Michigan State baseball earns first series win over Michigan since 2016

Michigan State baseball was back in action this weekend at McLane Stadium for a home series against the archrival Michigan Wolverines.

The Spartans took two out of three games against the Wolverines, to earn their first series win over Michigan since 2016.

In the first matchup on Friday, the Spartans beat the Wolverines by a final score of 3-2 in walk-off fashion in the 10th inning.

Junior outfielder Nick Williams' fly-out to center allowed sophomore shortstop Randy Seymour to score the game-winning run.

Senior third baseman Dillon Kark also contributed with a home run in the fifth inning, while sophomore pitcher Joseph Dzierwa struck out nine Wolverine batters in eight innings pitched.

Graduate pitcher Aaron Mishoulam earned his third win of the season with four strikeouts in two innings pitched for MSU.

Michigan senior pitcher Chase Allen recorded three strikeouts, allowing five hits and two runs in seven innings pitched for the Wolverines.

The second matchup was a strong offensive showing by both teams.

The Spartans jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the fourth inning, courtesy of multiple errors by the Wolverines.

The Wolverines rallied to tie the game at 8-8 heading into the eighth inning, with home runs by freshman designated hitter Collin Priest, junior catcher Will Rogers and sophomore outfielder Jonathan Kim.

In the eighth inning, senior outfielder Jack Frank’s solo home run and senior outfielder Greg Ziegler’s three-run home run lifted the Spartans to a 12-8 win.

Kark also contributed with two hits and three runs scored, while junior first baseman Sam Busch also homered in the third inning and an RBI.

The Wolverines avoided the series sweep with a 10-8 win in 12 innings on Sunday.

Junior third baseman Cole Caruso and junior outfielder Joe Longo’s singles in the 12th inning sealed the win for Michigan.

For the Spartans, Frank and Busch recorded their second home runs of the series, while graduate catcher Sam Thompson went yard with a home run in the fifth inning.

Ziegler and freshman second baseman Ryan McKay also contributed for MSU in the loss, with hits that drove in multiple runs for the Spartans.

With the series win, the Spartans now improve to a record of 21-23 overall and 9-9 in conference play and keep their hopes alive to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.

MSU is now above the cut line for the conference tournament (with eight teams qualifying) and is currently positioned as a No. 7 seed in the Big Ten.

The Spartans are two games behind Michigan for sixth place in the Big Ten and are ahead of Maryland, which is in eighth place with a 10-11 record in the conference. Ohio State just below the cut line in ninth place with an 8-10 conference record.

The Spartans will next face off against Bowling Green on Tuesday before traveling to Minneapolis for a pivotal weekend road series against Minnesota.

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