Spartans salvage final game of series with Northwestern baseball

The Wildcats were unable to finish a sweep of Michigan State and fell 11-7, dropping to 6-6 in Big Ten Conference games.

Following two wins on Saturday and after staking claim to an early lead in Sunday’s game, Northwestern baseball’s first sweep of a Big Ten team in over three years was there for the taking.

But Michigan State’s come-from-behind 11-7 win over the Wildcats in the series finale proved that sweeping a conference opponent requires 27 innings of dominance.

The Spartans’ four-run rally in the fifth inning against Northwestern starter Grant Comstock made the difference on Sunday, as Michigan State hung on in the late innings to avoid the sweep.

"Obviously it didn't go the way we wanted it to go today," Northwestern head coach Josh Reynolds said after the game. "We wanted to get the sweep. But offensively, we played well, and we played defense well on a tough day when it was windy and raining."

As they did in the first two games, the Wildcats scored in the first inning on Sunday to gain an early advantage. MSU’s starter Ryan Szczepaniak lasted just three batters, walking Ethan O’Donnell and Anthony Calarco before hitting Jay Beshears with a pitch. Kyle Bischoff, typically the Spartans’ closer, relieved Szczepaniak and allowed two runs to score on a hit-by-pitch and a fielder’s choice.

Both teams scored a single run in the second inning on solo home runs. Michigan State’s Casey Mayes blasted the first pitch he saw from Comstock over the left field fence for his second home run of the weekend. O’Donnell responded in the bottom half of the inning with his third homer in the series, a booming shot to left-center field. O’Donnell’s home run was the first allowed by Bischoff this season in 20.1 innings.

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O’Donnell answers MSU’s homer with one of his own!

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NU 3#GoCats | @NU_Sports pic.twitter.com/KQ0ZE7NykZ

— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) April 24, 2022

The Spartans inched closer in the third inning, making it a one-run game. Comstock issued a walk to Brock Vradenburg, and Zaid Walker and Mitch Jebb followed with singles to load the bases. Comstock induced a double-play grounder from Trent Farquhar, which scored a run but limited the damage.

The ‘Cats manufactured a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to push their lead to 4-2. Vince Bianchina reached on an infield single, stole second base and advanced to third on Andrew Pinkston’s groundout. Patrick Herrera then grounded out to the shortstop, and Bianchina was able to score on the play.

Comstock cruised through Michigan State’s lineup twice, but the Spartans made him pay in his third cycle through the order. With two outs and a runner on second in the fifth inning, Mitch Jebb tied the game with a two-run homer. Farquhar drew a walk, Jack Frank doubled and Mayes brought them both home on a single to right field, giving Michigan State a 6-4 lead.

"He's still learning," Reynolds said of Comstock's performance. "He's a first-year, and he had a pretty good go up until that point on a tough day to pitch, and he was right there to finish it off and just didn't get it."

MSU added four runs over the next two innings against three Northwestern relievers to pull away. The Wildcats attempted to keep pace on offense, finally knocking out Bischoff in the bottom of the seventh. O’Donnell’s sacrifice fly and Calarco’s RBI double decreased the Spartan lead to three and prompted a pitching change, but Andrew Carson sent down Beshears and Stephen Hrustich to end the threat.

Carson silenced the ‘Cats’ bats the rest of the way, retiring Northwestern in order in the eighth and stranding two runners in the ninth to slam the door. 

Bischoff earned the win in his longest outing of the year, throwing 77 pitches over 6.1 innings. Comstock dropped to 0-3 on the year, surrendering six earned runs in his five-inning start and striking out a game-high five batters.

Mayes’ three hits and three RBI paced the Spartans (16-21), who broke a six-game Big Ten losing slide. Jebb, Frank and Vradenburg each added two hits in the win.

Six different Wildcats recorded hits, and O'Donnell and Bianchina led the way with two hits each. Coby Moe struck out three Spartans and did not allow a hit in his relief appearance.

Northwestern (18-17) snapped a five-game winning streak at Miller Park with the loss and fell to 6-6 in Big Ten Conference games. The Wildcats will finish their five-game homestand on Tuesday with a non-conference game against Milwaukee.

With the doubleheader sweep on Saturday, Northwestern won the series as the team reached the midpoint of its Big Ten schedule. The 'Cats' performance in the first four conference series puts them in a favorable position to earn a Big Ten Tournament berth for the first time since 2017, but Reynolds said he's more focused on the next game rather than postseason aspirations.

"We have another game on Tuesday that we have to take care of before we worry about any other game," Reynolds said. "We're focused on the game on Tuesday, but we're also focused on continuing to win series."

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