Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Penn State
MSU Baseball Beats Penn State, 7-3
5/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 14, 2004
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Bryan Gale (Decatur, Mich.) allowed just three hits and two unearned runs over eight innings as the Michigan State baseball team opened a four-game series at Penn State with a 7-3 victory Friday. The victory was the 28th of Gale's career, allowing him to tie the MSU record for career victories set by Stuart Hirschman (1990-93). The victory, the Spartans' sixth straight in the Big Ten, also moved Michigan State (28-21, 15-10 Big Ten) into a tie for third place in the Big Ten with Penn State (26-22, 15-10).
Gale, who also holds the MSU career records for strikeouts and innings pitched, struck out six batters and walked just two. He only allowed three runners to reach second base, and none in seven of the eight innings he pitched. He improved to 4-3 with the victory.
Troy Krider (Coldwater, Mich.) was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored, Erik Morris (Orchard Lake, Mich.) had three RBI and Oliver Wolcott (Plymouth, Mich.) had two hits to lead the MSU offense. The Spartans scored runs in only two innings, but a four-run second and a three-run eighth were more than enough to support Gale.
The Spartans jumped on top with a four-run second inning. James Moreno (Holt, Mich.) led off with a double down the leftfield line, and one out later, scored on a single to right by David Miller (Whitehall, Mich.) . After a walk to Ryan Basham (Lowell, Ind.) and a fly out, Krider singled through the left side, scoring Miller with the game's second run. Morris followed by lining a two-run double to right center, scoring Basham and Krider to make it 4-0.
Penn State starter Jim Farrell settled down after the rough second inning, holding MSU scoreless on just one hit over the next five innings.
Meanwhile, Gale was on cruise control for the first four innings, retiring the first 12 batters he faced. He ran into trouble in the fifth, though, allowing a pair of unearned runs. Clint Eury led off by reaching on a Krider error, giving Penn State its first runner of the game. Gale walked Lance Thompson before striking out Matt Lewis for the first out. A single to right loaded the bases before Gale issued another walk to push across Penn State's first run. The Spartans nearly turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning, but Jim Leitgeb beat out the throw to first to keep the inning alive as another run scored, trimming MSU's lead to 4-2. Gale struck out Derrick Barr to end the inning.
The Spartans offense finally got back in gear in the top of the eighth. Sean Walker (Round Lake, Ill.) led off with a walk, moved to second on a ground out and to third on a single by Basham. Alan Cattryse (Chatham, Ontario) walked to load the bases, and Krider again singled through the left side to drive home Walker, and Basham came around to score when leftfielder Travis Laird overran the ball. Morris then lofted a sacrifice fly to left, pushing the lead to 7-4, although Krider was caught in a rundown after the play to end the inning.
Gale allowed leadoff singles in both the seventh and eighth innings, but in each case, the runner was erased by a Spartan double play.
The Spartans ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth, as three singles and a walk allowed one run to score and loaded the bases for catcher Matt Harter, who became the potential tying run. But Jon Kowalski (Sterling Heights, Mich.) got Harter to fly out to left to earn his first career save.
Farrell allowed five runs, all earned, on five hits and five walks over seven-plus innings for Penn State, and fell to 3-9.
Michigan State and Penn State will continue their four-game series tomorrow (Saturday), with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
