MSU SOFTBALL: Spartans Split Games at Mercer Bears Classic
Michigan State softball earned a split for the second straight game at the Mercer Bears Classic, downing Alabama A&M 8-4 before falling to host Mercer 6-0. The Spartans are now 14-12 overall on the season, and wrap up their spring break trip with a 10 am game Sunday morning against Alabama A&M to complete tournament play.
Freshman McKenzie Long had a combined five hits on the day, going 4-for-4 in the opening contest against Alabama A&M. It stands as the second-most hits in a game in school history, one behind the school record of five. She’s the first person to have four hits in a game since Kylene Hopkins accomplished the feat in March 2012.
Michigan State opens Big Ten play next weekend at Nebraska.
Michigan State 8, Alabama A&M 4
Freshman McKenzie Long went 4-for-4 while senior McKinzie Freimuth had three hits in Michigan State’s 8-4 victory over Alabama A&M on Saturday morning. Sarah Gutknecht knocked in three runs, while freshman Lea Foerster went 2-for-3 on the day. Kristina Zalewski picked up her 10th win of the season, going five innings and not allowing a base hit after the bottom of the first.
The Spartans posted a season high in hits for the second straight day, totaling 13 after posting 11 in the win over Youngstown State on Friday. Long’s four hits is the second-most in a single game all-time at MSU, a feat which was last accomplished by Kylene Hopkins against Charleston Southern on March 9. 2012. MSU had four extra-base hits on the day – three doubles and a triple by Foerster.
The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Brianna Ziegler reached on an error, and Forman sacrificed her to second, and Ziegler immediately advanced to third on the throw. Rachel Sanders followed with a single up the middle, scoring Ziegler for the first run of the game. Zalewski allowed another single to pitcher Jordan Bradley, but got Ariel Smith to strike out for the second out of the inning. Lauren Walker singled up the middle to bring home Sanders, but Zalewski got out of the inning with a groundout by Sierra Smith, stranding two runners.
The Spartans tried to get something going immediately, as Long ripped a first-pitch single up the middle, then moved to second on a groundout by Luna. Gutknecht came in to pinch hit for Jacquie Reiser, and her fly ball to center was dropped, allowing Long to score easily while Gutknecht motored around to third. Bradley retired Ellie Stoffer and Alyssa McBride to stall the Spartan rally, and preserving a one-run lead. Zalewski worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning, getting one strikeout and a pair of ground balls to make quick work of the Bulldogs.
McKenzie Freimuth reached on a bunt single to lead off the top of the third, and Lea Foerster reached on a fielder’s choice, but Freumuth was safe on an error by the second baseman. Shanin Thomas came up with an infield single to load the bases, and after a flyout by Stephanie Sanders for the first out of the inning, McKenzie Long laid down a bunt single that tied the game at 2-2. Bradley walked Destinee Luna to bring home Foerster to give MSU its first lead of the day at 3-2, and another run came home on a groundout by Gutknecht to plate a fourth run. Stoffer grounded out to end the inning, but not before the Spartans took the lead. Foerster smacked a two-out triple to left center in the top of the fourth - the Spartans’ only hit in that frame – and was stranded at third.
Long came up with hits in both the fifth and sixth innings, helping MSU add to its lead. She singled in the top of the fifth, stole second and moved to third on a groundout by Luna, and came home on a single by Gutknecht to push the Spartan lead to 5-2. In the sixth, Freimuth led off with a double to left center, and Foerster brought home the sixth run of the day with a single. Two outs later, Long and Luna smacked back-to-back doubles to push MSU’s lead to 8-2, chasing Alabama A&M starter Bradley in favor of Brandi Forman. Forman got Gutknecht to ground out to end the inning.
Georgia native Rainey came in to throw in the bottom of the sixth in relief of Zalewski, who allowed just one baserunner after the first inning. Jumping on a new pitcher, the Bulldogs promptly loaded the bases on a leadoff walk and back-to-back singles by Sanders and Britt, but Rainey got Ariel Smith to pop out for the first out of the inning. An infield error and wild pitch allowed Foreman and Sanders to score to make it an 8-4 game, and Sierra Smith worked a full-count walk to once again load the bases with just one out. Rainey worked out of the jam, getting pinch hitters Taiya McInnis (strikeout) and Kia Lang (groundout) to end the threat and leave the bases loaded.
