Michigan State University
22-16, 0
Northwestern
16-24, 0
Spartans Split Twinbill At Northwestern Friday
4/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Michigan State baseball split a doubleheader Friday at Northwestern, winning the opener, 8-1, before getting nipped in the nightcap, 3-2.
MSU 8, NU 1 Box Score 
| NU 3, MSU 2 Box Score
MSU and NU played a doubleheader Friday after the weekend schedule was adjusted due to inclement weather in the Evanston area forecast for Sunday. The Spartans and Wildcats will wrap up the three-game series on Saturday, with the scheduled start now moved up from 1 p.m. to Noon ET due to the weather forecast for Saturday afternoon.
With the split, the Spartans are now 22-17 overall and 6-8 in Big Ten Conference action. The Wildcats are 17-24 overall and also 6-8 in league play. Friday was MSU's first visit to Evanston since 2010 and the Spartans' three-game win streak in the series was snapped with the nightcap loss, as MSU has now won 10 of the last 13 overall match-ups with NU.
In game one, junior designated hitter Chad Roskelly was 2-for-3 with three RBI, two coming on a two-run home run in the sixth to give the Spartans the lead. Freshman left fielder Bryce Kelley was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI, extending his hitting streak to 13 games, which is the longest of the season for MSU, before having it halted in game two.
Senior catcher Matt Byars also homered in the opener, with a solo shot as part of MSU's four-run ninth inning to blow the game opener. Junior first baseman Zack McGuire was 1-for-2 with a walk and sophomore right fielder Dan Chmielewski was 1-for-3.
In the nightcap, Roskelly continued his hot hitting going 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Chmielewski was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Byars was 1-for-3, while junior centerfielder Brandon Hughes, McGuire and sophomore third baseman Marty Bechina were all 1-for-4, with Hughes scoring a run. Bechina is one of five Spartans who hail from the Chicago area.
Another one of the five Chicago-area Spartans is sophomore pitcher Alex Troop, who pitched 7.0 innings of work in the opener, firing four strikeouts while scattering five hits. With the win, Troop improved to 6-3 on the season, lowering his ERA to 2.49 after only allowing one run Friday.
Junior Jake Lowery pitched a gem in the second game, making his first start of the season and second of his career, last starting a game in his freshman season of 2014. Lowery went 5.2 innings, striking out a career-high 11 strikeouts while allowing two unearned runs while scattering four hits.
The 11 strikeouts tops Lowery's previous career high of eight against Campbell on March 17 and is also the most by a Spartan pitcher this season and the second double-digit strikeout outing by an MSU pitcher after Troop struck out 10 in the same aforementioned contest vs. Campbell on March 17, part of the Spartan pitchers' 19 strikeouts that game.
In the opener, the home team scored its only run in the home half of the first after leadoff hitter Alex Erro led off with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a sac fly by Joe Hoscheit.
From there, Troop was in control on the mound, striking out the side in the second as well as sending the Wildcats down in order in the fourth.
MSU had its chances to level the score or take the lead, leaving one runner on in the third inning and two left on in the fifth after the first two Spartans reached, but couldn't push across a run.
The visiting Spartans did get on the board in the sixth, as Kelley scored on a passed ball with Roskelly at the plate. Two pitches later, Roskelly smashed a home run to left field, into the wind, and over the fence for a 3-0 MSU lead.
In the eighth, Roskelly drove in his third run of the game with an RBI single to center, plating senior second baseman Dan Durkin, another Chicago-area Spartan, who reached on a walk. Durkin's run gave the Spartans a 4-1 lead.
After scoring four runs in the first eight innings of the game, MSU blew the game open with four runs in the top of the ninth. Bechina started the rally with a walk and moved up to second on a wild pitch. After a sac bunt by McGuire moved Bechina to third, Kelley plated him with a squeeze bunt. The next batter was Hughes, who doubled to drive in Kelley. Durkin followed by reaching on an error, allowing Hughes to score. Byars followed with a home run to left field.
Senior reliever Walter Borkovich denied any Northwestern rally in the bottom of the ninth to seal the 8-1 victory for MSU. Borkovich pitched two innings of one-hit, one-strikeout ball to secure the win.
In the nightcap, Lowery had an outstanding outing in his first start of the season and first since 2014, chalking up his career-high strikeouts in a career-long outing.
After a scoreless first three innings of the game, that saw only one hit apiece from both teams, Northwestern broke the scoring drought in the bottom of the fourth. The home team took advantage of a one-out error, then a walk, before a two-run single by Jack Claeys for a 2-0 lead.
MSU cut its deficit in half in the sixth, plating one run, after Hughes sparked the rally with a single to left, then stole second. Durkin and Byars followed with walks to load the bases full of Spartans and chase Northwestern starter Hank Christie. Roskelly greeted reliever Sam Lawrence with a deep fly that to left center that was caught, but was deep enough to score Hughes on the sac fly and make the score 2-1.
The Spartans evened the score the next inning, with Chmielewski leading off with a single up the middle. Bechina followed with a double to the right center gap. Two batters later, Kelley grounded out to second, but allowed Chmielewski to score, leveling to scoring at 2-all.
Northwestern re-took the lead in the eighth as Erro scored on a single by Matt Hopfner, sliding in ahead of the tag by Byars after the umpire ruled that Byars was bobbling the ball in applying the tag.
Chmielewski had another single in the ninth, but the Spartan rally fizzled to end the game.
Fans should stay tuned to www.MSUSpartans.com or follow MSU Baseball on twitter at statebaseball for any schedule updates.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Troop, Alex (6-3)
L: Wetherbee, Cooper (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Hughes, Brandon 1
HR: Byars, Matt 1 ; Roskelly, Chad 1
RBI: Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Hughes, Brandon 1 ; Byars, Matt 1 ; Roskelly, Chad 3
SH: Durkin, Dan 1 ; McGuire, Zack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kelley, Bryce 2 ; Hughes, Brandon 2 ; Durkin, Dan 1 ; Byars, Matt 1 ; Roskelly, Chad 1 ; Bechina, Marty 1
SB: Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Durkin, Dan 1 ; Young, Kory 1 ; Chmielewski, Dan 1
CS: Durkin, Dan 1
HBP: Durkin, Dan 1 ; Roskelly, Chad 1 ; Chmielewski, Dan 1
Batting:
2B: Erro, Alex 1
RBI: Hoscheit, Joe 1
SH: Dunn, Jack 1 ; Schieber, Jake 1
SF: Hoscheit, Joe 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Erro, Alex 1
