Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
24-18, 8-8
Illinois
25-17, 11-5
Spartans Rally, But Fall Short at Illinois, 5-4
5/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 2, 2014
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Michigan State baseball team came out on the short end of a late-inning, back-and-forth affair on Friday night, falling to Illinois, 5-4, in the first of a three-game series between the teams. Trailing 2-1 in the eighth inning, the Spartans rallied for three runs to grab a 4-2 lead. However, Illinois did the same in the bottom half of the frame, scoring three runs of its own and held on a for a 5-4 victory.
The Spartans are now 24-18 overall and 8-8 in Big Ten Play. Illinois is 25-17 overall and 11-5 in the league.
Trailing 2-1 in the top of the eighth, Ryan Richardson led off with a double to right field. Johnny Nate followed with bunt single and the next batter, Justin Hovis did the same, also bunting toward pitcher Drasen Johnson. Johnson picked up the ball on the Hovis bunt and his throwing error on the play allowed Richardson to score to tie the game.
Tyler Jay took over for Johnson on the mound and retired the first two batters he faced. With the bases loaded, Jimmy Pickens drilled a single to right center field, scoring Nate and Hovis for a 4-2 MSU lead.
The bottom of the eighth started with a leadoff walk to Ryan Nagle and Adam Walton made it a 4-3 game with an RBI triple.
Jake Lowery then took over for starter Mick VanVossen and retired the only batter he faced, Will Krug, with a foul out. Anthony Misiewicz replaced Lowery to face the next hitter, Michael Hurwitz, and struck him out on three pitches.
It looked like the Spartans might get out of the inning with the lead and stranding Walton at third base. But David Kerian hit a deep fly ball to right field that got caught in the wind and dropped just outside the reach of Pickens' glove. Kerian wound up with an RBI triple and game was tied, 4-4.
The next pitch from Misiewicz was low and got by catcher Joel Fisher, allowing Kerian to score and give the Illini the lead, 5-4.
Two singles in the top of the ninth gave the Spartans a chance to tie the game. A two-out walk to Cam Gibson loaded the bases, but Jay then got Anthony Cheky to ground out to end the game.
Jay earned the win in relief, pitching the final two innings.
VanVossen yielded four runs off four hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked three batters in the no-decision.
Misiewicz was charged with the loss.
The Illini grabbed a 1-0 lead in bottom of the second when Jason Goldstein hit a leadoff home run over wall in left field.
A sacrifice fly by Hurwitz scored Nagle in the bottom of the third to make it a 2-0 game in favor of Illinois.
Blaise Salter started a two-out rally for the Spartans in the fourth which led to the Spartans' first run. The next batter, Pickens, followed with a double down the right field line on a full count, bringing in Salter to make the score 2-1.
A walk to Ryan Krill gave MSU a pair of runners on base for the first time of the night, but Johnson got Fisher to fly out to center field and end the Spartans' threat.
The two teams will play game two of the series tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jay, Tyler (3-0)
L: Misiewicz, Anthony (2-5)
Batting:
2B: Salter, Blaise 1 ; Pickens, Jimmy 1 ; Richardson, Ryan 1
RBI: Pickens, Jimmy 3 ; Hovis, Justin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Salter, Blaise 1 ; Richardson, Ryan 1 ; Nate, Johnny 1 ; Hovis, Justin 1
CS: Cheky, Anthony 1
Batting:
2B: Nagle, Ryan 1
3B: Kerian, David 1 ; Walton, Adam 1
HR: Goldstein, Jason 1
RBI: Hurwitz, Michael 1 ; Kerian, David 1 ; Goldstein, Jason 1 ; Walton, Adam 1
SH: Krug, Will 1
SF: Hurwitz, Michael 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kerian, David 1 ; Goldstein, Jason 1 ; Nagle, Ryan 2 ; Walton, Adam 1
CS: Roper, Reid 1
