ABILENE, Texas – Michigan State pounded out 16 extra-base hits and scored 28 runs Saturday as the Spartans swept a doubleheader from ACU, beating the Wildcats 9-7 in the first game and 19-7 in the second game at Crutcher Scott Field.
The Spartans are now 3-0 on the season, while the Wildcats are 0-3. The teams will play the finale of the four-game series Sunday at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast on 98.1 FM with
Grant Boone calling the play-by-play action.
Michigan State second baseman Dan Durkin was 5 for 8 with one double, one home run and seven RBI in the doubleheader, while ACU designated hitter
Luis Trevino was 5 for 7 with four RBI. The Spartans finished the two games with 35 hits against nine different pitchers in the doubleheader, while ACU pounded out 24 hits (eight for extra bases, including one home run by
Myles Paschall) against six different Michigan State pitchers.
Here's a brief recap of each game:
GAME ONE – Michigan State 9, Abilene Christian 7
ACU had a 3-1 lead through three innings before Michigan State put up three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth to take a 6-3 advantage. After cutting the lead to 6-4 in the fifth, ACU saw MSU tack on single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to push its advantage to 8-4.
But the Wildcats battled back and made a game of it in the eighth inning.
Russell Crippen led off with a single, stole second and scored on a double by
Koby Claborn. After Claborn was retired on a
Mark Pearson fielder's choice,
Derek Scott and Aaronm Draper reached base on back-to-back errors by MSU shortstop Kory Young, the second of which scored Pearson to make it an 8-6 game.
ACU freshman catcher
Cole Solomon then singled to right field to drive in Scott to cut the MSU lead to 8-7 and giving the Wildcats runners at the corners with just one out.
Dalon Farkas – who was 4 for 10 from the leadoff spot in the two games – tried to lay down a couple of squeeze bunts to get the tying run home, but couldn't get either bunt down.
However, on a 2-2 pitch, he swung and missed and pinch-runner
Lane Bourland was thrown out at second on an attempted hit-and-run, ending the inning. It was the fifth double play of the game turned by the Spartans. After Michigan State added another run in the top of the ninth, Trevino reached base on a one-out walk, sending Crippen to the plate as the game-tying run. But he bounced into a game-ending 5-4-3 double play, the sixth turned by the Spartans in the first game.
GAME TWO – Michigan State 19, Abilene Christian 7
The Spartans jumped all over ACU pitchers
Nick Skeffington and
Drew Hanson in the first two innings, pounding out 10 hits (seven for extra bases, including three home runs) and scoring nine runs. Chad Rosskelly had a two-run home run in a four-run first inning and Durkin had a three-run blast in a five-run second inning.
ACU tried to creep back into the game, scoring three runs in the third and three more in the fourth to cut the Michigan State lead to 12-7, but the Spartans scored the final seven runs of the game to complete the doubleheader sweep.
