Michigan State University
Xavier
Baseball Falls to Xavier in Extra Innings
3/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 15, 2009
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Michigan State baseball team fell to Xavier, 11-5, in extra innings on Sunday (March 15) in Greenville, S.C. It was the final game of a nine-game, 10-day road trip for MSU.
The Musketeers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the second off a RBI double and wild pitch and later extended their lead, to 3-0, in the third with a solo homer from Steve Brown.
Xavier starter Nathan Mutsch held Spartan hitters in check early on by giving up just two hits through four innings. The Spartans put up their first run of the day in the sixth after Eli Boike and Johnny Lee led off the inning with singles, Boike later came around to score. The Musketeers however got the solo run back in the seventh, making it 4-1.
With two outs in the seventh the Spartans loaded the bases off a walk and two hit batters and again cut the lead to two runs when Boike took a four-pitch walk to make the score 4-2. With the basses still packed and two outs, Xavier reliever Josh Deeg then got Lee to strike out to end the threat.
The Spartans continued their comeback in the eighth when Chris Roberts and Eric Roof led off the inning with back-to-back walks. Jeff Holm followed and drove in Roberts with a single to right field to cut the deficit to 4-3. Bo Felt then smashed a bases clearing triple to right center, scoring Roof and Holm to give the Green and White its first lead of the day, 5-4.
Xavier's Ben Thomas forced the game to extra frames when his two-out hit just over the outstretched glove of Eric Roof at third base drove in a run to tie the game at five.
The Musketeers regained the lead for good in the 11th, scoring six runs with the help of back-to-back two-RBI hits by Ben Thomas and Bobby Freking, respectively.
MSU starting pitcher A.J. Dunn shut the Musketeers down after the third and finished the day with a career-high five Ks in the longest outing (6.0) of his career. Dunn gave up three runs off six hits.
Kurt Wunderlich, who came on in relief of Dunn, suffered the loss for MSU while Brian Muransky earned the win for Xavier (7-6).
Next up, the Spartans (2-13) will head to Bowling Green on Tuesday (March 17) for a 3 p.m. game with the Falcons.
