Michigan State University
Lansing Lugnuts
Spartans Fall To Lugnuts, 5-4, in Crosstown Showdown
4/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 26, 2010
LANSING, Mich. - The Lansing Lugnuts erased a two-run deficit with a five-run fifth inning and held off Michigan State, 5-4, to win the fourth-annual Crosstown Showdown presented by Auto-Owners Insurance on Monday night in front of crowd of 6,778 at Cooley Law School Stadium.
"It's a fun event for everyone involved from the players to the fans," said MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. about the exhibition event. "It's a great atmosphere and our guys had a good time playing."
The Spartans scored the first run of the game off just two pitches from Lugnuts starter Sam Strickland. Brandon Eckerle tripled down the left field line to begin the game and then a flare single by Ryan Jones that dropped in just beyond second base gave MSU a 1-0 lead.
Consecutive walks by Strickland to start the top of the fourth inning put MSU in position to score again, but the Spartans couldn't come up with the big hit to score a run.
The Spartans took advantage of three Lugnut errors in the fifth inning as they scored a run to make it 2-0.
Senior Kyle Corcoran started on the mound for MSU and turned in is best performance of the year to date. He went four complete innings and allowed just one hit before giving way to Andrew Webb in the fifth.
After struggling at the plate through four innings, the Lugnuts scored five runs off three hits to take the lead. With two on and one out, Kenny Wilson got things going for the Lugnuts with a two-RBI double to tie it, and then two RBI singles and a Spartan error put the Lugnuts in front, 5-2.
After the first inning, the Spartans were held hitless until the top of the sixth when Torsten Boss led off with a single to center field. Boss' hit ignited the Spartans as back-to-back RBI doubles by Bo Felt and Jordan Keur got MSU to within one at 5-4.
It was the first appearances of the season for four of the five Spartan pitchers that saw action on Monday, including: Webb, Ryan Martin, Stephen Doty and Taylor Robson.
"I thought most of our guys threw pretty well," Boss said. "Especially since most of them hadn't thrown at all this season."
Martin, Doty and Robson combined to give up just one hit as each pitched one complete inning.
Jones led MSU at the plate on Monday, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Michigan State returns to action with a home-and-home series with Eastern Michigan beginning tomorrow in Ypsilanti at 7 p.m. The two teams will meet again at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday at Cooley Stadium.
