Michigan State University
Charleston Southern
Baseball Takes Two From Charleston Southern
3/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 8, 2002
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Michigan State baseball team improved to 8-2 with a doubleheader sweep at Charleston Southern Friday (Mar. 8), winning 13-6 and 10-2. The victory in game two marked the 150th for Spartan head coach Ted Mahan, whose team is off to its best start in his seven-year tenure at MSU.
In game one of the doubleheader, Michigan State generated 20 hits on its way to a 13-6 win. Spartan starter Nick Bates (Sr., Blissfield) threw seven complete innings and improved to 3-0 on the year, registering eight strikeouts while surrendering just eight hits. Domanick Squires (Sr., Rochester) came on in relief for State in the eighth and finished the game.
With the score tied at two in the third, the Spartans moved out to a 4-2 lead when Kevin Crews (Sr., Hinckley, Ohio) and Jared Koutnik (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis.) each singled in runs. MSU put two more runs on the scoreboard in the fifth when Chris McCuiston (Sr., Birmingham) knocked an RBI double to left center and scored one batter later when Scott Koerber (So., Harper Woods) singled. Koerber finished the game 3-for-4.
MSU tacked on two more runs in the seventh and then sealed the win with back-to-back home runs in the ninth, including Koutnik's grand slam to left field followed by a solo shot by Bob Malek (Jr., Canton).
Trailing 13-3, Charleston Southern scored three in the bottom of the ninth, including a two-run homer by Jordan Haar. Despite striking out 10 Spartan hitters, R.J. Swindle (0-4) suffered the loss for the Bucs.
In game two, MSU again jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first off four hits. The Spartans added another run in the second as Brett Wattles (Jr., Rochester) singled to left field to score Charlie Braun (Jr., Grosse Pointe), who finished 3-for-4 in game two.
Randy Ortiz (So., Rochester), who got his first collegiate start at catcher, highlighted a three-run fourth with a two-RBI single as MSU built a 6-0 advantage.
Ahead 7-2 in the sixth, Koutnik doubled in Ortiz and Wattles and MSU tacked on another run later in the inning to make the final 10-2.
In his first start on the mound since 1999, Pat Gill (Jr., Grandville) went six innings, allowed two runs on six hits and fanned three to even his season record at 1-1. Ryan Golem (Jr., Dearborn) closed out the game for the Spartans, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth.
The Spartans, now 6-1 on this spring trip, conclude the eight-game journey at Charleston Southern Saturday, March 9 at 1 p.m.
Game 1Michigan State 13, Charleston Southern 6WP- Bates (3-0)LP- Swindle (0-4)Score By Innings R H EMichigan State 202 020 205 13 20 1Charleston Southern 111 000 003 6 11 2
Game 2Michigan State 10, Charleston Southern 2WP- Gill (1-1)LP- Holmen (1-5)Score By Innings R H EMichigan State 210 313 0 10 18 0Charleston Southern 000 200 0 2 6 1
