Michigan State University
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Defeats Spartans, 3-1
3/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 11, 2012
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - In the final game of its seven-game spring trip, the Michigan State baseball team fell to Pittsburgh, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at North Charlotte Regional Park. MSU finished with a 2-1 record at this weekend's Snowbird Classic after defeating Xavier, 8-5, on Friday and Seton Hall in 15 innings, 4-3, on Saturday.
With the game tied at 1 after seven innings, Pittsburgh (7-7) scored two runs in the top of the eighth off Spartan reliever David Garner, which proved to be the difference in the game.
Michigan State (7-7) was held to just one run by Panther starter Matt Wotherspoon, who struck out 13 batters and scattered seven hits in the complete-game effort. Wotherspoon improved to 2-0 for the season.
Once again, red-shirt sophomore Mike Theodore produced a quality start on the mound for the Spartans, allowing just one run on five hits and no walks in his seven innings of work. Although Theodore is winless on the season in three starts, he has only surrendered one earned run in 19.0 innings as a starter (0.47 ERA) and owns a 0.89 ERA for the season.
The Panthers scored their only run against Theodore in the top of the third as Elvin Soto doubled and came home to score on a Ronald Sucre RBI single.
Michigan State answered in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 1. Following a one-out Jordan Keur single, Ryan Jones delivered another single to put runners on first and third. Keur then scored on a Jimmy Pickens RBI sacrifice bunt to the pitcher.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, they left runners on first and second to end the inning, and didn't place another runner in scoring position until the bottom of the seventh.
Garner came on to relieve Theodore in the eighth, but following a leadoff strikeout, Anthony Defabio doubled for Pitt and came home to score on a two-out RBI single from Casey Roche. Elvin Soto also tallied an RBI single in the inning for the Panthers, as they collected four hits in the inning.
Michigan State's best chance to rally arrived in the bottom of the eighth. The Spartans loaded the bases with no outs following two singles and a Panther error, but couldn't get a run across the plate as Torsten Boss struck out and Jones hit into a 4-6-3 double play.
Michigan State returns to action for a three-game series next weekend at Cincinnati (March 16-18).
