Michigan State University Athletics
Sunday, April 26
1:02 PM
Michigan State University
16-25, 10-14
13
vs
1
Maryland
21-23, 6-15
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 13 | 13 | 0 |
Photo by: Erin Grady/MSU Athletic Communications
Spartans Trample Terps In 13-1 Run-Rule Rout Sunday
4/26/2026 6:42:00 PM | Baseball
MSU belts three home runs, led by McKay’s first career grand slam on Spartan Salute Day.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball jumped out to a 12-0 lead after the first two innings, boosted by three home runs in that span, including Ryan McKay's first career grand slam, on the way to a 13-1, 7-inning run-rule rout over Maryland on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium on MSU's Spartan Salute Day.
The Spartans wore commemorative jerseys for Spartan Salute Day, as MSU honored and recognized all active military, veterans, first responders, healthcare workers & educators. US Army Veteran Steven Dick threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and heroes were recognized throughout the game.
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Michigan State then erupted out of the gates with three runs in the first frame before tripling that output with nine runs in the second.
The junior infielder McKay blasted his grand slam into the Red Cedar River beyond the right field wall in the second inning, for his first career grand slam, good for his second homer of the season and ninth of his career, but it was his first of more than a two-run round-tripper, now just missing a three-run homer for the career home run cycle.
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McKay swung at the first pitch he saw from Maryland pitcher Jake Yeager, and blasted it high over the right field wall and into the Red Cedar River.
"It felt good," McKay said about the excitement of his first career grand slam. "My thought process was just 'get a pitch you can hit, you've got a whole bunch of guys on base and you've got to score them somehow,' and thankfully, I got in the air and it went over the fence. So that was pretty sweet!"
McKay's grand slam was part of MSU's nine-run scoring output in the frame, which was the Spartans' most runs in an inning since also scoring a nine-spot on May 15, 2022 in an 11-8 win over Iowa. All seven hits and nine runs in the inning were in consecutive order after retiring the leadoff hitter, rallying to bat around with one out.
Three batters after McKay's grand slam, redshirt-junior catcher Adam Broski belted a three-run homer to left center.
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Broski's round-tripper was MSU's third of the day, as graduate designated hitter Noah Bright got the scoring started with a two-run homer in the first, after leadoff hitter, sophomore outfielder Isaac Sturgess opened with a walk.
MSU's three runs in the first came after the Spartans held the Terps scoreless in their first at bat for the first time all weekend after the visitors had scored three runs in the top of the first inning both Friday and Saturday.Â
"It was huge for us," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said about the Spartans holding the Terps off the board in the first while erupting with three in the first and nine in the second. "They got three runs in the first inning on Friday and Saturday. Â We were fortunately able to answer back yesterday, but to get out to a quick start like that today is really important, especially in game three; if you can get into the bullpen and you kind of set yourself up for some success. I thought Carter Monke really, really threw well. I mean, sometimes, believe it or not, it can be difficult to pitch with a big lead like that, because it's easy to lose your concentration, but that guy was locked in all day long. So, yes, it's really important to get out to a good start and we kept it going from there."
Maryland won the series opener in an 18-10 slugfest on Friday night, before Michigan State bounced back to win game two on Saturday afternoon, 12-4, setting up Sunday's rubber match in the Big Ten Conference weekend series.Â
With Sunday's win, the Spartans captured the series for just their second-ever series win over the Terps, joining 2021 when MSU took three-of-four at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., during the Big Ten-only COVID pod weekend series.Â
Michigan State now trails the all-time series, 13-9, but narrows UMD's lead to 5-4 in games played in East Lansing.
The Spartans' win on Sunday came with the offensive output of 13 runs on 13 hits, combined with the solid pitching and defensive effort, limiting Maryland to its season-low hit total of four, and the one run was its second-lowest run total of the season, only trailing being shutout in a 7-0 blanking by the Buckeyes of Ohio State on April 5.
Michigan State's 13 runs on Sunday marked the Spartans' third-straight game with 10+ runs, their most consecutive games with double-digit runs since hanging 10 or more runs on the board in four-straight games last season from April 15-20, with a 14-4 vs. Western Michigan, an 11-4 win vs. Ohio State, a 10-9 (11 inn.) win over Ohio State and a 14-4 (7 inn. run-rule) win over OSU.
