Saturday, April 17
Champaign, Ill.
2 PM ET / 1 PM CT
Michigan State University
11-13, 11-13
8
at
15
Illinois
10-12, 10-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Michigan State
2
0
0
0
0
2
1
2
1
8
11
4
Illinois
1
2
0
0
4
0
6
2
X
15
15
1
Photo by: Bob McCool - Coastal Carolina Athletics
Spartans Topped Twice Saturday
4/17/2021 10:30:00 PM | Baseball
MSU defeated in split twinbill in Champaign; Erla fires gem in pitchers' duel in night cap.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Michigan State baseball was topped twice in a split doubleheader Saturday in the Champaign Pod at Illinois Field.
MSU was defeated by Illinois, 15-8, in the opener, before getting nipped by Purdue in the night cap, 2-1 in 11 innings, on a walk-off.
The Spartans wrap up their weekend on Sunday, facing Purdue in a 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. CT first pitch.
MSU slipped to 11-14 after the two losses on Saturday. Illinois moved to 10-12 and Purdue went to 7-15 with the wins. The 11-inning game was the Spartans' first extra-inning game of the season, and first time playing extra innings since Feb. 23, 2020 vs. Merrimack in Greenville, S.C. in 10 innings, and the first time going 11 innings since two days prior, Feb. 21, 2020, also vs. Merrimack in Greenville.
The loss in the night cap wiped out a stellar outing by junior pitcher Mason Erla, who went 8.0 IP, striking out six without yielding a run, while scattering four hits and walking three. The six strikeouts give Erla 208 for his career, moving up to No. 4 on MSU's career strikeout list, passing Cam Vieaux (2012-15) with 205 Ks. Erla's 8.0 outing was his longest of the season and longest since going 9.0 on April 5, 2019 vs. Indiana State. Saturday was Erla's second outing of the season without allowing a run, matching March 20 vs. Illinois in Ann Arbor, Mich.
In the opener, MSU's offense was led by sophomore Casey Mayes going 2-for-2 and scoring two runs, after coming on as a pinch hitter and staying in to play outfield. Senior infielder Bailey Peterson was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker was 1-for-1 with two RBI and a run scored, while senior outfielder Joe Stewart was 1-for-5 with two runs scored. Senior outfielder Bryce Kelley, freshman infielder Mitch Jebb, freshman designated hitter Jack Frank, redshirt freshman catcher Gabe Sotres and junior infielder Zach Iverson were all 1-for-4. Jebb had an RBI and a run scored, while Kelley, Frank, Sotres and Iverson all had an RBI apiece.
The night cap was a pitchers' duel between Erla and Purdue's Calvin Schapira, who went 8.0 IP, limiting MSU to just three hits.
The Spartans finished the night with five hits, with Mayes going 2-for-3, while Peterson was 1-for-3 with the Spartans' only extra base hit in game two with a double, and scoring their lone run of the night cap. Kelley was 1-for-4, while freshman infielder Trent Farquhar was 1-for-5, and both Kelley and Farquhar, along with Peterson added a stolen base. Iverson had MSU's lone RBI on a sacrifice fly.
Just like Friday's opener, the Spartans scored first in their opening at bat of game one on Saturday, plating two runs in the top of the first for the second game in a row. Â Leadoff hitter Farquhar got hit by pitch to get on, Kelley walked, then Stewart reached on a fielder's choice as Kelley was erased from the basepaths. Walker drove in Farquhar with a sacrifice fly, and Stewart stole second, then came in to score on a Jebb single to left and MSU had a 2-0 lead after one inning in the books.
Illinois got a run back in the home half of the first with a leadoff hit by pitch and after two outs, then back-to-back singles to trim MSU's lead to 2-1. The Illini took a 3-2 lead with two runs in the second, then four runs in the fifth to open a 7-2 advantage.
The Spartans closed to 7-5 in the seventh with two runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Walker to drive in Stewart, who led off with a single, and Sotres later knocked an infield single to plate Walker. In the seventh, Peterson led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a RBI groundout by Kelley.
Illinois broke the game open with a 6-run seventh inning, stretching the lead to 13-5.
