Michigan State University
Illinois
MSU Splits With Illinois, Remains In Big Ten Tournament Hunt
5/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 20, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - With just one game to go in the regular-season, Michigan State (26-29, 13-18 Big Ten) remained in the hunt for a final bid in the six-team conference tournament, splitting Saturday's doubleheader with Illinois (28-27, 14-17). The Spartans won game one, 9-5, but fell in the nightcap at Kobs Field, 4-3. MSU and Illinois will battle each other again on Sunday, at 1 p.m. Prior to the game, Michigan State will recognize and honor the 35th anniversary of the 1971 Big Ten Championship..
MSU held a 1-0 lead after three innings in game one, but was forced to win in a comeback style when Illinois posted a big five-run inning in the fourth. Five hits led to five runs for the Illini that inning, as Michigan State got on the wrong end of a 5-1 score.
The Spartans immediately began chipping away at the lead in the home half of the fourth. Alan Cattrysse started the inning reaching on an error and scored on a double by Adam Tripp. A groundout pushed Tripp to third, and he later crossed the dish on an infield bunt by Oliver Wolcott to cut the deficit to 5-3.
State brought the game to within one run in the fifth inning. Kyle Day led off with a triple and scored as Ryan Basham reached safely on an error.
The Green and White took the lead in dramatic fashion in the sixth. With one out and two runners on base, Steve Gerstenberger roped his team-leading seventh triple down the right-field line. Day followed with a sacrifice fly, allowing Gerstenberger to cross the dish for a 7-5 Spartan advantage. The MSU offense wasn't quite finished, and Basham lined a single to center field. Sean Walker then stepped to the plate and cracked his fourth home run of the season (and his second in as many days), lifting Michigan State past the Illini, 9-5.
On the mound, MSU's Mike Monterey came through in the perhaps his best relief performance of the season. Entering the game for starter John Dwan to record the final out in the messy fourth inning, Monterey threw 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. With the win, Monterey improved to 6-6 on the season.
The momentum seemed to carry with the Spartans in game two, as the Green and White held a 3-1 lead after three innings.
After Illinois put a run on the board in the opening at bat, State tied the score in the second. Basham singled and a sacrifice bunt by Walker was misplayed by the Illinois pitcher, allowing the runners to reach second and third. Cattrysse then put a ball deep into right field for a sacrifice fly to score Basham. Gerstenberger gave MSU a two-run lead in the third inning, delivering a two-run homer over the short porch in right field.
Illinois pulled to within one run in the fifth and regained the lead by adding two runs in the sixth. Unable to produce a hit in its final two trips to the plate, MSU fell by a 4-3 final. State was held to just four hits in the game.
Throwing 5.0 innings, Tanner Roark (4-0) earned the win for Illinois while Jake Toohey picked up the save (5), stifling the Spartan offense in the final two innings. Jeff Gerbe (4-7) was the pitcher of record for Michigan State.
Illinois reliever Brian Long (2-1) took the loss in the first match-up of the day, allowing six runs on six hits in 3.0 innings pitched.
Gerstenberger ended the day with three hits and four RBI. His triple in game one tied him with Ron Pruitt, Mike Davidson and Scott Ayotte for most triples (7) in Spartan single-season history.
Krider also set a new all-time single-season high on Saturday, breaking his own record for most defensive assists in a season. Entering the day tied with his 2004 mark of 156, Krider tallied nine assists while playing second base to give him 165 on the year.
