Michigan State baseball was looking to ride the momentum of a 2-0 shutout win against the No. 6 Oregon Ducks on Friday night into game two of the series this afternoon.
In Friday night's win, MSU junior left-handed pitcher Joseph Dzierwa shut down the high-powered Ducks offense, striking out 11 Oregon batters and allowing three hits to earn his seventh win.
The Ducks bounced back, though, defeating the Spartans 13-5 in impressive fashion. With the win, Oregon earned its first win in series history with the Spartans; the Ducks were 0-5 vs MSU before this game.
“I think we missed a lot of spots. When you make mistakes, especially over the plate, they’re going to get hit, and that’s exactly what happened. I think we made a lot of mistakes out over the plate,” MSU head coach Jake Boss said
After struggling in game one, the Ducks were looking to find themselves offensively in game two. It didn’t take long, as Oregon opened with a 4-0 lead in the first inning courtesy of hits by junior infielder Drew Smith, freshman catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus, and sophomore infielder Ryan Cooney.
The Spartans responded in the second inning with a triple to center by senior catcher Noah Bright, cutting the Oregon lead in half, 4-2.
MSU's success on offense continued in the third inning as sophomore infielder Ryan McKay’s lead-off double and senior Sam Busch’s RBI single tied the game at four entering the fourth inning.
The Ducks outscored the Spartans 9-1 from the fourth inning on, though, courtesy of four home runs, with two of them coming from the nation’s home run leader, junior outfielder Mason Neville. Neville hit his 22nd and 23rd home runs on the season with two-run shots in the fifth and ninth inning.
Coach Boss mentioned the challenges of pitching against a talented player like Neville.
“You’ve got to make pitches; if you miss a spot, you’re going to pay for it, and that’s what we did today. I think Joe showed it last night, you make good pitches and put the ball where you want to put it, you’re going to have some success,” Boss said.
Senior first baseman Jason Walsh added a home run in the sixth inning. Walsh has recorded a home run in five of the last six games for the Ducks. Junior catcher Anson Aroz also recorded a solo shot in the eighth inning.
Oregon sophomore right-handed pitcher Collin Clarke earned the win for the Ducks, his fourth of the season. Clarke pitched six innings, striking out five MSU batters.
The Spartans will look to bounce back tomorrow with a series victory on the line. First pitch is set for 11:32 a.m. from McLane Stadium.
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