Michigan State baseball was back in action this weekend for a series against Minnesota that was pivotal for the Spartans' Big Ten Tournament hopes. MSU lost two out of three against the Golden Gophers after a strong start to the series.

The Spartans defeated the Golden Gophers 6-4 in the first matchup. Freshman second baseman Ryan McKay led MSU with a home run, two hits, and an RBI in the win. It was McKay's first long ball as a Spartan.

Senior third baseman Dillon Kark also contributed with four hits and a run scored, while graduate catcher Sam Thompson recorded three hits and an RBI in four at-bats. Thompson's fourth inning single gave Michigan State the lead.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Joseph Dzierwa earned his sixth win of the season recording four strikeouts while allowing six hits and three runs in six innings pitched. Graduate right-handed pitcher Aaron Mishoulam earned the save and recorded three strikeouts in three innings pitched.

Minnesota dominated the Spartans in the second matchup, winning the game 21-3. The Gophers jumped out to a 15-0 lead through five innings of play. Freshman second baseman Tristan Ellis, sophomore designated hitter Ike Mezzenga, and junior outfielder Josh Fitzgerald each contributed with home runs for the Gophers offense.

McKay and junior outfielder Nick Williams each recorded two hits for the Spartans in the loss.

The Spartans struggled on defense, giving up 17 hits against the Gophers. Senior left-handed pitcher Nick Powers recorded three strikeouts and gave up seven runs in three innings pitched.

With the three strikeouts, Powers is now in the top 10 for career strikeouts in a Michigan State uniform with 181.

Minnesota junior left-handed pitcher Connor Wietgrefe was impressive in the win, recording five strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched and only giving up one run.

Minnesota rallied from a 12-2 deficit to win the third matchup 15-12.

The Spartans led the Golden Gophers 12-2 through six innings of play courtesy of McKay’s second home run of the series. Junior catcher Noah Bright and senior outfielder Greg Ziegler also contributed with home runs.

Thompson's bloop double to clear the bases in the third inning started the big rally for the Spartans as they scored 11 unanswered runs.

The Golden Gophers scored eight unanswered runs to cut the Spartan lead to 12-10 heading into the ninth inning with two home runs by Mezzenga that drove in four runs and a solo home run by junior third baseman Jake Perry.

Minnesota scored two more runs in the bottom of the ninth off a single by Fitzgerald and a groundout to tie the game at 12. Sophomore outfielder Jake Berkland’s walk-off three-run home run gave the Golden Gophers the win.

With the series loss, the Spartans fall to 22-25 on the season and are now in a three-way tie for eighth place in the Big Ten with Ohio State and Maryland with a conference record of 10-11. Michigan State holds the tiebreaker for seventh place, while the Terrapins are in eighth, putting the Buckeyes on the outside looking in.

MSU will face off against in-state foe Eastern Michigan on Tuesday. The Eagles come into this matchup with a 14-34 overall record and lost two out of three in their previous series last weekend against Bowling Green.

The key for the Spartans in this matchup will be pitching. After giving up 36 runs in their two losses to Minnesota, MSU will need strong pitching performances to gain momentum going into a pivotal final home series against Nebraska, which will decide whether or not it will qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.

First pitch for the matchup against Eastern Michigan is set for 6:05 p.m. at McLane Stadium.

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