EAST LANSING, Mich.--A two-strike offering, one in which home plate umpire Paul Lancaster called a ball, drew the ire of the Spartans fans assembled and gave junior third baseman Dustin DeMuth another chance to prolong the game. The LaPorte, Ind., native capitalized, as he pulled an offering from freshman closer Justin Alleman to left field, where Cam Gibson got himself turned around and couldn't complete the catch.
Senior shortstop Michael Basil, running hard from first, scored the tying run without a throw.
But Jimmy Pickens notched the walk-off hit in extras for the second straight day -- this time a solo home run to right-center field -- off junior relief pitcher Ryan Halstead as the Spartans defeated No. 13 IU (26-6, 8-3) and captured the series victory with a 6-5 triumph Saturday afternoon at Kobs Field at McLane Baseball Stadium. With the loss, IU surrendered an opportunity to claim their eighth consecutive regular season conference series win. The Spartans won two of three from the Hoosiers in Bloomington last April.
The Hoosiers entered the eighth trailing by a run. Sophomore outfielder Will Nolden -- in his third at-bat pinch-hitting for senior center fielder Justin Cureton -- hit a chopper back to the mound. Sophomore outfielder Chris Sujka broke for home and relief pitcher Anthony Misiewicz tossed the ball to catcher Joel Fisher, who chased Sujka back up the third base line and tagged him out a few steps from the base. Nolden himself stood steps away from second, a base occupied by sophomore catcher Chad Clark. The Indianapolis native retreated to first successfully because no Spartan covered first.
IU Coach Tracy Smith was displeased because now the slimmest of strings tethered to life the Hoosiers' attempted rally. It died when sophomore designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, the next hitter, grounded out to second baseman P.J. Nowak.
The Spartans struck first, as a one-out single to center by the designated hitter Blaise Salter began the scoring. Cureton's first step was backward, and his diving attempt was fruitless. First baseman Ryan Krill clubbed starting pitcher Kyle Hart's second offering to the wall in right center, allowing Salter to scamper home from first. Krill advanced to third via a single from Nowak, who advanced 90 feet on Hart's wild pitch. Clark's ill-advised throw was low and Krill scored to give the Spartans an early 2-0 lead.
A 10-minute delay due to snow flurries paused the action before the fourth inning began. IU built what looked to be an effective rally. The Hoosiers had the bases loaded in the top of the fourth as freshman second baseman Nick Ramos waved weakly over an offspeed offering and Gibson, moving a couple steps to his left, caught Clark's line drive to end a 19-minute frame.
Michigan State, a half-inning later, did not have the same problem against Hart, who had to wait 29 minutes between innings.
When he got back to the bump, the Spartans knocked him around a bit, scoring three runs -- all unearned -- with two men retired due to the extremely curious decision to give DeMuth an error.
The Hoosiers' failure to convert with the bases loaded a half-inning prior loomed large as MSU expanded their lead to 5-0.
The Hoosiers offense awoke in the seventh against Spartans' starting pitcher David Garner. Junior right fielder Casey Smith batted right and singled to right center on the first pitch of the inning. Ramos did as well, and he delivered his second career home run a pitch later. Clark ripped a single to the opposite field to continue the rally. Nolden pulled an offering that landed on the hill, over right fielder Jimmy Pickens's head. Clark proceeded to third.
Schwarber got under a 1-0 offering and fouled out to the first baseman. Garner hit sophomore left fielder Scott Donley with a pitch. During his at-bat, however, Clark scored on a wild pitch. Sophomore first baseman Sam Travis, the next hitter, after he had worked the count full, struck out as he swung over an inside fastball.
Basil grounded out to end the Hoosiers' threat.
Hart maintained his unblemished record, going six innings, allowing five runs -- one earned -- on 11 hits and one walk. He also struck out one.
Halstead took his first loss, as MSU walked off for the second time in as many days.
