Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Indiana
MSU Baseball Bombards Indiana, 15-9
5/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 9, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State baseball team scored a season-best 15 runs for the second straight game, rolling to a 15-9 victory over Indiana in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday at Kobs Field. The second game, which was delayed for an hour and 45 minutes due to lightning in the area in the top of the third inning, was suspended after six innings with Indiana on top 3-1 due to darkness and more lightning. MSU's victory in the opener improved the Spartans' record to 25-20 overall and 12-10 in the Big Ten, while Indiana slipped to 23-23 and 7-15.
In the opener, Michigan State raced to a commanding 15-0 lead before holding on for a 15-9 victory. The Spartans banged out 16 hits, led by Alan Cattrysse, who had three hits including a home run, scored three times and drove in two runs. Erik Morris, Oliver Wolcott, Travis Gulick, Sean Walker and Ryan Basham had two hits each, and it was Morris and Basham who delivered the big blows, each connecting for a grand slam during an eight-run fifth inning.
Michigan State jumped on top with a run in the bottom of the first. Morris led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice and to third on a Gulick single. James Moreno then drove in the first run of the game with a single through the left side.
In the bottom of the second, Basham singled, and Cattrysse followed with his sixth home run of the year and second in as many days to put MSU on top 3-0.
The Spartans added another run in the third. Gulick led off with a double, and two outs later, David Miller laced a single to right center, giving MSU a 4-0 edge.
MSU added three more runs in the fourth inning. Cattrysse singled, then moved to third when Troy Krider's sacrifice bunt was thrown away. One out later, Wolcott hit a towering fly ball to right for his sixth home run of the year, putting MSU in control, 7-0.
In the fifth, a walk and singles by Cattrysse and Krider loaded the bases for Morris, and he blasted his ninth home run of the year to left field, making it 11-0. Two outs later, two walks and a single by Walker loaded the bases again, and Basham hit the second grand slam of the inning, going the opposite way to left field to push the lead to 15-0.
Meanwhile, Chris Toepper was cruising, allowing just three hits through the first five innings. Toepper ran into problems late, allowing four runs in the sixth and five in the seventh, but with a comfortable lead, he stayed in for the duration. Toepper allowed nine runs on 12 hits and two walks while striking out five to improve to 3-2.
Indiana's Adam Pegg took the loss to slip to 3-3 after surrendering seven runs, six of which were earned, on 10 hits and a walk in 3.2 innings.
In game two, MSU's hot bats turned cold as the Spartans had not managed a hit through six innings off of MSU starter Josh Lewis. The Spartans did collect a run in the bottom of the sixth after a pair of walks, wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Travis Gulick.
The conclusion of the suspended game and the final game of the four-game series will take place at 1 p.m. Monday at Kobs Field.
