to win 5-2, and fell in a 1-0 heartbreaker in 10 innings in the nightcap. MSU is now 14-25, and Ohio State is 23-19.Â
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In game one, the Spartans entered the seventh inning trailing 2-1 and despite a leadoff double from Kendall Kates, were down to their final out. MSU reeled off four base hits around a hit batter to put four runs on the scoreboard and go up 5-2, and got a 1-2-3 inning from freshman pitcher Ashley Miller for her fourth complete game of the season.
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The second game was MSU's longest of the season and its longest in Big Ten play since 2015. Both teams battled through nine scoreless innings, and the international tiebreaker rule was put on in the 10th frame, placing a runner at second base to start the inning. MSU had a pair of runners on in the top of the 10th but couldn't get one to the plate, and a sac bunt and RBI double by freshman Kirsten Eppele plated the game-winner for the home team.
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With 14 Big Ten wins, the Spartans match their program best in a season, tying the 1986 team which went 14-10.Â
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The series – and the season – concludes on Sunday for both teams with a 12 pm start in the finale. The game will air live on BTN.Â
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PLAYER HIGHS
STATS AND STORYLINES:Â GAME ONE
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STATS AND STORYLINES:Â GAME TWO
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Michigan State and Ohio State State battled through a pair of tight contestsin a Saturday doubleheader, splitting the pair of conference games. MSU staged a four-run seventh-inning rally in game one to win 5-2, and fell in a 1-0 heartbreaker in 10 innings in the nightcap. MSU is now 14-25, and Ohio State is 23-19.Â
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In game one, the Spartans entered the seventh inning trailing 2-1 and despite a leadoff double from Kendall Kates, were down to their final out. MSU reeled off four base hits around a hit batter to put four runs on the scoreboard and go up 5-2, and got a 1-2-3 inning from freshman pitcher Ashley Miller for her fourth complete game of the season.
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The second game was MSU's longest of the season and its longest in Big Ten play since 2015. Both teams battled through nine scoreless innings, and the international tiebreaker rule was put on in the 10th frame, placing a runner at second base to start the inning. MSU had a pair of runners on in the top of the 10th but couldn't get one to the plate, and a sac bunt and RBI double by freshman Kirsten Eppele plated the game-winner for the home team.
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With 14 Big Ten wins, the Spartans match their program best in a season, tying the 1986 team which went 14-10.Â
 Â
The series – and the season – concludes on Sunday for both teams with a 12 pm start in the finale. The game will air live on BTN.Â
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PLAYER HIGHS
- Ashley Miller pitched her fourth career complete game in the opener, surrendering just four base hits.
- Sarah Ladd and Alli Walker combined for no earned runs in 10 innings in the nightcap, with Ladd striking out six and Walker 10. They allowed OSU just four base hits in the 10 frames.
- Kennedy Wyllie had three base hits over the two games.
- Kendall Kates had two base hits in the first game, Â
- Shae Schreckengost had big pinch hit singles in each half of the doubleheader, with the game-tying RBI in the first contest.
STATS AND STORYLINES:Â GAME ONE
- Michigan State scored first, plating a run in the top of the second. Caitie Ladd hit a triple to the wall in left center, and then came home on a Kendall Kates RBI single into right.
- Ohio State countered in the home half with one out, when a single by Taylor Pack, double by Carley Gaskill, and a base hit by Megan McMenemy allowed the Buckeyes to take the 2-1 lead.Â
- The Spartans started their seventh-inning rally with a leadoff double by Kates, and Smith sent down the next two batters to leave things on the shoulders of senior pinch hitter Shae Schreckengost. Schreckengost fouled off several pitches before sending a 1-2 pitch through the left side for a base hit, which allowed pinch hitter Abby Joseph to score to knot the game at 2-2. Jenae Wash wasted little time by stepping in and tripling to right to plate the go-ahead run, and Mackenzie Meech and Kennedy Wyllie followed with base hits to bring home some insurance runs to make it 5-2.Â
- Ashley Miller tossed a complete game, her fourth of her young career. She struck out two and scattered just four base hits to improve to 8-8 on the season.Â
- Both Kates and Wyllie had two base hits in the contest, each with an RBI. Kates was 2-for-2 with a walk.