As they have historically done throughout time, the Spartans did not go down without a fight, as Mayes singled and after Jebb walked, Mayes came around to score on an RBI single by freshman designated hitter Jack Frank. Iverson later roped a double down the right field line to drive in Mayes, as MSU closed to 13-7.
However, Illinois scored two in the eighth for a 15-7 lead. Again, the Spartans didn't go quietly, with Mayes knocking a 2-out double down the right field line, and Jebb reached on an Illinois error, allowing Mayes to score, but a lineout ended the rally and the game.
In the second game, the Spartans and Boilermakers battled scoreless through the first four innings, before MSU broke through in the top of the fifth, and only needed four pitches from Schapira to do so.
Peterson led off with a double off the wall in center on the first pitch he saw. Mayes followed with sac bunt on the first pitch to him. Iverson followed suit with a sac fly to center on the first pitch to score Peterson and give the Spartans the 1-0 lead, before a popup on the first pitch ended the inning.
After Erla's standout outing, Iverson moved to the mound from third, and Purdue scored its tying run in the bottom of the ninth after a single, sac bunt, another single, and an RBI groundout leveled the score, before a groundout ended the rally and sent the game to extras.
The Spartans tried to rally in the 10th with Mayes reaching on a 1-out single, but nothing else going. Iverson retired the Boilermakers in order in the bottom half of the 10th.
Michigan State again threatened in the 11th with Kelley reaching on a 1-out infield single, then after a sac bunt by sophomore Reese Trahey moved Kelley to second, freshman infielder Dillon Kark walked to put two Spartans on the basepaths with two outs, but a groundout ended the frame.
In the bottom of the 11th, Purdue got a leadoff single by Ben Nisle, then a flyout before another single by Mason Gavre moved Nisle to third. After an intentional walk to keep the double play in order, but Evan Albrecht lofted a sac fly to right for Nisle to score and end the game.
MSU wraps up the weekend on Sunday against Purdue at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT. The weekend schedule is subject to change.
Along with any schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.
Â
MSU was defeated by Illinois, 15-8, in the opener, before getting nipped by Purdue in the night cap, 2-1 in 11 innings, on a walk-off.
The Spartans wrap up their weekend on Sunday, facing Purdue in a 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. CT first pitch.
MSU slipped to 11-14 after the two losses on Saturday. Illinois moved to 10-12 and Purdue went to 7-15 with the wins. The 11-inning game was the Spartans' first extra-inning game of the season, and first time playing extra innings since Feb. 23, 2020 vs. Merrimack in Greenville, S.C. in 10 innings, and the first time going 11 innings since two days prior, Feb. 21, 2020, also vs. Merrimack in Greenville.
The loss in the night cap wiped out a stellar outing by junior pitcher Mason Erla, who went 8.0 IP, striking out six without yielding a run, while scattering four hits and walking three. The six strikeouts give Erla 208 for his career, moving up to No. 4 on MSU's career strikeout list, passing Cam Vieaux (2012-15) with 205 Ks. Erla's 8.0 outing was his longest of the season and longest since going 9.0 on April 5, 2019 vs. Indiana State. Saturday was Erla's second outing of the season without allowing a run, matching March 20 vs. Illinois in Ann Arbor, Mich.
In the opener, MSU's offense was led by sophomore Casey Mayes going 2-for-2 and scoring two runs, after coming on as a pinch hitter and staying in to play outfield. Senior infielder Bailey Peterson was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker was 1-for-1 with two RBI and a run scored, while senior outfielder Joe Stewart was 1-for-5 with two runs scored. Senior outfielder Bryce Kelley, freshman infielder Mitch Jebb, freshman designated hitter Jack Frank, redshirt freshman catcher Gabe Sotres and junior infielder Zach Iverson were all 1-for-4. Jebb had an RBI and a run scored, while Kelley, Frank, Sotres and Iverson all had an RBI apiece.
The night cap was a pitchers' duel between Erla and Purdue's Calvin Schapira, who went 8.0 IP, limiting MSU to just three hits.
