Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Michigan State
Indiana Defeats MSU on Senior Day, 10-4
4/26/2015 2:08:00 PM | Softball
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Led by a well-balanced attack from senior pitcher Lora Olson and the Indiana bats, the Hoosiers defeated Michigan State in the Senior Day home finale on Sunday, 10-4.
Olson, pitching for the final time in her career at Andy Mohr Field, threw 6.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on 11 hits and no walks.
On the other side of the ball, Indiana (17-34, 7-11 B1G) received multiple hit games from four Hoosiers, including a 3-for-3 effort from sophomore Erin Lehman, who also scored two runs in the contest.
The Spartans (17-33, 2-18 B1G) got on the board first as a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to right field by McKenzie Long brought in Kassidy Kujawa. Olson kept Michigan State from adding onto the lead as she forced Jordan Davis into a fielder's choice to end the threat.
However, the Hoosiers responded with a huge inning that saw two Indiana homers give the home team a 4-1 lead. After a lead-off walk to freshman Rebecca Blitz and a single by Lehman, senior Shannon Cawley smashed her 10th home run of the season. Next batter, up junior Kelsey Dotson answered with a long ball of her own to right-center field to record her 11th homer on the year. Dotson finished the game with two hits, three runs and two RBI.
Michigan State would tie up the game in the third frame, hitting three consecutive two-out singles to score Stephanie Sanders, Davis and Long to make it 4-4.
After a lead-off walk by Dotson started the fifth frame, junior Michelle Huber doubled down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position for senior Brianna Meyer, who gave the Hoosiers the lead for good as she sent a single to center field to plate Dotson. Freshman Rachel O'Malley extended the Indiana lead to 6-4 on an RBI bloop single to center to score Huber.
Six consecutive Hoosiers reached base to start the sixth inning with Lehman picking up her third hit of the game on a double to lead off the frame, followed by a Michigan State throwing error to put Calwey on board. Dotson then sent a double to right-center to bring in Lehman before a single by sophomore CaraMia Tsirigosplated Cawley. Dotson scored her third run of the game as Huber reached on another Spartan error. O'Malley completed the four-run Hoosier inning as she hit into an RBI fielder's choice to bring in Tsirigos.
After Olson, who is now tied for seventh place in Indiana history with 39 career victories, recorded the first out of the final frame, senior Miranda Tamayo retired the next two Spartans in order as she also made her final appearance at Andy Mohr Field.
The Hoosiers return to action on Tuesday as they travel to Indiana State for a mid-week battle before closing out the regular season with a three-games set at Ohio State next weekend.
Media contact: Caitlin Davis, davis288@indiana.edu
