Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Rhode Island
Baseball Cruises Past Rhode Island, 9-4
3/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 9, 2001
BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Spartan baseball team won its fourth straight game by a score of 9-4, over Rhode Island on Friday, Mar. 9. MSU is now 4-5 after getting its second come-from-behind victory in two days, while Rhode Island drops to 2-2 overall.
The Rams got on the board with one run in the first inning off two hits. URI scored again in the third inning to go up, 2-0. MSU also put up one run in the third inning. After Jared Koutnik (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis.) reached on a double to leftfield and advanced to third on an error, Rick Court (Sr., Grosse Pointe) hit a sacrifice-fly to score Koutnik, making the score 2-1.
Michigan State tied the game in the fourth inning when Charlie Braun's (So., Grosse Pointe) single scored David Miller (Fr., Whitehall). MSU took the lead for good in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Kyle Geswein (Jr., Dayton, Ohio) knocked a single to right-centerfield, scoring one run. Brady Burrill (So., Newhall, Calif.) followed suit by hitting a two-RBI single. Two batters later, Geswein scored on a throwing error by the catcher to put the State up, 6-2. MSU added another run in the sixth when Bob Malek (So., Canton) doubled-in Koutnik. With the double, Malek extended his hitting streak to nine games.
Rhode Island added one run in the seventh and one in the ninth, while the Spartans added two runs in the seventh to their total, making the final score 9-4.
Spartan starting pitcher Nick Bates (Jr., Blissfield) went six innings, giving up two runs on four hits while striking-out seven hitters. A day after earning his first collegiate win, Bryan Gale (Fr., Decatur) earned his first save of the season, pitching 2.1 innings and giving up just two hits and one run.
The Spartans will play two nine-inning games Saturday (March 10) against LaSalle and Iona in Boca Raton to finish their spring trip.
Michigan State 9, Rhode Island 4
Score By Innings R H ERhode Island 101 000 101 4 6 4Michigan State 001 141 20x 9 13 3
WP- Bates (1-1)LP- Ross (0-1)S- Gale (2)