- Wash's seventh-inning triple is her fifth of the season, a total which ties her for eighth in MSU's single-season recordbook. Caitie Ladd's triple in the second was her second of the season.   Â
- Michigan State, with its 14th Big Ten win in the top of the doubleheader, tied its school record for the most Conference wins in a season.
- MSU's five runs in the first game was the most it had scored since a 9-6 loss to Purdue on April 24.
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STATS AND STORYLINES:Â GAME TWO
- Michigan State picked up the first base hit of the game on a Marissa Trivelpiece single in the top of the third, but the first real threat came in the home half of the frame. With two outs, an error allowed a baserunner, and Mariah Rodriguez followed with a base hit. A walk loaded the bases, but Walker got a ground ball to short to end the inning.Â
- Walker was relieved by Sarah Ladd in the bottom of the fifth, leaving with just one base hit surrendered and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched. Ladd, who inherited a runner on with one out, got out of the inning with back-to-back outs.
- MSU started off the sixth inning with back-to-back base hits, as both pinch hitter Shae Schreckengost and Jenae Wash singled to leave runners at the corners, but a double play and a ground ball ended the inning for MSU with a runner on second and nothing across.
- In the bottom of the sixth, Sam Hackenbracht was hit by a pitch, and Ashley Prange doubled to center. Callahan corralled the ball, hit Trivelpiece on the relay throw, and the freshman got the ball to Kates to tag Hackenbracht to save a run. A walk put runners on the corners, but Sarah Ladd worked out of the jam and got a popup in foul territory to end the inning.Â
- In the top of the eighth, the Spartans loaded the bases with base hits by Callahan and Trivelpiece, and pinch hitter Joanna Bartz took her free base with a walk. With Wash at the plate, an infield ground ball came home for the forceout, and then doubled Wash off first. After Meech worked a walk, the Buckeyes got out of the inning with no damage with a ground ball.Â
- The teams got through two scoreless extra innings, so the 10th frame began with the international tiebreaker rule, a runner on second. Courtney Callahan was the placed runner, and she went to third on a passed ball. Marissa Trivelpiece earned a walk to put runners on the corners, but the Spartans couldn't get either one around for a go-ahead run.Â
- In the bottom of the 10th, Tegan Cortelletti was placed on second and went to third on a sac bunt. Pinch hitter Kirsten Eppele stepped in and doubled into right center to score Cortelletti from third and end the game.Â
- Both teams left nine runners in the second game. MSU had seven hits, while Walker and Sarah Ladd limited the Buckeyes to just four base hits, including the game-winner in the 10th.Â
- Sarah Ladd deserved a better fate than the loss, throwing five relief innings, striking out six and surrendering just one run (unearned). Winning pitcher Payton Buresch went the full 10, walking four and striking out three.Â
- Courtney Callahan and Marissa Trivelpiece each had two hits for MSU, while Trivelpiece was 2-for-3 with a walk.Â
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Miller, Ashley (8-8)
L: Smith,Allison (11-12)
Batting:
2B: Kates, Kendall 1
3B: Wash, Jenae 1 ; Ladd, Caitie 1
RBI: Wash, Jenae 1 ; Meech, Mackenzie 1 ; Wyllie, Kennedy 1 ; Kates, Kendall 1 ; Schreckengost, Shae 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wash, Jenae 1 ; Meech, Mackenzie 1 ; Ladd, Caitie 1 ; Joseph, Abby 1 ; Trivelpiece, Marissa 1
HBP: Wash, Jenae 1 ; Barroso, Alexis 1
Batting:
2B: Gaskill,Carley 1
RBI: Gaskill,Carley 1 ; McMenemy,Megan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pack,Taylor 1 ; Gaskill,Carley 1
CS: Carver,Nikki 1
Game Leaders
dp/1b
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
rf/dp
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
3B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
2B/SS
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball1B/UTL
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballSS
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballA 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