Michigan State University
Michigan
Wild Ninth Inning Gives Spartans Victory
4/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 21, 2002
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Seven wild pitches in the ninth inning by Michigan pitchers helped the Michigan State baseball team down Michigan, 5-3, Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor. Going into the top of the ninth, MSU trailed 3-0 before scoring five runs off three hits. The win improved MSU's record to 26-9 overall and 9-6 in the Big Ten, U-M fell to 12-22 and 7-9 in conference play.
In the ninth, MSU loaded the bases to start the inning, as James Moreno (So., Holt) and Travis Gulick (Fr., East Lansing) led off with back-to-back singles, followed two batters later by a Brett Wattles (Jr., Rochester) walk. With David Miller (So., Whitehall) pinch-hitting, Michigan reliever Matt Collins threw the first of his five wild pitches, allowing Moreno to score and walking Miller. Jared Koutnik then stepped to the plate. During his at-bat, Gulick and Wattles scored on wild pitches. Miller then scored the go-ahead run on a ball four wild pitch.
Bob Malek (Jr., Canton) registered the only RBI of the inning, singling in Charlie Braun (Jr., Grosse Pointe), to make the score 5-3. In the bottom of the ninth, Kyle Geswein (Sr., Dayton, Ohio) retired three Wolverine hitters in order, picking up the win to improve to 2-1.
Michigan opened the scoring in the second, scoring three runs off three hits and one MSU error. The Spartans threatened in the fourth, loading the bases, but U-M pitcher Jeff Trzos got Kevin Crews (Sr., Hinckley, Ohio) to strikeout, ending the inning.
MSU starter Tim Day (Fr., West Chester, Ohio) gave up just one earned run in six and one-thirds innings. During one stretch in the second through fifth innings he faced 12 straight batters without surrendering a hit. He struck out three on the day, but got a no decision.
MSU returns to action on Wednesday (April 24), when they host Central Michigan at Lansing's Oldsmobile Park at 7 p.m.
Michigan State 5, Michigan 3WP- Geswein (2-1)LP- Collins (3-1)Score By Innings R H EMichigan State 000 000 005 5 10 2Michigan 030 000 000 3 5 1
