Spartans Grounded By Golden Grizzlies Tuesday

Tuesday, April 14

6:02 PM

Michigan State University

12-22

Oakland

10-21

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Oakland	0	3	1	2	0	2	0	1	2	11	13	1
Michigan State	2	1	0	0	0	1	5	0	0	9	8	2

Khamaree Thomas swinging action vs Michigan

Photo by: Erin Grady/MSU Athletic Communications

4/14/2026 11:44:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score OAK 11, MSU 9 Box Score

MSU dealt defeat in first home midweek to open busy five-game week.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State rallied from an 8-2 deficit in the sixth inning to take a 9-8 lead in the seventh, but the Spartans were overtaken late by the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland, falling 11-9, Tuesday night at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium, in MSU's first home midweek game of the season.

The Spartans came to bat in the home half of the sixth trailing 8-3, and scored a run on an RBI single by sophomore outfielder Khamaree Thomas to close to 8-4. MSU then plated five runs in the seventh inning, on a pair of two-run doubles, first from by sophomore infielder Isaac Sturgess, then the second from Thomas, and junior outfielder Parker Picot then flew out to center for a sacrifice fly to score senior outfielder Nick Williams and take a 9-8 lead.

MSU's one-run lead was short-lived, as Oakland tied it up in the eighth at 9-9, then re-took the lead with two runs in the top of the ninth, and the Spartans went down in order in the ninth to end the game.

Michigan State is now 12-22 on the season, while Oakland moves to 10-21, including 2-0 against in-state foes, having beaten Michigan, 7-6, on March 24 in Ann Arbor.

Tuesday was the ninth-straight meeting between the Spartans and Grizzlies in East Lansing, and Oakland has won two of the last three match-ups. MSU has still won 14 of the last 17 and 30 of the last 34, and leads the all-time series, 38-6, including 33-6 in East Lansing.

Thomas finished with a career-best four hits going 4-for-4 with three singles and a double, with three RBI and a run scored.

Sturgess ended the night 2-for-5 with two runs scored and one driven in. Picot had two RBI on a pair of sac flies, while senior designated hitter Randy Seymour was 1-for-4 with two runs scored and ribbie. Junior infielder Ryan McKay was 1-for-3 with one RBI and a run scored, adding a pair of walks. Graduate catcher Noah Bright and sophomore infielder Dayton Murphy each scored a run after reaching on hit-by-pitch, two of the seven total HBP on the night, with four Spartans getting hit and three Grizzlies.

Seymour started at DH on Wednesday for the first time after starting at first base in the previous 33 games, with Sturgess handling first base duties. While Seymour and McKay are the only two Spartans to start all 34 games, McKay is now the lone MSU player to start at the same position every game.

On the mound, freshman starter Kyle Rudolph went 2.1 IP, with two Ks, one walk, and four runs, before turning the ball over to redshirt-freshman reliever Brady Chambers (3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K), freshman reliever Bobby Crane (1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K) and senior reliever Tommy Szczepanski (2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K), who fired a career-high tying five strikeouts, despite being dealt the tough-luck loss.

The Spartans struck first on the scoreboard as Sturgess smacked a two-out double off the wall in right center and Seymour followed with an RBI double down the left field line to drive Sturgess with the first run of the game. McKay followed with an RBI single to left to plate Seymour and put MSU ahead, 2-0.

The Grizzlies countered with three runs of their own to take a 3-2 lead, that lasted all of a half an inning, as MSU tied it up in the home half of the second stanza. Thomas led off with a single and moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Picot then flew out to center to drive in Thomas with the sac fly and knot the game up at 3-3.

Oakland tallied a run in the third, two in the fourth and two more in the sixth on a two-run home by Aidan Orr, to take an 8-3 advantage.

Seymour led off the sixth by getting hit by a pitch and McKay followed with a walk. Williams reached on a fielder's choice, erasing McKay from the basepath and moving Seymour up to third. After an OU pitching change, Thomas singled to left to drive in Seymour and pull MSU within, 8-4.

Bright mirrored Seymour in the sixth by opening the seventh by getting hit by pitch, forcing another Oakland pitching change, and Murphy followed with an HBP. Bright and Murphy moved up a base on a wild pitch, then Sturgess smacked an opposite-field double down the left field line to bring Bright and Murphy in to score. Two batters later, McKay and Williams drew back-to-back walks, and Thomas laced a double down the right field line and into the corner to plate McKay and Sturgess, and move Williams to third, preceding another Grizzly pitching change. Picot flew out to center for his second sac fly of the night to bring Williams in and cap the Spartan comeback with a 9-8 lead.

However, Oakland quickly tied it up with Orr roping his second homer of the night with one out in the eighth to tie it up, and the Ben Clark's two-run double gave the Grizzlies the go-ahead runs and the 11-9 advantage, and MSU went down in order in the ninth to end the game.

Michigan State continues its busy five-game week in three different locations by being the host for a match-up with Western Michigan on Wednesday, April 15 at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, in a 6 p.m. first pitch.

MSU then heads to the Pacific Northwest to play at Washington on Friday-Sunday, April 17-19, in the Spartans' first-ever trip to Seattle. The series opens on Friday at 10:02 p.m. ET / 7:02 p.m. PT, with Saturday's middle game of the set also at 10:02 p.m. ET / 7:02 p.m. PT, before Sunday's series finale at 4:02 p.m. ET / 1:02 p.m. PT.

MSU and UW have played four times before, but all on neutral fields, never before on campus. The Spartans and Huskies first met in 1992 in El Paso, Texas, then played in Surprise, Arizona in 2014 and in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2018.

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.