Michigan State University
3-3, 3-3
Northwestern
4-2, 4-2
Walker's Standout Day Helps Spartans Split Saturday Twinbill With Wildcats
3/13/2021 11:03:00 PM | Baseball
Walker blasts HR in nightcap after tremendous catch in opener.
MSU is now 4-3 on the season with Saturday's split, and is matched by Northwestern also at 4-3.
"That was a tough one in the opener, but I'm really proud of how our guys answered the bell in game two. We challenged them between games and it was great to see them respond," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We swung the bats really well in the second game and played well, and felt really good to get the win."
In the seven-inning opener, Northwestern got out to an early 3-0 lead after two innings, before MSU got on the board with a run in the fourth, as sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker started the rally with a double to left, and senior outfielder Joe Stewart followed with an RBI single to drive him in. Northwestern got a run back in the bottom of the fifth for a 4-1 lead and threatened to extend the lead in the sixth getting runners to second and third with two outs, and Ethan O'Donnell had a blast to right field that was headed over the fence before Walker made a spectacular catch to deny the home run, timing his leap perfectly to rob the home run and end the inning.
"What a play by the reigning @B1Gbaseball Player of the Week!"
— Michigan State Baseball (@statebaseball) March 13, 2021
Zaid Walker ROBS 3-run HR with an AMAZING @SportsCenter #SCTop10 - nominee catch!! #FlashTheLeather
Walker knows Fluor Field, home of @GreenvilleDrive well!
⚾️#GoGreen | @zwalk3 pic.twitter.com/IFp3CkxW13
"Zaid has really been swinging the bat well and was great to see the power from him tonight. He's been playing very well on both sides of the ball, as evident by that great catch tonight and his great hits," Boss said.
HAVE A DAY ZAID!!@zwalk3 takes a HR away with a catch at the wall in G1, then hits an uncatchable HR over the Green Monster at Fluor Field, home of the @GreenvilleDrive, in G2!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@statebaseball) March 14, 2021
MSU 2, NU 0, T4th.
⚾️#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/8nykESpdeE
The Spartans rapped out a season-high 17 hits in scoring a season-best 22 runs in the nightcap. The 17 hits were MSU's most since knocking 22 hits in the 2020 season-opener vs. Morehead State on Feb. 14 in Charleston, S.C., while the 12 runs was the most since scoring 15 twice in a game last season, both against Merrimack on Feb. 23, also at Fluor Field, and also in the aforementioned game vs. Morehead State.
Eight of the nine Spartans in the lineup had at least one hit, while five different players had multiple hits, including sophomore Zaid Walker going 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, blasting a towering solo home run over the Green Monster at Fluor Field in the fourth. Redshirt-freshman catcher Gabe Sotres was 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored, all career-highs, as he rapped out his first RBIs of the season. Senior outfielder Bryce Kelley was also 3-for-5, while fellow senior outfielder Joe Stewart was 2-for-6 for his first multi-hit outing of his career. Both Kelley and Stewart each had an RBI and run scored, while Kelley and Sotres tallied stolen bases.
Kelley's swipe gives him four for the season and 76 for his career, closing in on the school record of 79 held by Anthony Cheky (2012-15).
On the mound, freshman pitcher Adam Berghorst collected his first career win, going a career-long 5.0 IP and tying a career-best with three strikeouts, while yielding just two hits, one run on no walks.
"Adam threw very well today and to get five solid innings out of him showed his great improvement," Boss said. "The sky is the limit for him and I'm very happy for him earning his first collegiate win tonight."
Berghorst stymied the Northwestern bats, while the MSU offense got going, with a run in the third as Sotres sparked the rally with a 1-out single, and later scored on a Wildcat error. The Spartans plated three in the fourth as Walker started off with his 1-out blast over the Green Monster. Junior infielder Zach Iverson was next up and smacked a double to the gap in left center, then senior designated hitter Bailey Peterson walked. Sotres followed by belting a double down the right field line to cap the three-run inning.
In the fifth, freshman infielder Brock Vradenburg drew a 1-out walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored when freshman infielder Trent Farquhar reached on a Northwestern error. Walker singled to move Farquhar to second, and two batters later Peterson walked. That brought Sotres to the plate and he laced a two-run single to right to drive in Walker and Farquhar.
HAVE A DAY ZAID!!@zwalk3 takes a HR away with a catch at the wall in G1, then hits an uncatchable HR over the Green Monster at Fluor Field, home of the @GreenvilleDrive, in G2!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@statebaseball) March 14, 2021
MSU 2, NU 0, T4th.
⚾️#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/8nykESpdeE
MSU's multi-run innings stretch extended to three in a row with a 2-run sixth. Kelley led off with a single to left and later stole second, moving to third on an error on the throw. Vradenburg followed with an RBI double to left, plating Kelley. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Vradenburg came home after Farquhar again reached on an error.
In the eighth, Stewart led off with a triple to the gap in right center and scored on a Vradenburg RBI groundout. The Spartans tacked on two runs in the ninth, as Sotres drew a 1-out walk, and moved up to third on two wild pitches. After freshman infielder Mitch Jebb walked, Kelley singled to left to drive in Sotres and move Jebb up to third. Stewart followed by beating out an infield single to short to plate Jebb and complete the Spartans' scoring.
Meanwhile, redshirt-freshman relief pitcher William Christophersen and sophomore reliever Burrell Jones kept the Wildcats at bay to secure the Victory for MSU.
𝙑𝙄𝘾𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙈𝙎𝙐!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@statebaseball) March 14, 2021
The Spartans score season-high 1⃣2⃣ runs to beat Northwestern, 12-3, in Saturday's nightcap of DH to split twinbill at Fluor Field, home of @GreenvilleDrive!
Series finale Sunday at 1 pm ET. Remember to set your clocks for DST!⏲️
⚾️#VictoryForMSU pic.twitter.com/XNE7zIAf7V
MSU and Northwestern wrap up the four-game weekend series on Sunday, March 14 with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lavelle, Quinn (1-0)
L: Erla, Mason (1-1)
S: Boeckle, Garrett (1)
Batting:
2B: Walker, Zaid 1 ; Farquhar, Trent 1
RBI: Stewart, Joe 1 ; Iverson, Zach 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Walker, Zaid 1 ; Farquhar, Trent 1
HBP: Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Kark, Dillon 1
Batting:
2B: Dunn, David 1
HR: Calarco, Anthony 1
RBI: Calarco, Anthony 1 ; Goosenberg, Shawn 1 ; Kaplan, Leo 1 ; O'Donnell, Ethan 1
SH: Minarovic, Evan 1 ; Kaplan, Leo 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Calarco, Anthony 1 ; Minarovic, Evan 1 ; Livermore, Tony 1 ; O'Donnell, Ethan 1
SB: Bianchina, Vincent 1 ; Livermore, Tony 1
