April 13, 2004

Box Score

LANSING, Mich. - Seven Spartans picked up at least one hit while three Wayne State errors helped guide Michigan State to a 10-7 victory over the Warriors at Oldsmobile Park Tuesday, April 13. The win improved MSU's home record to 11-0 this season and 17-12 overall. WSU fell to 14-17 with the loss.

Wayne State immediately got on the board with one run off John Dwan (Libertyville, Ill.) in the first inning as the Warriors posted a single, sacrifice bunt and another single to take the 1-0 lead. Dwan calmed down by striking out the final two batters of the inning, bringing the Spartan offense to the plate in the bottom half. Alan Cattrysse (Chatham, Ont.) led off with a single and reached second on a wild pitch from Andy Claerr. Oliver Wolcott (Plymouth, Mich.) put runners at the corners with a single of his own while Travis Gulick (East Lansing, Mich.) loaded them up with a walk. Though Scott Koerber (Harper Woods, Mich.) struck out, Erik Morris (Orchard Lake, Mich.) followed with an RBI walk to tie the game as Cattrysse scored and Ryan Basham (Lowell, Ind.) made it 3-1 with a fielder's choice that brought Wolcott home as well as Gulick who touched home on the play with an error by shortstop Chris Baroli.

After a scoreless second, Gulick opened another three-run inning in the third with a one-out walk. Another error by Baroli assisted in Koerber getting aboard and Morris scored Gulick as third baseman Bobby Marten recorded an error of his own, putting runners at first and second and the Spartan lead at 4-1. Basham came through with a double that scored Koerber, James Moreno (Holt, Mich.) walked to load the bases and Sean Walker (Round Lake Beach, Ill.) added a walk that completed the scoring as Morris crossed home, 6-1.

The Warriors responded with two off Ryan Kurtz (Toledo, Ohio) in the seventh but went down 1-2-3 in the eighth as Chris Toepper (Portage, Mich.) faced the minimum three batters, striking out two. The Spartans' run production was not finished in the bottom half as walks to Troy Krider (Coldwater, Mich./DeKalb, Ind.) and Cattrysse and a single by Wolcott loaded the bases for another Gulick walk, his third of the game, to score Krider. State got another free run when Frank DiCristofaro hit Koerber, bringing in Cattrysse, to make the scoreboard show 10-5, heading into the ninth.

Wayne State managed two runs in the ninth only to see Adam White (Jenison, Mich.) close out the game, securing Dwan's first win of the season (1-0). Michigan State returns to action when it hosts Ohio State in a four-game set this weekend. Bryan Gale (Decatur, Mich.) will be looking for his 27th career victory - just two shy of the Michigan State record - at 3 p.m. on Friday at Kobs Field.