Michigan State roundup: Softball swept by Illinois
Despite home runs by Kelcey Carrasco, Sarah Gutknecht and Lindsey Besson, Michigan State softball dropped the final game of its series with Illinois by a 9-5 score in the nightcap of the doubleheader.
The Spartans (21-16, 5-8 B1G) committed three errors in the contest, while the three MSU pitchers combined to allow nine runs on 11 base hits. Taylor Edwards came on in relief for the Illini and tossed 4.1 innings, allowing two runs and six hits after starter Erin Walker lasted 1.1 innings and surrendered three runs. Katie Giddens got the final three outs for Illinois.
Kristina Zalewski started the game for MSU and went two innings, and Bridgette Rainey went 2.1. Each surrendered three earned runs, but Rainey took the loss (12-7). Jordan Watson tossed the final 2.2 innings and did not allow a run.
The Illini had two runs in each of the first two innings, and then posted four runs in the top of the fifth to break a 5-5 tie. That would be the last runs scored in the game, as MSU stranded three runners in the final two innings, and nine for the game.
Michigan State played its second extra-inning game of the Big Ten season and fell 6-5 to Illinois in the first game.
Pinch-hitter Rowan McGuire was the hero for the visitors with an eighth-inning RBI single with two runners aboard. MSU held 4-1 and 5-3 leads in the game, but Illinois battled back with two runs in the fourth and seventh innings before its go-ahead run in the top of the eighth. Illinois improves to 30-10, 9-2 B1G, and the Spartans are now 21-15, 5-7 Big Ten.
The Spartans took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Carrasco, then got solo homers from Lea Foerster (second inning) and Lexi White (fourth). Leigh Farina led the Illini with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate, and Veronia Ruelius had two RBI (in the seventh inning).
Illinois stranded 11 batters, while MSU left six on base. Illinois pitcher Breannna Wonderly earned her second win in the series in as many games, scattering nine hits and allowing two earned runs, overcoming four errors by her team to get the win.
The teams conclude their three-game series this afternoon in the nightcap of the doubleheader.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Spartans battle to 4-0 win over Nebraska
The Michigan State women’s tennis team won a hard-fought match with Nebraska on Saturday afternoon to improve to 16-5 on the season and 6-2 in the Big Ten. MSU came away with a 4-0 victory despite five of six singles matches going to the third set, as the Spartans executed in tough moments all afternoon in order to come away with the victory.
“It doesn’t get any closer than that,” said head coach Kim Bruno. “When push came to shove though, we showed more heart and grittiness and we showed our ability to win big points the right way and that is why we came out with that match today against a tough team.”
Michigan State started the afternoon off on the right foot by winning the crucial doubles point. The duo of Emily Metcalf and Davina Nguyen continued to roll with their seventh consecutive victory and are now 13-4 on the season in doubles, including an impressive 7-1 mark at the first doubles court. Athena Trouillot and Samantha Memije earned their team-leading 15th doubles win of the year to secure the point for the Spartans.
Senior Athena Trouillot set the tone though by winning in straight sets at fifth singles to give MSU a 2-0 lead on the scoreboard and give the other Spartans life as they battled back on their respective courts. Fellow senior Erin Faulkner pushed Michigan State closer to victory by bouncing back after losing 6-2 in the first set by winning 6-2, 6-3 to pick up her 14th win of the season and improve to 7-2 on the year at second singles.
With all the other courts still up for grabs, the Spartans were looking for just one more win protect their home court and come away with the win. It would be Davina Nguyen on court four who came through in the clutch, as the high-energy sophomore willed her way to a win in a third-set tiebreaker after battling back from a deficit in set three.
TRACK & FIELD
Michigan State teams place fourth at ACC/B1G challenge
The Michigan State track & field team traveled as an entire team down to Louisville, Kentucky, to participate in the ACC/B1G Challenge.
