Spartans Fly Past Falcons, 12-4, Tuesday

Randy Seymour and Josh Klug celebrate with the dugout after Seymour hit a home run.

Photo by: Hannah Garver/MSU Baseball Social Squad

5/5/2026 11:59:00 PM | Baseball

Seymour belts 3-run home run, Thomas logs three RBI and makes spectacular catch, while solid pitching stymies BGSU’s bats.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – A three-run home run by Randy Seymour, combined with Khamaree Thomas' bat and glove, along with solid pitching from three pitchers on the night, propelled Michigan State baseball to a 12-4 win over Bowling Green on Tuesday night in the penultimate game of MSU's season-long nine-game homestand at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium.

Tuesday's win snapped MSU's three-game losing skein, with the Spartans moving to 17-28 overall, while Bowling Green has lost six of its last seven games in sliding to 17-30.

Tuesday was the first meeting between the Spartans and Falcons since 2022, as the three previous meetings in each year since then have all been cancelled due to inclement weather. MSU has won four of the last five meetings overall with BGSU, taking a 9-5 series lead, including 6-3 in East Lansing.

Michigan State jumped out to a 5-0 lead after three frames with a run in the second before hanging a four-spot on the scoreboard in the third. After the Falcons clawed their way back to 5-3 with three runs in the top of the fourth, the Spartans added a run in the home half of the fourth. BGSU and MSU traded runs in the fifth, making the score 7-4. After both teams went scoreless in the sixth, the Spartans broke the game open with a five-run frame after the seventh-inning stretch, to coast to the 12-4 Victory for MSU.

Nine different Spartans reached base, while eight different touched home at least once, seven different players had at least one hit and six different Spartans had an RBI.

Five different players had a hit, run and RBI, led by senior infielder Seymour going 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in the third inning, blasting the ball high into the trees beyond the left field wall.

It was Seymour's team-leading 15th homer of the season, moving up to tie for No. 5 on MSU's single-season home runs list, smacking his first round-tripper since April 18 at Washington when he belted two HR in the game, snapping an eight-game homer-less drought.

Thomas, a sophomore outfielder, was 2-for-4 with three ribbies and two runs scored, adding two walks at the plate, while in the field, made a spectacular diving catch in the seventh headed for the right-center field gap, keeping it a 7-4 ballgame.

Senior outfielder Nick Williams came on as a replacement in the fourth inning and finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, junior outfielder Parker Picot was 1-for-5 with two ribbies and a run scored.

Freshman catcher Anthony Elezaj made the first start of his Spartan career and went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, including driving in his cousin, junior infielder Ryan McKay, who reached after getting plunked by a pitch, for one of his two runs on the night.

Graduate senior designated hitter Noah Bright was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, freshman infielder Cole Van Ameyde was 1-for-3 with two runs scored, adding a pair of walks, and fellow freshman infielder CJ Deckinga didn't have a hit, but did register an RBI on a sacrifice fly and also drew a walk.

Van Ameyde also made an outstanding catch on a foul ball in the second, ranging from his third base position and leaning over the dugout railing, just in front where his father, MSU pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde, was sitting in the dugout.

Coach Van Ameyde also oversaw a solid outing from three Spartan pitchers on the night, with freshman starter Kyle Rudolph going 4.0 IP, scattering three hits and three runs, while striking out a season-high six. He turned the ball over to fellow freshman, reliever Bobby Crane, who went 1.2 IP with three Ks, yielding two hits and one run. Junior reliever Ben Kochany finished it out, going 3.1 IP with three hits and three strikeouts, with no walks or runs, to earn the first win of his college career.

While the Spartan pitchers were stymieing the Falcons' offense, MSU got going in the second with McKay leading off with a HBP. Two batters later, his younger cousin Elezaj came to bat and laced a double down the left-field line and McKay scampered all the way around from first to score and put MSU ahead, 1-0.

In their next at bat, the Spartans bats were in full swing, with Bright doubling to left center for the second time in as many at bats. Thomas followed with a walk and two batters later, Deckinga flew out down the right field line to bring Bright in to score. McKay then reached on a BGSU error, bringing Seymour to bat and smacked his homer to left for MSU's fourth run of the frame and fifth of the game for a 5-0 Spartan advantage.

BGSU closed to 5-3 in the top of the fourth with three runs on three hits, before Rudolph grounded the Falcon rally with a strikeout.

MSU got a run back in the home half of the fourth, as player Van Ameyde led off with a single through the left side. Williams followed with a single, but was erased from the basepaths on a fielder's choice off the bat of Bright, moving Van Ameyde to third. Thomas followed with a seeing-eye singled to left to drive in Van Ameyde and make it a 6-3 ballgame.

The Falcons plated a run in the top of the fifth on an RB single, but the Spartans countered with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Elezaj sparked the Spartan rally with a one-out walk, then Van Ameyde proceeded with a walk of his own. Williams then returned the ball right back where it came from by knocking a single up the middle to drive in Elezaj and a 7-4 game.

In the seventh, Thomas knocked a two-run double, driving in Van Ameyde who drew a one-out walk and Williams, who also walked. Picot later knocked a single to right, plating Bright, who also walked. MSU later reloaded the bases and Elezaj came to bat for the second time around, this time getting hit by a pitch to plate Picot for the Spartans' fifth and final run of the frame, as well as last run of the game, for the 12-4 ballgame.

Michigan State wraps up its season-long nine-game homestand at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium by hosting Western Michigan in the second of two non-conference midweek match-ups against Mid-American Conference teams, on Wednesday, May 6, with a 6:02 p.m. start time.

The Spartans then play at Ohio State this weekend, Friday-Sunday, May 8-10, in the penultimate weekend of the regular-season and final weekend of Michigan State's B1G schedule, as the Spartans drew their bye in the conference schedule on the final weekend, and will host Illinois State, Thursday-Saturday, May 14-16 in Spartan Senior Celebrations weekend.

MSU's schedule is subject to change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.

The Michigan State baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium, and also single game tickets, are available online, at msuspartans.evenue.net, by contacting the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information, or fans can visit the MSU Ticket Office in person, located in 1855 Place.