Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Penn State
MSU Baseball Splits Two Games At Penn State
5/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2004
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Ryan Basham (Lowell, Ind.) did more damage than most teams do against the vaunted Penn State pitching staff, hitting two home runs during the second game of a doubleheader as the Michigan State baseball team beat Penn State, 11-5, after falling in the opener, 3-2. The split give Michigan State a 29-22 overall record and a 16-11 Big Ten mark, while Penn State moves to 27-23 and 16-11.
Penn State's pitching staff had only allowed one home run in its previous 18 games before Basham drilled two all by himself, while matching career highs with three hits and four runs batted in. Thanks in part to Basham and Alan Cattrysse (Chatham, Ontario), who had three hits in each game, Michigan State reached 16 Big Ten wins for just the fourth time in MSU history, and the 29 overall wins is tied for 10th most in a season in Spartan history.
In the opening game, Cattrysse was 3-for-3 with a run batted in, but the 1-5 hitters in MSU's lineup were a combined 1-for-15 as MSU's offense couldn't get untracked against Penn State starter Sean Stidfole, who allowed just five hits and a walk in 6.1 innings to improve to 6-3.
After surrendering a run in the bottom of the first, MSU broke through for a pair of runs in the top of the second. James Moreno (Holt, Mich.) led off with a walk, and one out later, David Miller (Whitehall, Mich.) singled to left, moving Moreno to second. After a foul out, Cattrysse delivered a two-out single to left, scoring Moreno with the tying run. Troy Krider (Coldwater, Mich.) followed with a bloop single to left, plating Miller and giving MSU a 2-1 lead.
Penn State answered with two runs in the bottom of the third, but it could have been worse. With two out, one run in and runners on second and third, Jim Leitgeb singled to right. One run scored, but Travis Gulick (East Lansing, Mich.) fired a strike to catcher Sean Walker (Round Lake, Ill.) to nail Matt Lewis at the plate, as the inning ended with Penn State on top 3-2.
From there, the pitching staffs took over, as neither team was able to push across another run. Only twice in the final five innings was MSU able to get a runner to second base, and both times it was Cattrysse. In the fourth he led off with a single and moved to second on a Krider sacrifice, but was stranded when Erik Morris (Orchard Lake, Mich.) and Oliver Wolcott (Plymouth, Mich.) struck out. In the seventh, Cattrysse singled with one out, and reached second when Morris singled with two outs. But Wolcott grounded out to first to end the game.
John Dwan (Libertyville, Ill.) suffered the loss to slip to 3-1, and it was the first time in his seven starts that MSU lost. Dwan allowed three runs in three-plus innings on six hits and four walks. Dan Noble (Troy, Mich.) pitched three scoreless innings in relief, giving up just one hit and three walks.
In game two, in addition to Basham's three hits and four RBI, Cattrysse was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, while Miller added two hits, a run scored and an RBI.
Both teams had just one runner reach base during the first two innings, but in the top of the third, Michigan State exploded for six runs. Miller led off with a double to left center, and Krider followed with a bunt single. One out later, Wolcott grounded to second, but Leitgeb's throw to second base was high, and everyone was safe on the error as Miller scored with the game's first run. Gulick then walked to load the bases, and Moreno hit a line drive right at third baseman Scott Gummo, who had it deflect off his glove and into left field for another error as two runs scored, giving the Spartans a 3-0 lead. After Walker popped out for the second out, Ryan Basham drilled his seventh home run of the year over the left field fence, making it 6-0 MSU.
Basham added to the lead when he hit a majestic home run to center field in the fifth inning that hit off the back screen, well above the 405 sign.
MSU starting pitcher Chris Toepper (Portage, Mich.) cruised into the bottom of the fifth with a seven-run lead, but allowed a two-out double in the fifth to cut the lead to 7-2. In the sixth, Penn State had two on and two out with a ground ball to second should have ended the inning, but a bad hop bounced the ball over Wolcott's head for a single, scoring a run. Travis Laird followed with a two-run double, cutting the lead to 7-5. Adam White (Jenison, Mich.) then entered the game and struck out Derrick Barr to end the inning.
MSU added four insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Gulick led off with a walk before Moreno bunted for a single. After a Walker sacrifice, Basham was intentionally walked to load the bases. Cattrysse followed with a single through the right side, scoring Gulick and Moreno. Miller then singled to left, scoring Basham, and one out later, Morris capped the inning with an RBI single to center.
Toepper improved to 4-2 by throwing 5.2 innings, allowing five runs on 11 hits while striking out four. White added a scoreless seventh inning to pick up his fourth save of the season.
Michigan State's 1-5 hitters were a combined 3-for-34 in the doubleheader, while the 6-9 hitters were 14-for 25, including 9-for-14 in game two.
Michigan State and Penn State will conclude their four-game series tomorrow (Sunday), with a single game scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
