EAST LANSING—  After inclement weather in Terre Haute, Indiana canceled Friday and Saturday’s games, Michigan State baseball faced the Indiana State Sycamores in a doubleheader on Sunday, March 19. The Spartans won both games extending their winning streak to five. 

Game 1:

It was just 35 degrees at first pitch but MSU freshman pitcher Joseph Dzierwa came out of the gates firing. He had eight strikeouts facing 14 batters. Dzierwa gave up one hit with no walks.  He threw 65 pitches with 42 of them being strikes in his 3.2 innings, before handing the ball over to freshman Nolan Higgins.

MSU junior right fielder Jack Frank was three for five in game one with three RBIs. Michigan State had its eye in game one against  Indiana State. MSU knocked 14 hits, and walked seven times in its 8-2 victory.

“Everybody contributed offensively, even if it didn’t show up in the box score, I think we did a lot of little things right, that put our guys in position to score,” head coach Jake Boss Jr  said. “Some things didn’t show up in the box score, but were really, really big parts of both games. It was a big day at the plate, and guys threw well today on the mound.”

Sycamore’s pitcher Connor Fenlong had a rough time with his command. He had four walks with one hit by pitch in three innings. Before turning the ball over to his bullpen, Fenlong allowed four earned runs on five hits. 

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Indiana State opened with back-to-back homeruns on consecutive pitches from Higgins to a pair of redshirt sophomores Keegan Watson and Parker Stinson, making it 6-2

The Spartans finished game one with an 8-2 win.

Game 2:

The top half of the first inning started  like game one for the Spartans,  having scored four runs in the inning with two off a Frank two-run shot. 

MSU redshirt sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch had two RBIs and Frank had three in the game. Michigan State had 14 hits. 

Michigan State pitching struggled to start game two. In the first Inning, MSU  redshirt  sophomore Adam Berghorst couldn’t get out of the first only getting two outs. 

Berghorst threw 34 pitches facing seven batters, allowing three earned runs off two singles and two walks, before being relieved  by  junior Harrison cook.  Indiana State was able to bat around just like MSU did in the first game.

Cook settled in nicely, not allowing a single run until the sixth inning when  left fielder ​​Adam Pottinger hit a two  run shot which made the game 8-5 Spartans. This homer was just his second hit in his 4.2 innings of work. 

Indiana state wasn’t quite done, as Miguel Rivera hit a high two-run shot to right field to make the game 8-7 in the bottom of the eighth.   The Spartans held on to win after two insurance runs scored in the top of the ninth winning 10-7.

“I’m really proud of our guys today. I think they showed a lot of toughness, both physically and mentally, the conditions were not ideal, but both teams had to play in it and our guys really showed up today,” Boss Jr. said.

The Spartans (10-7) will host Western Michigan in East Lansing on Wednesday, March 22 at 3 p.m.