In a home run-heavy, high-octane softball game between Oakland University and Michigan State University (MSU), the Spartans ultimately prevailed over the Golden Grizzlies in a 7-5 loss for OU.
The two teams clashed last Tuesday evening at Secchia Stadium in East Lansing. It marked the third consecutive loss overall for Oakland and their third consecutive loss in their yearly game against Michigan State.
The contest had a rip-roaring start in the first inning as MSU jumped on Oakland’s sophomore starter, Alyssa Balcom. After an uneventful top of the first for OU, Balcom allowed a single against her first batter faced, Kendall Smiley of MSU. Smiley would steal second just before a Spartan walk, putting two on the basepaths with no outs.
That brought Britain Beshears up to the plate with no outs. Beshears promptly hit a bomb to right center field on a 2-0 pitch, claiming MSU’s first lead of the game 3-0. Balcom picked herself up nicely to end the inning; she coaxed a strikeout and two flyouts to escape the inning with nothing else but an extra walk.
It wouldn’t take long for the Golden Grizzlies to answer MSU’s scoring surge. After Taylor Carraway grounded out to begin the second, Kamryn Troyer doubled to left field to put OU in a great scoring position. Second baseman Jenna Johnston worked her at-bat to a 3-2 count before finally earning her fourth ball to take first base, putting Oakland in the same two-on situation that the Spartans had.
And just like the Spartans, OU would blast off a home run to bring all three runners home. Sophomore Brooklyn Wyczalek cranked one over the fence with two outs, tying the game at three runs apiece and firing up the Golden Grizzlies’ bench. Balcom had a fantastic inning in the bottom of the second after a troublesome first, as she goaded three straight groundouts from MSU.
Oakland would get on the board again in the third inning, this time by playing small ball. Shortstop Madi Herrington got things rolling with a leadoff walk, but it seemed the inning would go nowhere with two consecutive flyouts. Herrington made a fantastic play by stealing second base so she could score on any ball in play. This set up her teammate Kayla Turmell for an RBI single, taking OU’s first lead of the day 4-3.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning when MSU again made some noise. Balcom allowed a leadoff homerun to Spartans shortstop Collette Allen, tying the game 4-4.
But because this was a game of dramatics and high tension, Herrington decided to make another big play. This time around, instead of settling for a leadoff walk, she went with a leadoff homerun, snatching back the lead from MSU in just the very next inning.
Advancing to the bottom of the fifth, the Spartans had yet another sucker punch left in them. Hannah Hawley, the third baseman of MSU, hit yet another leadoff home run. That’s right; in three frames, there were leadoff bombs.
But the damage wasn’t finished yet for the Spartans. After allowing a walk and a single, Balcom gave up a flyout to right field, scoring one more in the bottom of the fifth inning to surrender a 6-5 MSU lead.
Oakland’s coaching staff decided to stick with Balcom for the entirety of the game. Some of her fatigue showed in the bottom of the sixth when she let up a base to four consecutive Spartans, giving up two walks and two singles with one run. OU’s defense bailed her out with a fantastic double play to end the inning.
However, the Golden Grizzlies offense couldn’t provide further support for their starting pitcher, as they failed to score in the game’s final two innings. Oakland would fall 7-5 after giving up three long balls for a combined five runs.
Next up for the Golden Grizzlies is a three-game series against the Green Bay Phoenix at the Oakland Softball Field. The series will start on Friday, March 28, and conclude with a double-header on Saturday, March 29.