McKay And Spartans’ Pitching Propel MSU Past Purdue, 4-3, Friday

Friday, March 27

3:32 PM

Michigan State University

9-15, 4-6

Purdue

17-8, 5-5

Purdue

Michigan State

Ryan McKay celebrates home run, while his teammates celebrate in the dugout

Photo by: Erin Grady/MSU Athletic Communications

McKay And Spartans’ Pitching Propel MSU Past Purdue, 4-3, Friday

3/27/2026 11:28:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score MSU 4, Purdue 3 News Box

Donovan and Higgins keep Boilermaker bats in check.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Ryan McKay's go-ahead home run and Nolan Higgins' pitching propelled Michigan State baseball past Purdue, 4-3, Friday afternoon at a chilly Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium.

MSU has won four of its last five games in a span of week, starting with last Friday's 2-0 win over Iowa. The Spartans are now 9-15 overall and 4-6 in Big Ten Conference action. Purdue is now 17-8 overall and 5-5 in B1G play.

Friday's Victory for MSU also snapped Purdue's three-game win streak in the series, and MSU now leads the all-time series, 88-80, including 46-31 in East Lansing.

The Spartans' 1-run winning margin was their second win by a run, matching the same score from the season-opener with the 4-3 upset at No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 13.

MSU's pitching kept Purdue's hot bats in check, with just four hits, and three runs. The Boilermakers came into Friday's series opener having scored 136 run in their 14 previous games in the month of March, averaging 9.7 runs per game, and hanging 10+ runs on the scoreboard in six of those 14 games. Purdue had hit a home run in eight of their previous nine Big Ten games, before being held without a homer on Friday.

Purdue scored two runs in the top of the second, only for MSU to respond with two runs of its own in the home half of the second stanza. The Spartans added a run in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead, before the Boilermakers tied it up with a run in the top of the sixth. The game wasn't tied for long, as McKay untied it with a home run in the sixth.

"I'm just really, really pleased with a really good win today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I thought for the most part we played well, and we showed a lot of character today, when they scored, we answered, then they scored again and we answered, and to win a one-run ballgame against a really good ballclub like that is big to start the series."

McKay, a junior infielder, belted his first home run of the season with a solo homer that sailed over the right field wall and into the Red Cedar River.

"I stepped up to the plate just trying to find a way out for my team and thankfully, that happened," McKay said. "I was able to get an home run, which was pretty cool, but was just really trying to find a way to get on base."

Game time temperatures were in the mid 30s most of the game, dipping to low 30s late in the day, but McKay and the Spartan bats warmed up with nine hits on the day.

"I'm used to the cold being from Michigan, so it's really nothing crazy. Get the handwarmers and then you're good to go," McKay said.

McKay was one of four Spartans with two hits apiece, as MSU's 6-9 hitters all tallied two hits. No. 6 hitter McKay was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one run scored. No. 7 hitter, redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. No. 8 hitter, senior outfielder Nick Williams was 2-for-3, while No. 9 hitter, freshman infielder CJ Deckinga was 2-for-3 with two RBI, including an RBI single up the middle and off second base in the sixth. Sophomore outfielder Isaac Sturgess added a run scored after reaching on an error to start off the fourth frame.

McKay's HR was MSU's lone extra-base hit on the day, also good for his first HR of the season, but the eighth of his career, ranking fourth among active Spartans.

From there on out, Higgins stymied the Boilermaker bats, ringing up four strikeouts in 3.2 IP, with only one hit and one run, and no runs. Higgins earned the win to move to 2-1 on the season.

Higgins finished off a solid outing by Spartan sophomore starting pitcher Aidan Donovan, who went 5.1 IP and chalked up a career-high tying five Ks for the third time this season, joining his outings vs. Illinois (Feb. 27) and Nebraska (March 6). Donovan scatter three runs on three hits and walked three, but kept Purdue at bay with some timely pitching and the defensive effort behind him.

"That was a really good ball game. I thought our pitching was outstanding today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "Purdue's got a good lineup from top to bottom and they've got a lot of guys that can be a problem for you, and I thought our guys really threw it well and got out of some jams with a couple double plays. I thought Aidan Donovan really grinded today, maybe not having his best stuff, but he made some big pitches in big spots. Nolan Higgins was probably as good as he's been all year long. I thought he was just dominant out there with multiple pitches for strikes and his stuff was electric, and he was ahead in the count all day long."

After a scoreless first frame for both teams, Purdue got the scoring started with a pair of runs in the top of the second, on just one hit, with back-to-back squeeze bunt plays, with one MSU error, gave the visitors an early 2-0 lead.

The Spartans quickly countered in the home half of the second, as Sturgess started the rally by reaching on a Purdue fielding error. Two batters later McKay singled to move Sturgess to second, and Broski followed with an RBI single to center to knot it up.

Purdue and Michigan State stayed knotted up at 2-all until the bottom of the fourth. Broski ignited a 2-out rally with a single through the left side, and Williams followed with another single to left, and Deckinga singled up the middle with the ball bouncing off second base on its way to center field, and Broski darted around to score and put MSU ahead for first time of the day at 3-2.

The score remained 3-2 until the top of the sixth, when the Boilermakers tied it up on an RBI double after a pair of walk and an MSU error. Michigan State went to the bullpen and Higgins replaced Donovan and after a walk, Higgins got out of the jam with an inning and rally double-play of the 6-4-3 variety.

It was a tie ballgame for a very short time, as McKay was the second batter of the bottom of the sixth, and on the second pitch, smacked his home run to right and into the Red Cedar River.

Higgins worked a 1-2-3 frame in both the seventh and eighth frames, getting two strikeouts in each inning. In the ninth, Purdue knocked a one-out single, but Higgins induced a rally, inning and game-ending double play on the chopper up the middle that sophomore shortstop Dayton Murphy snagged, stepped on second and fired a frozen rope to Seymour at first to spark the Victory for MSU celebration.

Friday's battle with the Boilermakers was game number six out of the Spartans' 10-straight games in the state of Michigan, as Michigan State continues the three-game B1G weekend series against Purdue on Saturday with a 3:32 p.m. first pitch. Sunday's series finale is slated for a 1:02 p.m. start time.

The Spartans then host Central Michigan on Tuesday, March 31 in the return game of the home-and-home with the Chips in a 3:32 p.m. first pitch.

MSU wraps up the 10-game in-state stretch and open April action with the 2026 Crosstown Showdown, taking on the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, on Wednesday, April 1 at Jackson® Field™ in the annual exhibition contest.

The Spartans' schedule is subject to change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.

The Michigan State baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium, and also single game tickets, are available online, at msuspartans.evenue.net, by contacting the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information, or fans can visit the MSU Ticket Office in person, located in 1855 Place.