MSU's win on Sunday was boosted by belting three home runs on the day, part of the Spartans' four extra-base hits for the afternoon, with Sturgess knocking a double in the second, and later scoring on a wild pitch.
McKay finished 2-for-5 with five RBI and a run scored, leading the way as one of four Spartans with multiple hits and one of three with multi-RBI. Junior outfielder Parker Picot was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, knocking an RBI single in the first, a single in the second and later came around to score, and another RBI in the fourth, before finally getting retired for the first time on the day in the fourth.
Senior infielder Randy Seymour was 2-for-4 with two runs scored,knocking a single in the second and later scoring, and adding a single in the fifth, swiping second, Â and later scoring on McKay's RBI single. Bright finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, knocking an RBI single in his first of two at bats in the second innings, reaching on an UMD error on his second at bat of the stanza.
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Broski went 1-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored on his three-run homer in the second, that was his second at bat of the inning. He led off the inning with a popup out, before the Spartans batted around with four-straight hits, a walk, then McKay's grand slam, a single, a hit by pitch and then Broski's three-run homer.
Sturgess was 1-for-4 with two runs scored, sophomore outfielder Khamaree Thomas was 1-for-4 with a run scored, and made an incredible catch in the third, running down a fly ball in foul territory and snagging it just before colliding with the rolled up tarp and the outer wall.Â
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Freshman infielder CJ Deckinga was 1-for-3 with two runs scored, and also manned the hot corner with several nifty defensive plays.
Thomas and Deckinga's defense was backing MSU's solid pitching all afternoon long, as the Spartans limited the high-potent Terps offense to just four hits and one run.
Graduate starter Carter Monke went 5.0 IP, scattering one run on four hits, firing four shutout frames, before yielding a home run to lead off the fifth, but then bouncing back to retire the next three Terps to end his outing. Monke tallied two strikeouts and no walks, earning the win to level his season ledger at 4-4.
Junior reliever Logan Pikur pitched a scoreless sixth stanza with one punchout and a walk, before senior reliever Nolan Higgins pitched the seventh, with a popup and then back-to-back looking strikeouts to end the game and spark the Victory for MSU celebration.
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Maryland entered the weekend as the highest scoring offense in the Big Ten, scoring 356 runs after Friday's game, averaging 8.5 runs per game and had scored 10+ runs in the last three games, including 18 on Friday night, but MSU limited UMD to its fewest hits in a game and its second-fewest runs of the season, only trailing being shutout at Ohio State, 7-0, on April 5. In limiting Maryland to five runs in the last two games of the series, the Spartans tied No. 1 UCLA for fewest runs yielded to the Terps in back-to-back games, as UMD lost at No.1 UCLA, 12-2 (7 inn.) on March 20 in the opener of the three-game series in Los Angeles, and an 8-3 loss the next day.Â
After having the week of April 27 off from games due to Finals Week on campus, Michigan State will get a crack at hosting No. 1 UCLA, Friday-Sunday, May 1-3. Friday's series-opener is slated for a 6:02 p.m. first pitch, Â before Saturday's game two at 3:32 p.m. and Sunday's series final at 12:02 p.m.
The Spartans then wrap up the nine-game homestand at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium by hosting Bowling Green and Western Michigan in a pair of non-conference midweek match-ups on Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6, respectively, both with 6:02 p.m. start times.
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MSU's 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.
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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.
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The Spartans wore commemorative jerseys for Spartan Salute Day, as MSU honored and recognized all active military, veterans, first responders, healthcare workers & educators. US Army Veteran Steven Dick threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and heroes were recognized throughout the game.
Â
Extremely honored to have our Veteran of the Game, Steven Dick, throw out today's ceremonial 1st pitch at Spartan Salute Day!🇺🇸
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 26, 2026
After joining the @USArmy in 1989, Steven served in multiple operations for Desert Shield!
Thank you for your service, Steven Dick!#SpartanSalute 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/v2yfoWetB5
Michigan State then erupted out of the gates with three runs in the first frame before tripling that output with nine runs in the second.
The junior infielder McKay blasted his grand slam into the Red Cedar River beyond the right field wall in the second inning, for his first career grand slam, good for his second homer of the season and ninth of his career, but it was his first of more than a two-run round-tripper, now just missing a three-run homer for the career home run cycle.
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Not just big, but GRAND things come in Mini packages!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 26, 2026
Ryan "Mini" McKay blasts his 1st career Grrrrrrand Slammmmmm and into the Red Cedar River!!!!