This invitational was the first scored meet of the outdoor season for the Spartans and the women finished fourth with 100 points, while the men also tabbed fourth on a score of 98 points. Six teams in total were at the challenge: Michigan State, Indiana and Purdue represented the Big Ten, while host Louisville, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame represented the ACC.
Junior Max Knoblock broke the school record in the men's javelin with a throw of 65.16 meters. The previous school record was set by Scott Beals in 2007 when he posted a throw of 63.40-meters.
"The performance of the day definitely has to go to the javelin throwers," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Walt Drenth. "Both Jade and Max were phenomenal today. They threw well over the standard to make the first round. In terms of what typically is done those two both scored personal bests. They really both just did a super job."
In the women's distance events, redshirt freshman Karrigan Smith got the day started with a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on a time of 10:45.51. MSU kept the momentum going in the 1,500 run taking second, third and fourth. Senior Alexis Wiersma took second with a time of 4:26.03, redshirt sophomore Erin McDonald took third on a personal-best time of 4:26.49 and redshirt sophomore Kennedy Beazley took fourth.
Rounding out the distance events, Jenny Rogers and Allison Lunau took third and fourth, respectively in the 5,000.
Sophomore Dillon McClintock took first-place in the 800 run with a time of 2:07.15. Redshirt freshman Carlyn Arteaga also nabbed some points in the 800 with a sixth place finish on a time of 2:11.04, a personal-best.
Sophomore Taylor Hopp took fourth with a time of 11.64 in the 100-meter dash surpassing her personal-best by almost an entire second as it was 12.24. Sophomore Maya Roberts earned three points for MSU in the 100-meter hurdles with a sixth-place finish on a personal-best time of 13.95. In the 400-meter hurdles Taylor Mullins finished fourth with a time of 1:00.74.
For the women in field events, junior Jade Madison led the way with a first-place finish and personal-best throw of 45.79 in the javelin. Redshirt senior Hannah Sailar took second clearing 4.20-meters, which the first-place finisher also jumped but a scratch at 4.10-meters for Sailar gave her the second place finish. Sophomore Asya Reynolds took eighth with her second jump being her furthest at 5.92-meters. Redshirt freshman Andrea Pangori tied her personal-best jump of 1.64-meters in the high jump to earn a fourth-place finish.
In the men's distance events, senior Max Benoit took second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:00.99. Similar to the women, the men had a pair of top-place finishers in the 1,500-meter run. Sophomore Justine Kiprotich took first and ran a personal-best time of 3:44.01 to tab 10 points for the Spartans, while redshirt senior Sherod Hardt added five more points with a fourth-place finish on a time of 3:47.16. In the 800-meter run Brandon Wallace took fourth finishing with a time of 1:53.81.
Sophomore Will Agodu tied his career-best time of 14.10 in the men's 110-meter hurdles all while earning a second-place finish. Freshman Sam Binkowski also earned a point for the Spartans with an eighth-place finish and personal-best time of 14.96. Rounding out the hurdle events, senior David Washington took third in the 400-meter hurdles on a time of 52.24.
In the sprints, freshman Savalas Morgan garnered a first-place finish in the 100-meter run on a personal-best time of 10.49. Savalas was also the only Spartan to tab points in the 200-meter dash taking fourth with a time of 21.29.
For the men's field events, redshirt junior Tim Ehrhardt and junior Noah Gary took second and third in the pole vault. Ehrhardt cleared 5.31-meters while Gary cleared the 5.21-meter mark. Freshman Jonathan Edwards finished fifth in the men's long jump with a furthest jump of 7.09-meters.
"It was really windy and some of these events are hard to run faster in when dealing with the elements," said Drenth. "To run fast today in these conditions only looks up for what we can start to do when the weather gets better. It's still early in the season and we have had a lot of qualifying times and a lot of top marks and we will have some people in some good spots heading into the Big Ten Championships."
- MSU Athletic Communications