EAST LANSING – The rain couldn’t stop Michigan State when it took on the Youngstown State Penguins on Wednesday.

Despite a 50-minute delay and continual bad weather, the Spartans and Penguins took to Kobs field. Freshman Aidan Arbaugh threw the first pitch in his first start for the Spartans as the rain kept coming down. Unable to maintain complete control of the ball, Arbaugh gave up three consecutive hits to start the inning.

Youngstown nearly scored when senior shortstop Lucas Nasonti rounded third. However, a hard throw from Spartan sophomore center fielder Jack Frank to redshirt freshman catcher Christian Williams cut off the runner to end the inning.

Youngstown State found the rain to be even more of an issue from the mound as sophomore pitcher Nick Perez led off the bottom of the first by walking MSU’s sophomore second baseman Trent Farquhar. Immediately after, Perez hit redshirt freshman Bryan Broecker with a pitch, starting the side with two runners on base. These early mistakes cost the Penguins as RBI singles from Williams, Frank and junior right fielder Zaid Walker gave the Spartans an early 3-0 lead.

This proved to be the beginning of a series of pitching issues for Youngstown State, as it would eventually rotate through eight pitchers in total before the end of the game. Perez only pitched for a little over one inning before being taken out after giving up seven runs on five hits and three walks. Senior Brandon Matthews relieved Perez and pitched for three innings.

Matthews gave up one run on three hits during what was the longest time on the mound for a Penguins’ pitcher during the game. Three pitchers were rotated in for the Penguins in the bottom of the eighth alone. In total, Youngstown State struggled on the mound with its pitchers combining for a total of eight earned runs on 14 hits and six walks.

The Penguins’ pitching woes greatly aided the Spartans at the plate.

After the three-run first inning, the Spartans continued their momentum with a pair of back-to-back RBIs from Frank and sophomore shortstop Mitch Jebb. Frank’s RBI came off of a fielding error at second base, and Jebb’s double to center field hit redshirt junior first baseman Peter Ahn, Williams and Frank home, putting MSU up 7-1. Four more RBIs from Broecker, Williams, Frank and Jebb, along with Frank’s sixth-inning home run kept the Spartans well ahead of the Penguins for the rest of the game.

Youngstown did find some offensive momentum starting in the second inning with a home run over the right field fence by redshirt senior first baseman Padraig O’Shaughnessy. The third inning saw two RBIs from senior third baseman Steven D’Eusanio and junior left fielder Andre Good, sending Nasonti and junior second baseman Braeden O’Shaughnessy home. Good hit one more two-run RBI double in the top of the fifth, giving the Penguins their fifth run of the game.

Youngstown State almost scored once more in the eighth, as redshirt freshman right fielder Chase Franken neared home. However, an attempted 6-4-2 double play by the Spartans cut Franken’s dash towards home short. In the end, the Penguins couldn’t generate any further offense, leaving the final score at 12-5 for MSU.

The Spartans travel to Evansville, Indiana this weekend for a three-game series against the Evansville Aces. The first pitch of the series is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.