Michigan State baseball: Spartans look to right the ship against Ohio State this weekend

What did you do last weekend? Whatever it was, I’m sure you had more fun than the Michigan State baseball did. The Spartans took a trip to Evansville, Indiana and came away with nothing to show.

MSU took three losses to the Evansville Purple Aces: 7-2 on Friday night, 7-5 on Saturday and 5-4 on Sunday.

That brings the Spartans’ overall record to 12-13 on the season with the heart of the Big Ten schedule on deck. MSU will travel to Columbus to play Ohio State this weekend, followed by home games against both Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan.

Next week, Michigan State will play in-state rival Michigan for the first time this season, one game at Jackson Field in Lansing for the “Capital Clash” and two games at McLane Stadium in East Lansing.

Sophomore infielder Trent Farquahar went 3-for-5 in game one versus Evansville, scoring one run. Sophomore pitcher Harrison Cook took the loss as he allowed four earned runs in 4.2 innings. He also walked three and had three strikeouts. Redshirt freshman pitcher Dominic Pianto was clutch for Michigan State’s bullpen as he was able to close the game without allowing a single earned run.

Meanwhile, the Aces were led by a solid outing from senior Shane Gray, who pitched seven shutout innings and struck out five batters.

The Spartans’ late rally in game two fell short with a 7-5 loss. Evansville was out to a 5-0 lead after the fifth inning, but MSU’s bats started to wake up in the seventh inning. Evansville sophomore Nick Smith pitched seven innings and didn’t allow any runs until Christian Williams’ RBI double and Brock Vradenburg’s home run in the seventh inning.

Junior two-way player Conner Tomasic pitched a solid five innings, allowing one run and striking out four batters. It was MSU’s best outing of the weekend. Evansville ended up taking the win on a walk-off hit-by-pitch in the 10th inning.

Wednesday was Michigan State’s Crosstown Showdown against the Lansing Lugnuts at Jackson Field. In the exhibition game, fans had a lot to see, including first baseman Peter Ahn’s rocket that put Michigan State up 1-0 in the second inning.

The Lugnuts had plenty of talent themselves, though, including the Oakland Athletics’ top prospect, catcher Tyler Soderstrom, who was selected No. 26 in the 2020 MLB Draft. Michigan State took the 3-2 loss, but it was a fun night for both sides. Lansing’s opening day is this Friday against the Lake County Captains.

This weekend (and Monday), Michigan State will face Ohio State for a four-game set in Columbus. First pitch on Friday is at 6:05 p.m. Eastern Time.