Rutgers
23-28, 0
Michigan State
24-25, 0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Michigan State | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 5 | 6 | 0 |
Softball Falls in Series Opener at Michigan State
Apr 29 | Softball
EAST LANSING, MICH. (April 29, 2016) - The Rutgers softball team dropped its series opener at Michigan State by a score of 5-2 on Friday at Secchia Stadium.
Despite the Spartans moving to a 3-0 edge in the third, the Scarlet Knights rallied back to make it a one-run contest with two runs in the fifth. However, MSU would again extend the margin to three runs, 5-2, in the bottom of the fifth for the game's final margin.
Rutgers fell to an overall record of 23-28 and a Big Ten mark of 7-11, while Michigan State improved to 24-25 overall and 5-13 in league play.
Senior Dresden Maddox (Kennesaw, Ga.) (9-12) suffered the loss for RU, as MSU's Kristina Zalewski (12-14) earned the win.
Five Scarlet Knights registered a hit in the contest, while senior Jordan Whitley (Clayton, Del.) led the way with two RBIs.
The Spartans were led by Sarah Gutknecht with a game-high five RBIs on two home runs.
A pitcher's duel ensued across the first two innings of play, as the game remained scoreless moving into the third frame. However, in the bottom of the third, Michigan State's Gutknecht posted a two-out, three-run home run to give the Spartans a 3-0 advantage.
Despite a single for sophomore Rebecca Hall (Fairfax, Va.) in the fourth, the Scarlet Knights' struggle to bring a run home continued.
Maddox then dealt a 1-2-3 frame to keep it a three-run margin after four innings of play.
The Scarlet Knights responded with a two-out rally of their own in fifth. After back-to-back hits for freshmen Adriana Burcar (La Palma, Calif.) and Nicolette Anico (Liberty County, Calif.), senior Stephanie Huang (Paramus, N.J.) added RU's third straight hit in the frame to load the bases. Whitley then sent in two runs with a single to bring RU within one at 3-2.
The Spartans then countered with two runs of their own on another home run for Gutknecht in the bottom half of the inning, extending the margin back to three with a 5-2 lead.
Although the RU bats fell in order in the top of the sixth, Maddox worked a 1-2-3 frame for her fourth scoreless inning to keep it a three-run contest.
However, the Scarlet Knights were unable to push a run across in the top of the seventh.
UP NEXT
RU and MSU continue the three-game series with a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Five different Scarlet Knights added a hit in the game, marking the 30th contest this season that RU has had five or more batters in the lineup post a hit.
- Dresden Maddox registered her seventh complete game of the season, tossing six innings in the loss.
- Jordan Whitley posted her sixth multi-RBI contest of the year.
- Stephanie Huang has notched a hit in six of the last seven contests, including a four-game hitting streak.
Follow Rutgers Softball on Twitter (@RUSoftball) and Instagram (@RU_Softball for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersSB). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter (@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), Snapchat (@RUAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics).
- RU-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Zalewski, K. (12-14)
L: Maddox, Dresden (9-12)
Batting:
RBI: Whitley, Jordan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Burcar, Adriana 1 ; Anico, Nicolette 1
SB: Slowinski, Melanie 1
Batting:
2B: Wood, C. 1 ; Foerster, L. 1
HR: Gutknecht, S 2
RBI: Gutknecht, S 5
Base Running:
RUNS: Wood, C. 1 ; Long, M. 1 ; Foerster, L. 1 ; Gutknecht, S 2
HBP: Wood, C. 1
