Krill's Grand Slam Completes Comeback Win Over Nebraska

Thursday, May 21

Minneapolis, Minn.

2:00 PM

Michigan State University

34-22

Nebraska

34-23

Nebraska

Michigan State

5/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

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May 21, 2015

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MINNEAPOLIS - Ryan Krill's eighth-inning grand slam helped the Michigan State baseball team defeat Nebraska in come-from-behind fashion and remain alive in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Target Field in Minneapolis. Trailing 7-3 in the bottom of the eighth, the Spartans scored six runs, capped by Krill's mammoth, bases-clearing home run to right field.

With the win, the Spartans (34-22) will play either Illinois or Maryland on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET (BTN).

"I'm really proud of these guys, it's one of the better wins I've ever been a part of," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., said. "I couldn't be prouder. We showed a lot of character in the win."

The game-changing bottom of the eighth inning started with a walk to Brandon Hughes and then back-to-back base hits by Chad Roskelly and Anthony Cheky to pack the bases. Dan Durkin and Cam Gibson drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to pull MSU within two, 7-5, bringing Krill to the plate. Krill got a fastball from Nebraska closer Josh Roeder on the first pitch and belted it down the right field line, high over the wall.

"I just hit in and knew I hit it pretty well," Krill said. "I knew the wind was blowing out a little bit that way and knew it was gone right off the bat.

"I don't know if I've ever hit a ball like that in that big of a spot in my whole life, so that was just awesome. I didn't want that to be my last at bat as a Spartan, so I'm glad we were able to do that and the team can play on."

Reliever Joe Mockebee, who came into the game in the sixth, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and got some help from third baseman Mark Weist, who made a diving catch into the stands to close the game.

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Mockbee allowed one run off one hit in 3.2 innings of work and earned the win, improving to 6-2.

Krill's classmate, Blaise Salter, also got in on the longball action Thursday as his two-out, towering two-run homer in the first inning gave MSU a 2-0 lead. Salter turned on the first pitch he saw from Husker starter Kyle Kubat and blasted it high into the third deck in left field for his sixth home run of the season.

The Huskers (34-23) got on the board in the top of the second inning and then sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth, scoring five runs off five hits to take a 6-2 lead.

MSU starting pitcher Jeff Kinley ended the third inning with a strikeout and then fanned the side in the fourth before getting into trouble in the fifth frame. Jake Placzek started the fifth with a single and two of the next three hitters reached to load the bases. Jake Schleppenbach then tied the game with a base hit into left field which ended Kinley's day on the mound.

Anthony Misiewicz walked the only batter he faced to bring in a run and give Nebraska a 3-2 lead. Reliever Walter Borkovich retired the first batter he faced for the second out, but consecutive singles by Blake Headley and Ben Miller drove in three more runs as the Huskers took a 6-2 advantage.

An RBI groundout by Anthony Cheky made it a 6-3 game in the bottom of the sixth, but the Huskers reestablished their four-run lead with a solo run in the top of the seventh.

Weist and Roskelly had a game-high three hits apiece.

Friday's game against either top-seeded Illinois or No. 4 seed Maryland will be a tournament elimination game.