Box Score
WINONA, Minn. – Minnesota State, Mankato rallied from a 3-0 deficit and forced a 12-inning, marathon game to defeat the Mustangs 4-3 in the elimination round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament Friday afternoon at Winona State's Alumni Field.
MSU moves to 39-16, while SMSU finishes its season 32-23.
MSU hurler Kendra Huettl, who pitched all 12 innings, did not allow a hit in the final nine innings of play. The Mavericks tied the game in the bottom half of the seventh inning when they scored two runs to even the game at 3-3.
Johnson suffered the loss for SMSU, also going a the whole contest. She allowed 11 hits.
Minnesota State looked poised to strike first as the Mavericks put runners on second and third off a Katie Reed double in the bottom of the opening inning. But a lineout snagged handily by Kristin Braden and a Johnson strikeout got SMSU out of the inning unharmed.
Kiley Petersen ignited a two-run second inning for SMSU when she slammed a two-run shot to right field, driving in Amanda Voss and giving the Mustangs a 2-0 advantage. The sophomore took the first pitch she saw to record her third home run of the season and second in two weeks.
After retiring the Mavericks in order in the bottom of the inning, Jessica Paczosa lengthened the SMSU lead in the top of the third inning when she also took the first pitch she saw and sent it over the right field fence. The bomb was her second of the season.
Huettl tossed four consecutive balls to ensuing batter #Meaghan Laetsch, who was quickly moved to third when Braden doubled. Amanda Burkhart drew a walk next to juice the bases.
SMSU, however, failed to capitalize on the prime scoring opportunity, going down on a pair of strikeouts and a force out at home to close the inning.
The Mavericks cracked the board in the bottom of the fourth inning when Kelsey Thompson belted a solo homer to center field to cut into the deficit, 3-1.
Neither squad mustered a run in the fifth or sixth innings.
The Mustangs went down in order in the top of the seventh, giving the Mavericks a two-run difference to work from. MSU's Jess Anderson used a two-out bunt to put the tying run at the plate, and Katie Reed answered with a deep double that was just a few feet away from clearing the fence. Anderson scored from first and the Mavericks found themselves trailing by a run.
Natalie Spicer and Kesley Thompson then both drew walks from Johnson, loading the bases and putting the tying run on third base and just a base hit or walk away from crossing the plate.
Johnson quickly fell behind 3-0 on the count and managed just one strike before tossing the fourth ball that knotted the game at 3-3. MSU's Chelsey Erickson grounded to send the game to extra innings.
The top of the eighth inning ended quickly after a Braden groundout and a nice lineout catch by MSU's Reed at second base that turned a double play for the Mavericks as Burkhart was thrown out at first.
A trio of flyouts—one of them foul—retired MSU and moved the game to the ninth inning.
Huettl recorded one strikeout and SMSU flied out twice to move to the bottom half of the inning. Johnson put together an identical outing—striking out one and forcing two flyouts—to continue the marathon game.
Neither team managed to place a runner on base for the next two and half innings. And it was not until the bottom of the 12th inning that Reed drew a walk to break that streak.
The two plays that followed were the difference makers. Spicer reached when she tried to move away from a pitch and it hit her bat, unintentionally. In the midst of the confusion she made it to first base. A bunt by Thompson in the ensuing at bat fell in just between the pitcher's mound and home plate—despite efforts from third baseman Andrea Fennern and Johnson to corral it. The knockout punch came from Julie O'Neal. She singled to left field and to score the winning run.
Reed led the Mavericks at the plate, going 3 for 4 with an RBI.
Kristin Braden was 2 for 5 for SMSU.
