Michigan State University
Minnesota
Baseball Takes Two of Three From Gophers
3/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 30, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State baseball team played a rare tripleheader against Minnesota Saturday (March 30) and the Spartans took two-of-three games from the Gophers. Minnesota won the first game of the day, which was a continuation of Friday's rain-suspended game, by a score of 4-3. The Spartans then swept the scheduled doubleheader, 5-3 and 14-4. MSU improved to 17-4 overall while Minnesota slipped to 9-14.
In the opening game, Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the second inning off Scott Welch's sacrifice fly and then added another run in the fourth. Kyle Geswein (Sr., Dayton, Ohio) tied the game at two for the Spartans in the bottom of the fourth when he blasted a two-run homer to right-center.
The Gophers reclaimed the lead in the eighth when Scott Howard hit a two-run homer. Bob Malek (Jr., Canton) answered in the bottom of the frame with a solo homer to help Michigan State pull with in one, 4-3, but the Spartans were unable to rally in the ninth. MSU left seven runners stranded in the first game.
Bryan Gale (So., Decatur), who pitched his first complete game of the season for the Spartans, also suffered his first loss of the season to fall to 3-1. C.J. Woodrow (2-3) earned the win for the Gophers.
In the second game, Scott Koerber (So., Harper Woods) broke a three-all tie and gave the Spartans the lead for good in the sixth inning with a two-run homer to center field, lifting the Spartans to a 5-3 win.
Starter Nick Bates (Sr., Blissfield) fanned a career-high 10 batters en route to picking up his sixth win of the season in as many starts.
The Spartans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in game two, courtesy of a two-run rally in the second inning. Consecutive singles by James Moreno (So., Holt) and Charlie Braun (Jr., Gross Pointe) followed by a bases-clearing double by Brett Wattles (Jr., Rochester) provided the scoring.
Minnesota fought back in the fourth to take its first lead in the fourth frame off a three-run homer by David Roach. Wattles responded for MSU in the fifth with a solo shot to right field to tie the game at three.
MSU blasted five home runs in game three en route to a 14-4 win.
After the Gophers tied the game at two in the top of the third frame, Brady Burrill (Jr., Newhall, Calif.) sent a three-run homer just over the right field fence as MSU reclaimed the lead, 5-2.
MSU took control of the game in the fifth, scoring five times to build a 10-3 lead. Wattles scored off a wild pitch to start the inning. Chris McCuiston (Sr., Birmingham) provided a three-run homer and Koerber added a solo shot. The Spartans pushed across four more runs in the sixth to seal the win, highlighted by McCuiston's second three-run homer and Koutnik's solo blast.
Tim Day (Fr., West Chester, Ohio) earned the win for MSU, pitching his second complete game of the season.
The series, which marks the Big Ten opener for both clubs, concludes Sunday (March 31) at 1 p.m. at Kobs Field.
Game 1Minnesota 4, Michigan State 3WP- Woodrow (2-3)LP- Gale (3-1)Score By Innings R H EMinnesota 010 100 020 4 8 0Michigan State 000 200 010 3 8 0
Game 2Michigan State 5, Minnesota 3WP- Bates (6-0)LP- Krogman (2-3)Score By Innings R H EMinnesota 000 300 0 3 7 2Michigan State 020 012 x 5 6 0
Game 3Michigan State 14, Minnesota 4WP- Day (4-1)LP- Mahon (0-1)Score By Innings R H EMinnesota 002 011 0 4 8 0Michigan State 203 054 x 14 12 3