UMD 0
MSU 9
B2nd #GoGreen | @Ryanmckay51 pic.twitter.com/eZNHJndzzN
McKay swung at the first pitch he saw from Maryland pitcher Jake Yeager, and blasted it high over the right field wall and into the Red Cedar River.
"It felt good," McKay said about the excitement of his first career grand slam. "My thought process was just 'get a pitch you can hit, you've got a whole bunch of guys on base and you've got to score them somehow,' and thankfully, I got in the air and it went over the fence. So that was pretty sweet!"
McKay's grand slam was part of MSU's nine-run scoring output in the frame, which was the Spartans' most runs in an inning since also scoring a nine-spot on May 15, 2022 in an 11-8 win over Iowa. All seven hits and nine runs in the inning were in consecutive order after retiring the leadoff hitter, rallying to bat around with one out.
Three batters after McKay's grand slam, redshirt-junior catcher Adam Broski belted a three-run homer to left center.
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It's a Broski blast!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 26, 2026
Adam Broski w/ a 3-run HR, sending ball on a 405-foot journey high and deep into the trees beyond left-center field that was 101 mph off the bat!!
UMD 0
MSU 12
B2nd#GoGreen | @AdamBroski12 pic.twitter.com/2QM7gZBxpg
Broski's round-tripper was MSU's third of the day, as graduate designated hitter Noah Bright got the scoring started with a two-run homer in the first, after leadoff hitter, sophomore outfielder Isaac Sturgess opened with a walk.
MSU's three runs in the first came after the Spartans held the Terps scoreless in their first at bat for the first time all weekend after the visitors had scored three runs in the top of the first inning both Friday and Saturday.Â
"It was huge for us," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said about the Spartans holding the Terps off the board in the first while erupting with three in the first and nine in the second. "They got three runs in the first inning on Friday and Saturday. Â We were fortunately able to answer back yesterday, but to get out to a quick start like that today is really important, especially in game three; if you can get into the bullpen and you kind of set yourself up for some success. I thought Carter Monke really, really threw well. I mean, sometimes, believe it or not, it can be difficult to pitch with a big lead like that, because it's easy to lose your concentration, but that guy was locked in all day long. So, yes, it's really important to get out to a good start and we kept it going from there."
Maryland won the series opener in an 18-10 slugfest on Friday night, before Michigan State bounced back to win game two on Saturday afternoon, 12-4, setting up Sunday's rubber match in the Big Ten Conference weekend series.Â
With Sunday's win, the Spartans captured the series for just their second-ever series win over the Terps, joining 2021 when MSU took three-of-four at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., during the Big Ten-only COVID pod weekend series.Â
Michigan State now trails the all-time series, 13-9, but narrows UMD's lead to 5-4 in games played in East Lansing.
The Spartans' win on Sunday came with the offensive output of 13 runs on 13 hits, combined with the solid pitching and defensive effort, limiting Maryland to its season-low hit total of four, and the one run was its second-lowest run total of the season, only trailing being shutout in a 7-0 blanking by the Buckeyes of Ohio State on April 5.
Michigan State's 13 runs on Sunday marked the Spartans' third-straight game with 10+ runs, their most consecutive games with double-digit runs since hanging 10 or more runs on the board in four-straight games last season from April 15-20, with a 14-4 vs. Western Michigan, an 11-4 win vs. Ohio State, a 10-9 (11 inn.) win over Ohio State and a 14-4 (7 inn. run-rule) win over OSU.
MSU's win on Sunday was boosted by belting three home runs on the day, part of the Spartans' four extra-base hits for the afternoon, with Sturgess knocking a double in the second, and later scoring on a wild pitch.
McKay finished 2-for-5 with five RBI and a run scored, leading the way as one of four Spartans with multiple hits and one of three with multi-RBI. Junior outfielder Parker Picot was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, knocking an RBI single in the first, a single in the second and later came around to score, and another RBI in the fourth, before finally getting retired for the first time on the day in the fourth.
Senior infielder Randy Seymour was 2-for-4 with two runs scored,knocking a single in the second and later scoring, and adding a single in the fifth, swiping second, Â and later scoring on McKay's RBI single. Bright finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, knocking an RBI single in his first of two at bats in the second innings, reaching on an UMD error on his second at bat of the stanza.
