Michigan State University
Central Michigan
Central Michigan Tops Spartan Baseball, 4-3
4/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 23, 2003
LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State baseball team fell to Central Michigan, 4-3, Wednesday night (April 23) at Oldsmobile Park. MSU now stands at 12-25 for the season, while CMU improves to 16-17.
Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, MSU scored two unearned runs to cut the lead to one. A groundout left a runner on second to end the inning and the scoring threat.
The Spartans had one last chance in the bottom of the ninth as Alan Cattrysse (Fr., Chatham, Ontario) led off the inning with a single up the middle. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and took third on a wild pitch, but a Charlie Braun (Sr., Grosse Pointe) shallow fly to left field ended the game.
Central built an early 2-0 lead in the second on two Spartan errors. In the fifth, CMU first baseman Tommy Grubb nailed a two-out single to right field that plated Tommy Grubb. Travis Gulick (So., East Lansing) fired the ball from right field, but Grubb eluded the throw to score CMU's third run.
MSU got on the board in the sixth as Brady Burrill (Sr., Newhall, Calif.) drove in Gulick with a run-scoring single. Gulick, who collected two hits in the game, got on base with a deep triple to right-center field.
The Spartans stranded eight runners in the game and couldn't convert in many key situations. In the fourth, MSU had runners on second and third and didn't score, and it also left two runners on base in the sixth.
Chippewa starter Ryan Cremeans hurled 6 2/3 innings and scattered seven hits on three strikeouts to earn his second win of the season. MSU starter Chris Toepper (Fr., Portage) took the loss for MSU after allowing three runs, one earned, and surrendering three hits and five walks. David LeMieux picked up his seventh save after pitching the ninth.
MSU returns to action with a four-game series against Iowa at Kobs Field this weekend. The first game of the series is set for Friday, April 25 at 3 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
R H ECMU 020 010 100- 4 9 1MSU 000 001 200- 3 8 2
WP: Cremeans-CMU (2-3)LP: Toepper-MSU (0-3)SV: LeMieux-CMU (7)
