Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Charlotte
Spartans Complete Series Sweep With 22-8 Romp Over Charlotte
3/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 4, 2002
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Behind a 22-run, 21-hit offensive attack, the Michigan State baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Charlotte, winning 22-8 Monday (Mar. 4) afternoon. The Spartans (5-1) outscored Charlotte, 45-21, during the three-game series.
Seven Spartans recorded multiple hits while the pitching staff held the 49ers to just six hits. Charlie Braun (Jr., Grosse Pointe) went 3-for-5 on the day, including two doubles.
The Spartans sent 12 batters to the plate in the first inning and produced seven runs to jump on top of the 49ers early. Chris McCuiston (Sr., Birmingham) belted a three-run homer to leftfield and Brett Wattles (Jr., Rochester) knocked two-RBI double to key State's early offensive blitz.
Charlotte (4-7) cut the deficit in its half of the first, as Brad Erwin hit a grand slam. The Spartans' Kyle Geswein (Sr., Dayton, Ohio), who went 3-for-4, hit a solo shot in the second but the 49ers again sliced the lead to just one run, 8-7, in the bottom of the second.
With the score 12-8 in the fifth, MSU put up seven runs in an inning for the second time in the game. Jim Duffy (Fr., Carleton), who made his first career start at catcher, highlighted the inning with a three-run homer en route to going 2-for-4 on the day. State added three more runs over the final three innings. The eighth inning saw MSU's Scott Koerber (So., Harper Woods) hit his fourth home run of the weekend.
Freshman pitcher Tim Day (West Chester, Ohio) struck out six in his first career start for the Green and White to earn the win. Ryan Golem (Jr., Dearborn) took over for Day, worked three innings and struck out four.
MSU will take on Furman in Greenville, S.C., Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Michigan State 22, Charlotte 8WP- Day (1-0)LP- Brown (1-2)Score By Innings R H EMichigan State 713 170 120 22 21 0Charlotte 430 100 000 8 6 5
