Michigan State University
22-23, 10-9
Minnesota
21-22, 7-12
Pivotal Hitting And Pitching Sparks 6-4 Victory For MSU Over Minnesota Friday
5/10/2024 11:47:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans take opener behind senior leaders and freshman’s first career HR.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Michigan State baseball used pivotal and balanced hitting and pitching to boost the Spartans to a 6-4 Victory for MSU over Minnesota Friday night in the Big Ten Conference weekend series opener at Minnesota's Siebert Field.
With temps hovering around 70 most of the evening and with the wind blowing out to center field at 15-20 mph, gusting up to 30 mph, made for prime home run conditions. However, there was only one home run hit by each team, with MSU's coming from Spartan freshman infielder Ryan McKay for his first career home run.
MSU knocked out 14 hits in scoring the six runs, including six extra-base hits. Spartan pitching yielded four run on eight hits while striking out seven.
VICTORY FOR MSU!!!!!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 11, 2024
Final score from Siebert Field in Minneapolis:
Michigan State 6, Minnesota 4
High fives and handshakes all around!!!
MSU wins @B1Gbaseball series opener!!
G2 Sat at 3 pm ET / 2 pm CT#VictoryForMSU pic.twitter.com/KkwX26O2gh
"It's always good to get off on the right step with a Friday win and we'll get back at it on Saturday. We know we're going to get a good effort out of them on Saturday. We just need to stick to the program and do what we do and we can come out on top again," senior infielder Dillon Kark said. "I was seeing the ball pretty well tonight and have been seeing it well overall, but was able to see some curve balls and got some good hacks on curve balls and it was a good night for us."
Senior infielder Dillon Kark was 4-for-5 with three doubles and a single, knocking two RBI and a run scored.
"I'm proud of our guys. It was a good win on a Friday night," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I thought guys on the mound really hung in there and made good pitches and big pitches when they needed to. I think we were pretty efficient offensively, and made some big plays when we needed to. I thought we came up with some big hits in big situations, with some two-out RBI that were really important. We held them off at the end, so it's a good win on a Friday night, and know we're going to have our work cut out for us tomorrow."
No. 2 with another 2-bagger!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 11, 2024
Kark cracks his 3rd double of the night to drive in Frank!
Kark now has 17 doubles this season - moving up to tie for No. 14 on MSU's single-season doubles list!
MSU 6
MINN 3
Mid 8th#GoGreen | @KarkDillon pic.twitter.com/RgcSaffgij
Kark was joined in the multi-hit outing by fellow seniors, outfielder Jack Frank going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and adding a stolen base, while catcher Sam Thompson was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Fellow senior outfielder Greg Ziegler was 1-for-5 with a pivotal RBI single in the seventh.
"Dillon is seeing the ball well, and we had a lot of guys tonight that were seeing the ball well," Boss said.. Dillon is one of our seniors and one of our captains and we need him to lead us like that. Jack Frank and Sam Thompson are other ones that had multiple hits tonight. Our captains and our seniors were the ones that made it happen for us tonight, and that's what they're supposed to do, that's what we need out of them and I think they understand that they were ready to play tonight."
McKay was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and the RBI from his first career homer.
Ryan McKay with his 1st home run as a Spartan!!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 10, 2024
McKay is now the 12th different Spartan with a HR after his solo round-tripper to right center that bounces over the Minnesota softball field!!
MSU 1
MINN 1
T2nd#GoGreen | @Ryanmckay51 pic.twitter.com/HOhyPyASTf
Junior designated hitter Noah Bright had a hit, while junior outfielder Nick Williams each added an RBI.
On the mound, sophomore starting southpaw Joseph Dzierwa went 6.0 IP with four strikeouts, scattering six hits in yielding three runs to earn the win, improving to 6-2 on the season.
Dzierwa's final #'s:
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 11, 2024
6.0 IP
4 K
6 H, 3 R, 2 BB#GoGreen | @DzierwaJoseph pic.twitter.com/MnzWTKZhRN
Senior reliever Aaron Mishoulam took over in the seventh and finished it out, going 3.0 IP with three punchouts, allowing two hits and one run with no walks, to earn his third save of the season.
Kark's three doubles give him 17 on the season, moving up to tie for No. 14 on MSU's single-season doubles list, joining Marty Bechina (2019).
