Spartans Split Doubleheader With Quinnipiac
3/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 13, 2009
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Michigan State baseball team split a doubleheader with Quinnipaic on Friday (March 13) in Greenville, S.C., winning game one, 7-3, behind a five-run fifth inning, and dropping game two, 4-2.
In game one, Quinnipiac took a 1-0 lead in the first and looked to do more damage but MSU starter Nolan Moody rung up back-to-back Bobcats to strand two and end the inning.
Eric Roof led off the second for the Spartans with a single through the right side and after moving around the bases on a sac bunt and stolen base, he eventually scored off a two-out wild pitch from Quinnipiac starter Chris Gloor to knot the game at one.
With the Bobcats leading 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, the Spartans struck back by sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring five runs to take a 6-2 lead. After Eli Boike doubled, Chris Roberts drove him in with a bloop hit to left field. Two batters later, Roof hit the second Spartan double of the day that scored two runs to break the tie. Johnny Lee and Bo Felt also picked up RBIs in the inning off a single and fielder's choice, respectively.
The Spartans pushed another run across in the seventh and the Bobcats added a solo run in the eighth to make the final 7-3.
Moody earned the win and improved to 2-2 on the year. The senior right-hander gave up seven hits, struck out five and gave up one earned run. Gloor (0-3) suffered the loss for the Bobcats.
Quinnipiac scored three runs in the third inning of game two off a wild pitch, sacrifice fly by Bobak Emamian, and a RBI-single by Brian Monack to take a 3-0 advantage.
The Spartans were stymied by Quinnipiac starter Andy Mayer, who gave up just two hits through 6.2 innings while retiring 18 of the first 20 batters. With one out in the seventh, MSU broke through for its first run of the game after Eric Roof reached on an error, and Jeff Holm drove him in with a single up the middle to make the score 3-1.
With the score 4-1 in the ninth, the Spartans' Jonathan Roof drove in older brother Eric with two outs to make the score 4-2.
The Spartans are scheduled to take on Xavier at 3:30 on Saturday (March 14) and again on Sunday (March 15) at noon as part of a three-team round robin hosted by the Greenville Drive at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. Greenville Drive co-owner and team president Craig Brown, a Michigan State alumnus, helped organize this weekend's Spartan Classic. Brown hosted an alumni reception with the Spartan baseball team on Thursday night.