Valerie Kaff threw the bottom of the seventh, getting back-to-back strikeouts of Ziegler and Forman before Sanders grounded out to end the game.
Mercer 6, Michigan State 0
Mercer pitcher Kirsten Stevens stymied Spartan hitters for the second straight day, and the Bears blew open a tight game in the fifth inning to post a 6-0 victory over Michigan State on Saturday evening.
Stevens, who downed MSU on Friday 1-0 by limiting the Spartans to four hits, allowed just four Spartan base hits again on Saturday, while her team broke open a 1-0 game with three homers in the fifth and sixth innings. Starting pitcher Valerie Kaff worked out of several jams in her five innings of work, stranding 11 runners. She scattered eight hits, but two blows in particular – a pair of fifth-inning round-trippers – gave Stevens some breathing room after four and a half innings of tight play.
The home team scored once in the bottom of the first inning, but stranded a pair of runners. Taylor Miller drew a leadoff walk, but was caught stealing by Ellie Stoffer to take the runner off the bases. Meghan Rud battled Kaff with an eight-pitch at bat, and eventually walked, and came around to score when Riley Carter doubled to center. After Kaff got Natalie Shiver to fly out to center, Caroline Taylor singled down the left field line to put runners at the corners for Rachael Hugghins, but Kaff got her on a groundout to get out of the inning as the host Bears stranded two. Kaff worked out of a jam again in the second, as Mercer stranded runners at the corners after a leadoff walk and single by Miller, but Kaff got Rud to pop out in the infield to work out of trouble.
Ellie Stoffer picked up the first hit of the day for MSU, lacing a one-out single to center in the top of the third, but she was stranded after pitcher Kirsten Stevens got a pair of groundouts to strand Stoffer at first. In the bottom of the inning, Kaff got a leadoff fly-ball out as Carter flied out to center, but a pair of walks and an infield error loaded the bases for the Bears. Quirisa Mauga reached on a fielder’s choice, as Natalie Shiver was thrown out at home. Jastine Alaan, who homered against the Spartans on Friday in a 1-0 Bears win, flew out to center, as the Bears left three more on base.
In the bottom of the fourth, Kaff continued her ‘Bend, Don’t Break’ routine, as she walked leadoff hitter Emma Andrew and allowed a single to center by the leadoff hitter, Miller. Kaff then got Rud looking at three straight pitches, Carter on a flyout to center, and Shiver to pop up to the catcher to strand two more Bears without allowing a run to cross the plate.
While Kaff was working out of jam after jam, Stevens was frustrating the Spartans at the plate, allowing just the second hit of the game to the Spartans when Luna singled through the left side in the top of the fifth. Gutknecht came on to pinch hit, but grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Mercer went to the long ball in the bottom of the fifth to open up the tight game. Taylor led off with a walk and after Hugghins flied out to center, Mauga sent a 2-1 pitch over the wall in center, pushing Mercer’s lead to 3-0. After Kaff got Alaan looking for the second out, Andrew homered to left center, pushing the home team lead to 4-0. An infield error put Miller on first instead of getting MSU out of the inning, and Rud followed with a single to put a pair on the basepaths – but Kaff got Carter to ground out and put an end to the fifth frame.
Bridgette Rainey came in to relieve Kaff in the bottom of the sixth, and was greeted with Mercer’s third homer of the day, a shot to left field by Shiver. Rainey walked Taylor and Hugghins to put a pair of runners on, but Taylor was thrown out at third when Mauga reached on a fielder’s choice. After Rainey struck out Alaan, the runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, and Rainey walked Andrew to load the bases. Miller came up with a single through the left side to plate Hugghins to make it 6-0, but a Bears would not continue as Rainey got Rud to ground out to first to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, the Spartans finally got to Stevens a bit, as Shanin Thomas singled to center with one out, and McKenzie Long doubled to left with two out to put a pair of runners on for Luna. The shortstop flew out to center to end the game.
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