Michigan State University Athletics
Baseball Drops Opener To Cal State Northridge
2/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 24, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State baseball team dropped its opening game of the season Thursday to Cal State Northridge by a score of 9-6. It was the first game for both teams in the seven-team UNLV/Coors Desert Classic. Along with MSU, UNLV, Cal State Northridge, Oregon State, West Virginia, Nevada-Reno and Santa Clara are competing in this year's Classic.
Michigan State took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off a walk and held the lead until the bottom of the fourth inning. In the top of the fourth, senior Joe Albaugh (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) homered to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead. However, in the bottom of the fourth, Cal State Northridge got two runs on two hits to tie the game.
Northridge took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth when it exploded for four runs on four hits. The Matadors added a run in the sixth as well.
The Spartans' Chris McCuiston (So., Birmingham, Mich.) scored on a wild pitch in the seventh and sophomore Kyle Geswein (Dayton, Ohio) hit a solo home run in the eighth inning. Northridge also scored one run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings.
In the top of the ninth, MSU scored two runs, one by Brett Wattles (Fr., Rochester, Mich.) and one by Mike Pisani (Sr., Rochester, Mich.) to close out the scoring.
The Spartans will be in action tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST when they take on West Virginia.
Cal State Northridge 9, Michigan State 6WP-Mike Frick (1-1)LP-Scott Bradell (0-1)
Score By Innings R H EMichigan State 100 100 112 6 11 1Cal State Northridge 000 241 11 9 11 1
HR-Geswein (1), Albaugh (1)
