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RachelBeatty
2
Western Illinois WIU 7-20
11
Winner MSU MSU 16-11
Western Illinois WIU
7-20
2
Final
11
MSU MSU
16-11
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Western Illinois WIU 1 0 1 0 0 2 3 1
MSU MSU 4 2 2 3 X 11 11 2

W: Goranson, Dani (6-3) L: Hart, Kacyee (2-9)

8
Western Illinois WIU 7-21
11
Winner Indiana IND 16-9
Western Illinois WIU
7-21
8
Final
11
Indiana IND
16-9
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Western Illinois WIU 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 7 6
Indiana IND 1 2 2 2 4 0 X 11 12 4

W: Tara Trainer (8-6) L: Stulga, Brooke (1-3)

Game Recap: Softball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Softball Drops Two on Final Day of the 2016 Hoosier Classic

Leathernecks fall to Michigan State and Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Western Illinois softball team took on Michigan State and Indiana on the final day of the 2016 Hoosier Classic on Sunday, March 20. The Leathernecks fell to the Spartans by a score of 11-2 in five innings. In game two, Western put up seven runs in the first inning but fell by a final score of 11-8 to the Hoosiers. With the losses, the Leathernecks fall to 7-21 on the season.
 
Game One: Michigan State 11, Western Illinois 2
 
In the top of the first, Karissa Kouchis drew a leadoff walk and then stole second. An at bat later, Kelsey Marlow drove Kouchis home with a double to left field and the Leathernecks took an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Spartans responded with a pair of home runs in the bottom of the first and pulled ahead by a score of 4-1 before adding two more runs in the following inning to lead 6-1 through two innings.
 
In the top of the third, Kouchis reached second on an error by the Spartan left fielder. Marlow then stepped up to the plate and smacked the ball to the shortstop as Kouchis scored and brought the Leathernecks within four, 6-2.
 
It was all Michigan State after that as the Spartans scored two runs in the bottom of the third and three in the fourth. Western worked to answer back in the top of the fifth when Kouchis reached base for the third time that day on an error and made it to third following a single from Tierney Bottino. At the end of five innings, the duo was left stranded on the corners as Michigan State went on to win 11-2.
 
Marlow's two RBIs and two hits led the team while Kouchis scored both of the team's runs. Kacyee Hart got the start in the circle, pitching two and a half innings while allowing six earned runs off of seven hits. Megan Lotarski came in for relief, allowing four earned runs, four hits, and striking out one in two and a third innings.
 
Game Two: Indiana 11, Western Illinois 8
 
The bats came alive for Western in the top of the first as the Leathernecks scored seven runs off of five hits. After Kouchis reached on an error and Bottino singled to right field, Marlow hit a one-run single to left field to bring in Kouchis.
 
Compton and Payton Abbott reached base via a fielder's choice and a hit by pitch to load the bases for Nina Maggio with two outs. Maggio smacked a bases-clearing double to left center to give the Leathernecks a 4-0 lead. Maggio was then brought home when Holly Hoelting launched a double of her own to left field. Rachel Beatty added to the rally when she hit her first career home run over the right field fence, giving the Leathernecks a comfortable 7-0 lead after the top half of the first.

The Hoosiers slowly chipped away at the Leathernecks' lead as they scored one run in the first and two runs in the second, third and fourth innings. The fifth inning proved to be the most troubling for the Leathernecks as they committed two of their four fielding errors and Indiana scored four runs to pull ahead 11-7.
 
The Purple and Gold would not go down without a fight in the top of the seventh. Bottino and Marlow both reached on back-to-back errors with no outs. An at bat later, Abbott reached on a fielder's choice that forced Marlow out at second but put runners on the corners for pinch hitter Hailey Duwa. With two outs, Duwa launched a single to center field that scored Bottino and cut the deficit to three. However, the rally fell short and the Hoosiers heald on to their comeback win, 11-8.
 
Seven different Leathernecks collected both one hit and one run, while Maggio and Beatty led the team with three hits and two RBIs, respectively. Emily Ira made the start, giving up three earned runs off of five hits over two and a half innings.
 
For the first time this season, Western will play in front of a home crowd at Mary Ellen McKee stadium on March 25-26 to open up Summit League play against South Dakota State.
 
 
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