Michigan State University
Eastern Ky
Spartans Cruise Past Eastern Kentucky, Twice
3/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 17, 2002
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Michigan State baseball team improved to 12-2 after sweeping a doubleheader by scores of 10-5 and 10-1, Sunday (Mar. 17). MSU swept the three-game series with EKU and has now swept all three three-game series they have played this season. The Spartans' 12-2 start is their best 14-game start since 1971 and it is just the third such start in school history.
With the score tied at two in the second inning of game one, Eastern Kentucky grabbed a 5-2 lead, off three hits and two sacrifice flies. The Spartans got two runs back in the fourth inning off RBI singles by Charlie Braun (Jr., Grosse Pointe) and Brett Wattles (Jr., Rochester).
State reclaimed control of the game in the fifth inning, scoring five times to take a 9-5 lead. Kyle Geswein (Sr., Dayton, Ohio) started the scoring for the Spartans when he singled in Chris McCuiston (Sr., Birmingham), followed later by a Braun walk, which forced in a run. It was Wattles, however, who highlighted the inning with a two-RBI double. MSU tacked on one more run in the seventh, making the final score of game one 10-5.
MSU starting pitcher Nick Bates (Sr., Blissfield) surrendered six hits and struck out six in five complete innings on his way to improving to 4-0.
In game two of the twinbill, freshman Tim Day (West Chester, Ohio) started on the hill and punched out a career-high nine and scattered four hits over six innings.
State pounced on the Colonels early, scoring once in the first and then striking six more times in the second. A throwing error by EKU's Neil Sellers with two outs proved costly when two runs scored off his errant throw from third base. Jared Koutnik (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis.) and McCuiston each added two-run homers in the inning.
In the fifth, Jim Deliz (So., Clinton Twp.) singled in James Moreno (So., Holt) to make the score 8-1. State closed out the scoring in the sixth with two more runs.
The game was called after the sixth inning due to darkness.
The Spartans will travel to Indianapolis next weekend for three games, beginning with Butler at 3 p.m., Friday (Mar. 22).