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A big, Bright sun-shiny homer!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 26, 2026
Noah Bright smacks his 5th HR of the season, including his 4th solo. He now has 9 HR for his career, w/ 8 solo + 1 2-run homer.
UMD 0
MSU 2
B1st#GoGreen | #NoahBright pic.twitter.com/1EfvNYaV9X
Broski went 1-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored on his three-run homer in the second, that was his second at bat of the inning. He led off the inning with a popup out, before the Spartans batted around with four-straight hits, a walk, then McKay's grand slam, a single, a hit by pitch and then Broski's three-run homer.
Sturgess was 1-for-4 with two runs scored, sophomore outfielder Khamaree Thomas was 1-for-4 with a run scored, and made an incredible catch in the third, running down a fly ball in foul territory and snagging it just before colliding with the rolled up tarp and the outer wall.Â
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Tarp? Wall? No hat? Looking into the sun? No prob for Khamaree!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 26, 2026
Khamaree Thomas makes a SPECTACULAR catch in foul territory right before colliding with the tarp and wall!!!
A worthy #SCTop nominee catch for @ESPNAssignDesk!! #GoGreen | #FlashTheLeather | @mareest7 pic.twitter.com/av14J83B4b
Freshman infielder CJ Deckinga was 1-for-3 with two runs scored, and also manned the hot corner with several nifty defensive plays.
Thomas and Deckinga's defense was backing MSU's solid pitching all afternoon long, as the Spartans limited the high-potent Terps offense to just four hits and one run.
Graduate starter Carter Monke went 5.0 IP, scattering one run on four hits, firing four shutout frames, before yielding a home run to lead off the fifth, but then bouncing back to retire the next three Terps to end his outing. Monke tallied two strikeouts and no walks, earning the win to level his season ledger at 4-4.
Junior reliever Logan Pikur pitched a scoreless sixth stanza with one punchout and a walk, before senior reliever Nolan Higgins pitched the seventh, with a popup and then back-to-back looking strikeouts to end the game and spark the Victory for MSU celebration.
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VICTORY FOR MSU!!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 26, 2026
High fives & handshakes allll around!!!!
Final score:
Michigan State 13, Maryland 1 (7 inn.)
Spartans run-rule Terps to win the series!!!#VictoryForMSU pic.twitter.com/atpCHdmZ84
Maryland entered the weekend as the highest scoring offense in the Big Ten, scoring 356 runs after Friday's game, averaging 8.5 runs per game and had scored 10+ runs in the last three games, including 18 on Friday night, but MSU limited UMD to its fewest hits in a game and its second-fewest runs of the season, only trailing being shutout at Ohio State, 7-0, on April 5. In limiting Maryland to five runs in the last two games of the series, the Spartans tied No. 1 UCLA for fewest runs yielded to the Terps in back-to-back games, as UMD lost at No.1 UCLA, 12-2 (7 inn.) on March 20 in the opener of the three-game series in Los Angeles, and an 8-3 loss the next day.Â
After having the week of April 27 off from games due to Finals Week on campus, Michigan State will get a crack at hosting No. 1 UCLA, Friday-Sunday, May 1-3. Friday's series-opener is slated for a 6:02 p.m. first pitch, Â before Saturday's game two at 3:32 p.m. and Sunday's series final at 12:02 p.m.
The Spartans then wrap up the nine-game homestand at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium by hosting Bowling Green and Western Michigan in a pair of non-conference midweek match-ups on Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6, respectively, both with 6:02 p.m. start times.
Â
MSU's 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.
Â
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.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Monke, Carter (4-4)
L: Nic Morlang (3-4)
Batting:
2B: Jordan Crosland 1 ; David Mendez 1
HR: Ty Kaunas 1
RBI: Ty Kaunas 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ty Kaunas 1
Batting:
2B: Sturgess, Isaac 1
HR: Bright, Noah 1 ; McKay, Ryan 1 ; Broski, Adam 1
RBI: Bright, Noah 3 ; McKay, Ryan 5 ; Picot, Parker 1 ; Broski, Adam 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Sturgess, Isaac 2 ; Bright, Noah 2 ; Thomas, Khamaree 1 ; Seymour, Randy 2 ; Deckinga, CJ 2 ; McKay, Ryan 1 ; Picot, Parker 1 ; Murphy, Dayton 1 ; Broski, Adam 1
SB: Seymour, Randy 1
HBP: Murphy, Dayton 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
5
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
OF
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