Sunday, February 18
Columbia, S.C.
9:00 a.m.
Southern Illinois University
4-4
1
vs
2
Michigan State University
3-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Michigan State
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
4
0
Southern Illinois
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
4
2
Late inning charge falls short against Michigan State
02/18/2018 | 1:42:00 | Softball
Southern got its bats going late in the final game of the Gamecock Invitational, but the late inning charge wasn't enough to down Michigan State. The Spartans struck twice in the opening inning to defeat the Salukis 2-1 in what was the final game of the weekend for both teams.
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"It was a really good ball game. There was good pitching on both sides and [Bridgette] Rainey kept us off balance for a little while, but we figured it out. We just needed to come up with a big hit and we couldn't get it at the right time," head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "As far as effort and getting out of some jams, I thought our defense did a great job on some plays. It's a game you wish you'd have, and later in the year, I think it would be a W."
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Senior pitcher Savanna Dover got the start for Southern, she was making her first start in more than a week after missing the first two days of the Invitational after dealing with a loss in the family.
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Dover got a hit around in the opening frame, allowing two runs to score off of three hits, but she settled in nicely over the next several innings. She allowed one hit through next two innings.
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In the top of the fourth, Dover hit the lead-off batter with a pitch then the next batter reached by error to put runners on first and third. Blaylock replaced Dover with freshman Megan Brown who got Southern out of the two-on-no-out jam striking out one and forcing another Spartan to ground out.
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In the top of the fifth, the lead-off hitter reached by an error and Brown walked the second batter of the inning. Blaylock pulled Brown and replaced her with junior pitcher Brianna Jones who was making her fourth appearance in as many games. Jones worked the Salukis out of the jam by sitting down the next three batters in order.
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"We always say on get-away day that everybody is out there and everybody goes if we need them. I thought all of our pitchers threw well," Blaylock said.
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Offensively, the Salukis struggled to hit Michigan State starter Bridgette Rainey the first time through the order, but slowly, the Salukis chipped away at her. The Salukis put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the third and fourth inning before finally breaking through in the bottom of the fifth when sophomore Katelyn Massa hit a two-out double into the gap in left to score fellow sophomore Maddy Vermejan from second to make the score 2-1.
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Massa had a big weekend for the Salukis. Through the four games, she hit 3 home runs, and 2 doubles with 9 RBI and 2 walks.
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"[Massa] is coming into her own and believing in herself. She's hitting the ball really, really well. I'm really proud of her," Blaylock said. "She kept it going today and came up with a big RBI double. I'm real proud of the way she's handling herself."
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Jones continued to pitch well for the Salukis for the remainder of the game, but Southern could not generate anymore scoring and fell to Michigan State 2-1.
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The Salukis have four days off before the team is in action again when it faces Wright State and Connecticut in a double-header on Feb. 23 in Fort Myers, Fla. in a tournament hosted by Florida Gulf Coast.
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"It was a really good ball game. There was good pitching on both sides and [Bridgette] Rainey kept us off balance for a little while, but we figured it out. We just needed to come up with a big hit and we couldn't get it at the right time," head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "As far as effort and getting out of some jams, I thought our defense did a great job on some plays. It's a game you wish you'd have, and later in the year, I think it would be a W."
Â
Senior pitcher Savanna Dover got the start for Southern, she was making her first start in more than a week after missing the first two days of the Invitational after dealing with a loss in the family.
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Dover got a hit around in the opening frame, allowing two runs to score off of three hits, but she settled in nicely over the next several innings. She allowed one hit through next two innings.
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In the top of the fourth, Dover hit the lead-off batter with a pitch then the next batter reached by error to put runners on first and third. Blaylock replaced Dover with freshman Megan Brown who got Southern out of the two-on-no-out jam striking out one and forcing another Spartan to ground out.
Â
In the top of the fifth, the lead-off hitter reached by an error and Brown walked the second batter of the inning. Blaylock pulled Brown and replaced her with junior pitcher Brianna Jones who was making her fourth appearance in as many games. Jones worked the Salukis out of the jam by sitting down the next three batters in order.
Â
"We always say on get-away day that everybody is out there and everybody goes if we need them. I thought all of our pitchers threw well," Blaylock said.
Â
Offensively, the Salukis struggled to hit Michigan State starter Bridgette Rainey the first time through the order, but slowly, the Salukis chipped away at her. The Salukis put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the third and fourth inning before finally breaking through in the bottom of the fifth when sophomore Katelyn Massa hit a two-out double into the gap in left to score fellow sophomore Maddy Vermejan from second to make the score 2-1.
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Massa had a big weekend for the Salukis. Through the four games, she hit 3 home runs, and 2 doubles with 9 RBI and 2 walks.
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"[Massa] is coming into her own and believing in herself. She's hitting the ball really, really well. I'm really proud of her," Blaylock said. "She kept it going today and came up with a big RBI double. I'm real proud of the way she's handling herself."
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Jones continued to pitch well for the Salukis for the remainder of the game, but Southern could not generate anymore scoring and fell to Michigan State 2-1.
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The Salukis have four days off before the team is in action again when it faces Wright State and Connecticut in a double-header on Feb. 23 in Fort Myers, Fla. in a tournament hosted by Florida Gulf Coast.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: B Rainey (2-2)
L: Dover, Savanna (0-3)
Batting:
2B: K Eveland 1
RBI: L White 1 ; C Ladd 1
Base Running:
RUNS: E Echols 1 ; K Eveland 1
CS: C Ladd 1
HBP: C Ladd 1
Batting:
2B: Massa, Katelyn 1 ; Jansen, Jenny 1
RBI: Massa, Katelyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vermejan, Maddy 1
HBP: Vermejan, Maddy 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UT/P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/DP
/ Softball
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