Erla Tabbed As One Of Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s Players Of Week
3/9/2020 4:45:00 PM | Baseball
Spartan junior hurler fired 12 strikeouts in 7.0 IP, without a run.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State's Mason Erla has been tabbed as one Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Players of the Week for his performance over the weekend.
Erla didn't allow a Troy base-runner to touch second base until the seventh inning, as he rang up a three-up, three-down inning in the first, second, fourth and fifth frames, and didn't face more than four Troy batters in any inning. The Trojans came into Friday's game hitting .320 as a team and Erla stymied their bats.
The 12 strikeouts by Erlas was a new career-high, marking the third time this season that he has set or tied a new career-best in four appearances. He tallied 11 Ks in the season-opener vs. Morehead State on Feb. 14 and matched that with 11 punchouts on Feb. 21 vs. Merrimack.
The Spartan hurler's 12 Ks are the most since former teammate Riley McCauley tallied 12 punchouts on Feb. 16, 2018 at Fresno State, allowing two hits and a run in 6.0 IP. Erla now has 42 strikeouts on the season and 163 for his career, needing just 17 more to crack into the MSU top 10 list for career strikeouts.
Erla's 12 Ks were nearly matched by Troy starting pitcher Levi Thomas, who fired 11 strikeouts in 6.0 IP. Thomas had only allowed two walks and didn't allow a run in his previous three appearances before MSU drew four walks off of him and tagged him for his first run on just two hits Friday night.
Erla and the Spartans will take on Indiana State in a three-game series in Terre Haute, Ind., Friday-Sunday, March 13-15. Friday's series opener is slated for a 3 p.m. start time, while Saturday's middle game has a 2 p.m. first pitch and Sunday's finale is 1 p.m.
Fans can follow the action with available links at MSUSpartans.com.
The Spartan redshirt-junior right-handed pitcher was one of 11 players honored by the national publication on Monday.
Erla, a native of Cass City, Mich., fired a career-high 12 strikeouts, and had a no-hitter going for 5.2 IP, not allowing a hit until the sixth inning to lead Michigan State to a 1-0 win over Troy Friday night in a pitchers' duel.
Erla didn't allow a Troy base-runner to touch second base until the seventh inning, as he rang up a three-up, three-down inning in the first, second, fourth and fifth frames, and didn't face more than four Troy batters in any inning. The Trojans came into Friday's game hitting .320 as a team and Erla stymied their bats.
The 12 strikeouts by Erlas was a new career-high, marking the third time this season that he has set or tied a new career-best in four appearances. He tallied 11 Ks in the season-opener vs. Morehead State on Feb. 14 and matched that with 11 punchouts on Feb. 21 vs. Merrimack.
The Spartan hurler's 12 Ks are the most since former teammate Riley McCauley tallied 12 punchouts on Feb. 16, 2018 at Fresno State, allowing two hits and a run in 6.0 IP. Erla now has 42 strikeouts on the season and 163 for his career, needing just 17 more to crack into the MSU top 10 list for career strikeouts.
Erla's 12 Ks were nearly matched by Troy starting pitcher Levi Thomas, who fired 11 strikeouts in 6.0 IP. Thomas had only allowed two walks and didn't allow a run in his previous three appearances before MSU drew four walks off of him and tagged him for his first run on just two hits Friday night.
Erla and the Spartans will take on Indiana State in a three-game series in Terre Haute, Ind., Friday-Sunday, March 13-15. Friday's series opener is slated for a 3 p.m. start time, while Saturday's middle game has a 2 p.m. first pitch and Sunday's finale is 1 p.m.
Fans can follow the action with available links at MSUSpartans.com.
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