PISCATAWAY, N.J. (May 3, 2019) – Rutgers softball (27-22, 10-11) erased a 5-0 deficit by hitting four home runs, including freshman catcher Katie Wingert's third consecutive extra-inning walk-off homer, as the Scarlet Knights topped Michigan State (15-33, 3-17) in eight frames to open the final Big Ten series of the year on Friday afternoon.
 
QUICK PITCH

• In order, Anyssa Iliopoulos, Madyson Cole, Nicole Bowman and Wingert hit home runs to erase and surpass the Spartans' early 5-0 lead, which got started on back-to-back bombs to start the game in the top of the first. As the offense was hitting homers, senior pitcher Whitney Jones was locked in to 6.1 innings of scoreless relief and earned her 11^th victory of the year in the circle after Wingert ended the third straight game in Piscataway in extra-inning, walk-off home run fashion.

STANDOUT STATS

• Wingert finished 2-for-4 with her Big Ten-leading 17^th home run of the season and 44^th RBI.
• Jones dealt 6.1 innings of scoreless relief with three hits and two walks to go with three strikeouts.
• Freshman designated player Penelope Russ joined Wingert with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 and running her hot streak to 7-of-16 at the plate over her last seven games.
• Iliopoulos (1-for-3) walked and scored two runs to go with her ninth home run of the year.
• Cole (1-for-3) hit home run No. 3 on the year with a pair of ribbies, while Bowman (1-for-4) smashed No. 5.
• Rutgers drew seven walks – its most in a Big Ten game this season and second most overall.

THE RUNDOWN

• The Spartans had the quick start with back-to-back home runs to start the game for a 2-0 lead, then a 5-0 advantage after an RBI bunt single and a two-run homer in the second. Caitie Ladd hit a pair of homers her first two times at the plate.
• The Scarlet Knights flipped their visors as proxies for rally caps, and sent Iliopoulos to the plate to get it started with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth.
• Freshman second baseman Aleah Marra kept it going with a two-out double, setting the stage for Cole's two-run blast as RU cut the MSU lead to 5-3.
• Bowman's bomb came with one out in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-4, then Rutgers scored an unearned run as Marra put the ball in play and saw it scoot under a glove in the infield. Iliopoulos made sure to make the Spartans pay for the error with heads up hustle base running, scoring all the way from second on the error as the ball made it into shallow center field on the play.
• Jones sat down 11-of-12 batters from the fifth into the eighth inning, with just a hit batter disrupting the hot streak.
• Senior center fielder Nicolette Anico started the eighth with a walk, and crossed the plate as she – and everyone else – watched Wingert take an 0-1 pitch just over the fence in left-center field for the walk-off victory.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Wingert has hit a walk-off home run in extra innings in three consecutive home games.
• Rutgers improves to 5-0 in extra-inning games. Three of the last four Rutgers wins have come in extras.
• The Scarlet Knights move to 4-0 on the year when hitting three or more home runs.
• Sophomore third baseman Myah Moy hit her first career triple.
• RU is now 11-3 in games in which Wingert hits a home run.
• Rutgers improves to 19-1 when scoring five or more runs in a game.

UP NEXT
The 2019 regular season concludes on Saturday, May 4 with a doubleheader against Michigan State starting at 1 p.m. at the RU Softball Complex.
 
 
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