Frank's stolen base was his 18th of the season and 51st of his career, taking over sole possession of No. 5 on the Spartans' career stolen base list, pulling away from a tie with Brandon Hughes (2015-17). The three runs scored by Frank also move him up to No. 5 on MSU's career runs scored list, passing Mike Davidson (1985-88).
Jack Frank with the stolen base!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 11, 2024
Frank Fact:
Franks swipes No. 18 on the season and No. 51 for his career, now in sole possession of No. 5 on MSU's career stolen base!#GoGreen | #FastFrank | @JackF_22 pic.twitter.com/1nO3fMUQ8N
With the win, MSU improves to 10-9 in B1G play and 22-23 overall, while Minnesota slides to 21-22 overall and 7-12 in league action.
Friday was the Spartans' fifth-straight win over the Gophers, winning six of the last seven and seven of the last 11 in the series.
Minnesota put a run on the board in its first at bat, taking advantage of a leadoff walk and later coming around to score on a double play.
The Spartans quickly countered to tie it up as McKay blasted his first career homer to right-center that bounced over the softball field just beyond the wall, as Minnesota's Jane Sage Cowles Stadium is just beyond the right field wall.
After a scoreless and sequential top and bottom of the third, MSU took its first lead of the night as McKay led off with a single and stole second. Two batters later, Thompson split the right-center gap to drive McKay in for a 2-1 Spartan lead.
The Gophers countered with a two-run home run in the home half of the fourth to retake the lead at 3-2.
Michigan State's deficit was again short-lived as the visiting Spartans scored a run in the top of the fifth. Frank and Kark knocked back-to-back one-out singles, and then moved up a base on a wild pitch, before N.Williams' sacrifice fly plated Frank to level the score at 3-3.
The score stayed 3-3 until the seventh, when Frank led off with a single to the right-center gap, then swiped second base. Kark then smacked a double that went over the third-base bag to drive in Frank. After a groundout by N.Williams moved Kark to third, Ziegler laced a single through the left side to bring Kark home for a 5-3 MSU advantage.
Time to stretch and sing about 🥜&🍿here at Siebert Field in Minneapolis...
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 11, 2024
MSU 5
MINN 3
The Spartans plate a pair after RBI double by Kark driving in Frank and an RBI single by Ziegler to bring Kark in to score!#GoGreen | @JackF_22 | @KarkDillon | @GKZ27 pic.twitter.com/VOZszB4FAw
In the top of the eighth, Frank again sparked the visitor's rally with a two-out single to left. Kark was up next and he knocked a double to the gap in left center and Frank scampered around the bases to score and the Spartans had the Gophers doubled up at 6-3.
Minnesota got a run back in the bottom of the eighth, before Mishoulam rang up back-to-back strikeouts on a pair of Gopher pinch hitters.
The home team did not go quietly into the Minneapolis night, getting two on, but Mishoulam induced a groundout to thwart the Gopher threat and secure the Victory for MSU.
Michigan State and Minnesota return to the diamond for the second game of the series on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT, before wrapping up with the series finale on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT.
Fans can follow the action with "Tickets," "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
Individual game tickets are also on sale through the Spartan Ticket Office.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dzierwa, Joseph (6-2)
L: Justin Thorsteinson (3-3)
S: Mishoulam, Aaron (3)
Batting:
2B: Kark, Dillon 3 ; Bright, Noah 1 ; Thompson, Sam 1
HR: McKay, Ryan 1
RBI: Kark, Dillon 2 ; Williams, Nick 1 ; Ziegler, Greg 1 ; McKay, Ryan 1 ; Thompson, Sam 1
SF: Williams, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Frank, Jack 3 ; Kark, Dillon 1 ; McKay, Ryan 2
SB: Frank, Jack 1 ; McKay, Ryan 1 ; Thompson, Sam 1
HBP: McKay, Ryan 1
Batting:
2B: Brady Counsell 1
HR: Drew Berkland 1
RBI: Drew Berkland 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Brady Counsell 1 ; Weber Neels 1 ; Ike Mezzenga 1 ; Drew Berkland 1
SB: Josh Fitzgerald 2 ; Drew Berkland 1 ; Boston Merila 1
HBP: Weber Neels 1 ; Boston Merila 1
