Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/series/spartan-sports-report/page/2/)
After six innings, Michigan State baseball’s offense looked lifeless as Rutgers held a 2-0 lead. The Scarlet Knights came into Easter Sunday 17-0 when they led at that point in the game.
The game ended with a freshman second baseman, Ryan McKay, lining a two-out, RBI single to drive in junior Nick Williams and deliver a 3-2 walk-off win and much-needed series victory for MSU (12-14, 3-3 Big Ten).
Following a 4-2 loss against Rutgers, Michigan State baseball came into Saturday looking to even up the series.
Senior southpaw Nick Powers took the bump for the Spartans, matching up against sophomore Christian Coppola for Rutgers.
The last time Michigan State hockey was in St. Louis, it walked away with a national championship in 2007. On Friday night, it inched one step closer, defeating the Western Michigan Broncos 5-4 in overtime thanks to Kalamazoo native, senior forward Jeremy Davidson.
Michigan State was five outs away from its first shutout of another opponent in 115 games. It was about to be four.
MSU held a 2-0 lead and Rutgers had a runner on second when RU center fielder RJ Johnson Jr. hit a pop-up in foul territory. Senior third baseman Dillon Kark overran the ball as it harmlessly fell to the ground, extending the at-bat. Johnson tied it up with his second home run of the year a few pitches later.
Following four straight games on the road, the Michigan State baseball team returned to McLane Stadium to face the 9-14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The 10-12 Spartans aimed to win their second game in as many days following a 16-6 rout of rival Michigan on Tuesday.
Following a three-game set in College Park this past weekend where the Spartans dropped two out of three, they headed into Tuesday’s matchup with Michigan looking to get their second win of the season in Big Ten play.
That is roughly the time Michigan State hockey had to celebrate its first Big Ten championship title. Memories of the crowd, the cheers, and the joy will remain with the team, but it will get shelved for the time being. Now, the team sets its sights on the NCAA tournament as they prepare to travel to Maryland Heights, MO, to face off against formal CCHA rival, the Western Michigan Broncos.
Saturday, Mar. 23 will be a date now etched in history for the Michigan State hockey team. The roar from the 6,555 fans in attendance after freshman defenseman Patrick Geary scored the overtime winner against the Michigan Wolverines for the Big Ten championship title will echo through the halls of Munn Ice Arena for years to come. The Spartan’s 5-4 win will mark the team’s first Big Ten postseason title and their first postseason title since 2006. “I got the puck and our third goalie Jon Mor just told me to shoot it, so I just put my head down and ripped it and looked up last second just to see it go in,” Geary said.
MSU has an extensive history of falling short in the Big Ten Championships. The Spartans have watched in-state rival Michigan take the crown 27 times. Michigan State has finished second ten times with zero titles in the 41 years of the event.
The score flashed on a screen no bigger than a household television. Stephen got a 9.875.
Michigan State won the Big Ten for the first time in program history.