By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
After a rain out on Saturday the Spartans and Hoosiers met up on Sunday for a double header in which Michigan State came out the victor in both games. Michigan State finished the weekend in Bloomington, Ind. with the sweep of the double header to take the series, 2-1.
The first game of the double header was a 6-0 shutout by the Spartans and the second was a 20-10 slugfest that went the way of Michigan State.
With the temperatures in the upper-70's the Spartans racked up season high runs, 20, and hits, 25, in game two of the double header. Ryan Jones led the charge in the 20-10 route by collecting five hits, tying a career high, after recording just one hit in the day's first game. His six hit day pushed him over the 200-hit mark, making him just the 15th Spartan to accomplish that feat. Jones' 204 current hits has him ranked 12th in the all-time school hits record books.
Jones was not the only player to pile up the hits, Ryan Krill and John Martinez both got to Hoosiers pitching for six hits apiece. Krill scored six times on the day and split his six hits with three in each bout. Martinez used one of his six hits for his first career home run in the first game and came away with 3 RBI and four runs on the day.
Not to be outdone, Jordan Keur added five hits to the Spartans totals on Sunday. His performance improved his team-best batting average to .392.
By the third inning of game two the Spartans had already recorded 15 hits and had driven 12 runs home. Indiana's starter did not finish the first inning after he allowed four runs to score. His replacement faired no better and was ran off the mound in the second when Michigan State tacked on five more runs.
Jimmy Pickens chipped in with a home run in the third inning to make it 13-0, his fourth homer of the season which now has him tied with Torsten Boss for the team lead. The Hoosiers would scratch across two runs in the fourth but Michigan State responded by scoring two of their own in the fifth to make the score 15-2.
A homer in the seventh and four more runs in the ninth gave the Spartans their season-high 20, and earned a win for starter David Garner. Garner gave up six runs, four earned, but struck out a career-high nine batters while giving up just nine hits and not walking a hitter.
The Hoosiers made a run late, scoring eight runs in the final three innings, but the Spartans lead was too much to overcome.
Overshadowed by the fireworks of the second game, Andrew Waszak earned his fourth win of the season while tossing seven innings of three hit ball. He struck out a season-high five hitters and walked just one while keeping the Hoosiers off the board.
Michigan State collected runs from Martinez's two-run home run to left center and a Jones tally after a wild pitch in the fourth. With the score 3-0 the Spartans would add three more in the eighth when they began the inning with four straight singles, highlighted by a two-run single by Justin Scanlon.
Jeff Kinley was called on to give Michigan State a two inning save and despite loading the bases in the ninth, was able to toss two scoreless. With only one out Kinley allowed three straight hits but was able to close out the game with a popout and a strikeout.
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