Michigan State Hands Baseball 12-5 Loss – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/10/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 10, 2002
Box Score
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan scored five runs in each of the second and fifth innings on its way to a 12-5 victory Friday night at Oldsmobile Park in the first game of a four-game Big Ten series.
The Spartans put up a five-spot in the second inning to take a 6-1 lead. Rightfielder Bob Malek launched a line drive home run over the fence in rightfield that scored three and then the next batter, centerfielder Chris McCuiston, launched a long ball to left-centerfield.
Michigan State scored five runs in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 12-1 before Ohio State could muster any more offense. The Buckeyes scored four times in the top of the sixth. Doug Deeds (So., Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) led off the inning with a base hit through the right side and then Nick Swisher (Jr., Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) drew a walk. Joe Wilkins (Sr., Grove City, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) grounded into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Deeds and a miniature two-out rally was on.
Drew Anderson (Fr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) singled up the middle to score Swisher and then back-to-back doubles by Lance Rolston (Jr., Athens, Ohio/Alexander) and Mike Rabin (Fr., West Chester/Lakota East) scored Anderson and Rolston.
Jesse Paciorek (Fr., Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) came on in relief of E.J. Laratta (Sr., Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek). with one gone in the fifth inning, but the senior left the game charged with all 12 Spartan runs on 13 hits, walking one and striking out two. He had one wild pitch and hit two batters in falling to 7-4 on the season. Paciorek did not allow a run off three hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. He struck out four and walked two.
Bryan Gale got the win for the Spartans and upped his record to 6-4 with his complete game effort. The Buckeyes’ five runs came off nine hits. Gale struck out seven and walked three.
Ohio State wasted little time scoring one run in the top of the first inning on a double to the gap in right-centerfield by Deeds. Brett Garrard (So., Brownsburg, Ind./Borwnsburg), who reached on a base hit that fell in front of the leftfielder, scored to put the Buckeyes up 1-0.
Michigan State set up the tying run with two hits in the bottom of the inning. Charlie Braun singled to centerfield and then moved to third on a base hit to right-centerfield. Braun scored on a Laratta wild pitch.
Laratta then hit the first batter, James Moreno, of third inning and then after a double by Travis Gulick, Moreno advanced to third. He scored on a ground out by David Miller to extend the Spartans lead to 7-1.
Christian Snavely (So., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) and Deeds each went 2-for-5. Deeds scored once and drove in a run. Malek went 3-for-5 from the plate for the Spartans with three RBI and a run scored.
The two teams will play a doubleheader at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday and then close the series with single at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.
