Softball Comes Back To Beat North Texas In Extras, Falls To No. 19 Mississippi State
Feb 13 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Rutgers softball split opening day of the Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament on Friday.
The Scarlet Knights, taking on a nationally-ranked SEC foe for the second-straight weekend, dropped game one to host Mississippi State, 8-0, in six innings but came back in game two with an 8-2 extra innings victory over North Texas. Rutgers exploded for six runs in the ninth for the comeback win.
RU moved to 4-3 on the season
No. 19 Mississippi State 8, Rutgers 0 (6)
| STATISTICALLY SPEAKING |
- Sophomore Kassandra Gewecke got the start and fell to 1-1 on the year. She tossed 3.0 innings, giving up two runs on four hits while fanning two.
- Sophomore Riley Hwang posted RU's hit with a two-out single to left in the top of the third.
| THE RUNDOWN |
- The hosts took an early 1-0 lead in their first turn at the plate. A single and a walk allowed a Anna Carder single down the left field line to send in the run.
- The Bulldogs added another in the second. MSU loaded the bases for a Nadia Barbary fly out to center to give time for Kinley Keller to score from third.
- Mississippi State added a trio in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double from Morgan Stiles and a two-run home run to center by Kiarra Sells.
- While the Scarlet Knights sent down the Bulldogs 1-2-3 in the fifth, MSU tacked on three more in the sixth for the final. With Bulldogs on the corners, Stiles connected for her second RBI double and later scored on a Barbary base hit. Sells reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and then, with two outs, scored on a Paige Ernstes single to left for the walk-off win in six.
Rutgers 8, North Texas 2 (9)
| STATISTICALLY SPEAKING |
- After North Texas knotted the score at 2-2 in the top of the seventh, Rutgers made a comeback in the ninth, generating six runs on six hits and an error.
- Senior Siera Hoekstra was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
- Sophomore Addie Osborne collected her third home run of the season and finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
- Sophomore right-hander Kelsey Hoekstra got the start going seven innings with six strikeouts, but it was classmate Kassandra Gewecke picking up the win, hurling the final two innings and allowing only one hit in the seven batters faced, along with a pair of strikeouts.
| THE RUNDOWN |
- Siera Hoekstra put RU onto the scoreboard in the top of the second. The senior led off with a double off the right field wall, advanced on Sam Rohwer's fly out to right and scored on Mia Mitchell's grounder to second.
- The Mean Green got out of a two-out bases-loaded jam in the top of the fourth on a fielder's choice at second base.
- Addie Osborne took her fourth North Texas pitch over the wall down the left field line in the sixth for her third home run of the season in the sixth.
- The Mean Green, however, forced extras with three hits and scoring on a passed ball in the bottom of the seventh. Madison Connely kicked started off the rally with a double and two batters later was able to come home on a single to left center from Elizabeth Moffitt. Addie Perry entered to pinch run and advanced to third on a Riley McNemar single to right and an Anneca Anderson groundout to the circle, setting her up to be the tying run, scoring on a passed ball.
- Rutgers executed its comeback in the top of the ninth, going thru the lineup and exploding for six runs on six hits and an error. It all started with Hailey Stripling getting hit by a pitch and
- Bailey Burtis singling to center. Makenna Coleman came up with a base hit to left and the bobble in the outfield on the play scored Stripling to put RU back in front at 3-2. The scoring only continued. The bases were loaded as Siera Hoekstra delivered a two-run double and Charleigh Schuettler knocked in another pair, extending RU's advantage to 7-2. A single from Riley
- Hwang loaded the bases once again Stripling returned to the plate. While the Scarlet Knight DP grounded out to first, Kassandra Gewecke was able to score for the eventual final margin.
| UP NEXT |
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gewecke, Kassandra (1-2)
L: Kayleigh Smith (0-1)

Batting:
2B: Hoekstra, Siera 2
HR: Osborne, Addie 1
RBI: Stripling, Hailey 1 ; Osborne, Addie 1 ; Hoekstra, Siera 2 ; Mitchell, Mia 1 ; Schuettler, Charleigh 2
SH: Stripling, Hailey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Stripling, Hailey 1 ; Burtis, Baileigh 1 ; Coleman, Makenna 1 ; Osborne, Addie 2 ; Hoekstra, Siera 2 ; Gewecke, Kassandra 1
HBP: Stripling, Hailey 1

Batting:
2B: Madison Conley 1
RBI: Elizabeth Moffitt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sienna Mayer 1 ; Addie Perry 1

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