The Spartans finished the night with five hits, with Mayes going 2-for-3, while Peterson was 1-for-3 with the Spartans' only extra base hit in game two with a double, and scoring their lone run of the night cap. Kelley was 1-for-4, while freshman infielder Trent Farquhar was 1-for-5, and both Kelley and Farquhar, along with Peterson added a stolen base. Iverson had MSU's lone RBI on a sacrifice fly.
Just like Friday's opener, the Spartans scored first in their opening at bat of game one on Saturday, plating two runs in the top of the first for the second game in a row. Â Leadoff hitter Farquhar got hit by pitch to get on, Kelley walked, then Stewart reached on a fielder's choice as Kelley was erased from the basepaths. Walker drove in Farquhar with a sacrifice fly, and Stewart stole second, then came in to score on a Jebb single to left and MSU had a 2-0 lead after one inning in the books.
Illinois got a run back in the home half of the first with a leadoff hit by pitch and after two outs, then back-to-back singles to trim MSU's lead to 2-1. The Illini took a 3-2 lead with two runs in the second, then four runs in the fifth to open a 7-2 advantage.
The Spartans closed to 7-5 in the seventh with two runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Walker to drive in Stewart, who led off with a single, and Sotres later knocked an infield single to plate Walker. In the seventh, Peterson led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a RBI groundout by Kelley.
Illinois broke the game open with a 6-run seventh inning, stretching the lead to 13-5.
As they have historically done throughout time, the Spartans did not go down without a fight, as Mayes singled and after Jebb walked, Mayes came around to score on an RBI single by freshman designated hitter Jack Frank. Iverson later roped a double down the right field line to drive in Mayes, as MSU closed to 13-7.
However, Illinois scored two in the eighth for a 15-7 lead. Again, the Spartans didn't go quietly, with Mayes knocking a 2-out double down the right field line, and Jebb reached on an Illinois error, allowing Mayes to score, but a lineout ended the rally and the game.
In the second game, the Spartans and Boilermakers battled scoreless through the first four innings, before MSU broke through in the top of the fifth, and only needed four pitches from Schapira to do so.
Peterson led off with a double off the wall in center on the first pitch he saw. Mayes followed with sac bunt on the first pitch to him. Iverson followed suit with a sac fly to center on the first pitch to score Peterson and give the Spartans the 1-0 lead, before a popup on the first pitch ended the inning.
After Erla's standout outing, Iverson moved to the mound from third, and Purdue scored its tying run in the bottom of the ninth after a single, sac bunt, another single, and an RBI groundout leveled the score, before a groundout ended the rally and sent the game to extras.
The Spartans tried to rally in the 10th with Mayes reaching on a 1-out single, but nothing else going. Iverson retired the Boilermakers in order in the bottom half of the 10th.
Michigan State again threatened in the 11th with Kelley reaching on a 1-out infield single, then after a sac bunt by sophomore Reese Trahey moved Kelley to second, freshman infielder Dillon Kark walked to put two Spartans on the basepaths with two outs, but a groundout ended the frame.
In the bottom of the 11th, Purdue got a leadoff single by Ben Nisle, then a flyout before another single by Mason Gavre moved Nisle to third. After an intentional walk to keep the double play in order, but Evan Albrecht lofted a sac fly to right for Nisle to score and end the game.
MSU wraps up the weekend on Sunday against Purdue at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT. The weekend schedule is subject to change.
Along with any schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: SMELTZ, Jackson (3-1)
L: Iverson, Zach (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Peterson, Bailey 1
RBI: Iverson, Zach 1
SH: Trahey, Reese 1 ; Mayes, Casey 1 ; Iverson, Zach 1
SF: Iverson, Zach 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Peterson, Bailey 1
SB: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Peterson, Bailey 1
Batting:
RBI: ALBRECHT, Evan 2
SH: POWERS, Tyler 1 ; GAVRE, Mason 1 ; BOLTON Jr., Mike 1
SF: ALBRECHT, Evan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: NISLE, Ben 1 ; FIRESTONE, Jack 1
SB: GAVRE, Mason 1 ; BOLTON Jr., Mike 1
HBP: FASCIA, Zac 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF/OF/RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF/LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballIF/OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF/1B
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
Monday, May 19
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
Tuesday, March 25
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 11 2025
Tuesday, March 11