Michigan State University
Northwestern
Northwestern Rallies Past MSU, 5-4
4/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 6, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. - A ninth-inning rally by Northwestern pushed the Wildcats past the Michigan State baseball team, 5-4, Sunday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. Northwestern's Tommy Finn scored the game-winning run on a double by Jake Owens. Senior Justin Potes and junior Eric Roof each had two hits to lead the Spartan attack. The four-game series ends with a split. MSU won the first two games and Northwestern battled back for wins in the second two contests.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Finn singled to right off sophomore lefty Kyle Corcoran. The next batter, Owens, then sliced a double down the right field line. Finn scored all the way from first, finishing the trek at home with a headfirst slide.
Michigan State (11-14, 3-5 Big Ten) struck for three runs in the top of the second, setting nine batters to the plate in the inning. Day, leading off, battled back from an 0-2 count to walk. He moved to third moments later on a single to right by Potes. Northwestern right fielder Nate Roberts' errant throw allowed Day to score on the back end of the play, with Potes advancing to second. Back-to-back bunt singles and another Wildcat error allowed two more runs to score, giving MSU a 3-0 lead.
Northwestern (7-14, 3-5 Big Ten) closed the gap to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning and took a 4-3 lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. A pair of Spartan errors and a two-run single by Northwestern's Chris Lashmet highlighted the inning.
Potes doubled to lead off the MSU sixth. Eric Roof scored Potes with a single to tie the game 4-4.
With the game tied 4-4, both teams got quality relief pitching in the later innings. Corcoran came on for the Spartans and threw 2.2 innings, allowing just one run on two hits. Corcoran retired eight of the first nine batters he faced. The only NU baserunner until the winning rally in the ninth was Tony Vercelli, who reached on a passed ball on a strikeout. NU's Matt Havey worked 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk.
Lashmet had three RBI and Finn scored two runs to lead Northwestern.
MSU travels to Western Michigan Wednesday, April 9. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
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