Michigan State University
Iowa
Iowa Defeats Spartan Baseball, 6-2
4/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 25, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Iowa broke a 2-2 tie and scored four runs in the top of the ninth to defeat the Michigan State baseball team, 6-2, Friday afternoon (April 25) at Kobs Field. MSU fell to 12-26 (4-11 Big Ten) for the season, while Iowa improved to 12-19 (4-12 BT).
The game featured a duel between starting pitchers Ryan Mentkowski and MSU's Bryan Gale (Jr., Decatur), as each hurler matched the other for most of the afternoon. Gale was solid for eight innings, but ran into trouble in the ninth as the Hawkeyes loaded the bases with only one out. After an intentional walk, Iowa's Jeff Gremley hit a slow roller to the mound in what appeared to be a force play at the plate, however, Gale misfielded the ball, allowing Luis Andrulonis to score the winning run from third. Gale was then relieved by Ryan Golem (Sr., Dearborn), who gave up a two-run double and an RBI groundout.
Gale (5-5) struck out five and scattered nine hits in the losing effort. Mentkowski, a lefty, fanned eight in seven innings of work. Andrew Hensen (1-0) fired two innings of scoreless relief in the eighth and ninth to earn his first win of the season.
MSU took an early 1-0 lead in the third on a Brett Wattles (Sr., Rochester) two-out single up the middle that plated Erik Morris (So., Orchard Lake). The Hawks responded in the fourth with a run-scoring single by Mike Best that tied the game at 1-1.
The Spartans appeared to have a scoring threat with a runner on third and one out in the fourth, but Morris was called out for tagging early at second base on a fly ball to center field, leaving MSU with two outs and no runners on base.
Best came up with another big hit in the sixth to put Iowa up 2-1. The Hawkeye first baseman drilled a double to the fence in right-center field, plating Nate Yoho from second. Best finished the game with three hits and three RBI.
MSU answered right back in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game once again. With two outs and no runners on base, Scott Koerber (Jr., Harper Woods) reached first on a single and scored on a James Moreno (Jr., Holt) double to left-center.
The Spartan offense collected eight hits, but also left eight runners on base, including four in scoring position. Catcher Brady Burrill (Sr., Newhall, Calif.) went 2-for-4 with a double.
MSU and Iowa return to action for a doubleheader tomorrow (Saturday, April 26) at Kobs Field beginning at 1 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY R H EIowa 000 101 004- 6 10 1MSU 001 001 000- 2 8 2
WP: Hansen-IOWA (1-0)LP: Gale-MSU (5-5)
