Spartans Fight Until the End but Fall Just Short Against No. 1 UCLA

In game one, the Spartans clung to a 1-0 lead until the eighth inning before letting the game slip away.

In game two, the Spartans fell behind 4-0 early but worked relentlessly to claw back, notching a run in the second, fifth, and eighth innings. Yet, the early Bruin explosion proved just enough, as the Spartans fell one run short in a 4-3 loss.

The Spartans sent out ace Aidan Donovan to the mound for game two—something they’ve been doing as of late, and possibly a reason they entered this series riding a two-game win streak. Having Donovan in game two has allowed momentum to build into game three.

Alas, Donovan was unable to smother the Bruins enough for MSU to come away victorious, and it all started with the very first batter of the game.

UCLA’s Dean West picked up one of his two hits with a leadoff double. Then Roch Cholowsky singled, and Mulivai Levu walked to load the bases with one out.

That’s when Payton Brennan singled up the middle—just past a low, outstretched glove from Donovan and right between Ryan McKay and Dayton Murphy, like the worst possible pinball bounce splitting your two bumpers. West and Cholowsky both crossed the plate, and the Spartans quickly trailed 2-0 with just one out.

It didn’t end there. After Donovan recorded his second strikeout of the inning, UCLA still had runners on second and third. Cashel Dugger connected on a ball that slipped just under a sliding Ryan McKay. Despite McKay’s No. 2 ranking in defensive runs saved among second basemen this year, he couldn’t corral it for the final out. The Bruins tacked on two more runs, making it 4-0 at the end of the first inning.

In the bottom of the second inning, something strange was afoot. Randy Seymour reached first after a wild pitch on strike three—an uncommon play that made you wonder if something unusual was brewing on this cold May night.

Seymour was ultimately cut down trying to steal second, but the Spartans clearly had a comeback on their minds. CJ Deckinga walked, and with two outs, Parker Picot rose to the moment and delivered an RBI double to get MSU on the board, 4-1.

As Donovan settled in, he pitched well against the No. 1 Bruins, holding them scoreless over the next four innings before giving way to the bullpen. Donovan finished with five innings pitched, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks.

The game remained at 4-1 until the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Spartans continued to chip away. Isaac Sturgess laid down a perfect bunt along the third-base line that starting pitcher Michael Barnett fielded. Barnett hesitated for just a split second to secure his grip on the ball—likely due to the cold front sweeping through northern Michigan—and that was enough. Sturgess beat it out by a step.

The Spartans later loaded the bases, and Deckinga drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home MSU’s second run of the game.

Logan Pikur entered in relief and delivered a phenomenal outing, going the final four innings while allowing just two hits and one walk. He limited the top team in the nation in a big way and gave the Spartans every chance to climb back into it.

By the eighth inning, still trailing by two, the Spartans’ comeback train had momentum—but the tracks were running out. So they got to work.

Picot was hit by a pitch to get things started. Nick Williams followed with a single, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch, giving MSU runners on second and third with just one out.

Dayton Murphy then sent a chopping grounder to the first baseman. It resulted in an out, but functioned as a productive infield sacrifice, scoring Picot and pulling the Spartans within one run, 4-3.

Unfortunately, the Spartans were unable to push across the tying run in the eighth, and in the ninth, they went down in order.

MSU fell by one despite a valiant effort. The Spartans dropped to 10-16 in conference play and now sit 13th in the Big Ten—just outside the top 12 teams that qualify for the conference tournament.

Meanwhile, UCLA improved to a perfect 23-0 in conference play.

Though there may be no such thing as moral victories, this comes about as close as it gets. Over the past two games, MSU has shown it can hang with the top team in the nation—they just need to find a way to win the final two innings when it matters most.

The teams will meet one final time as the Spartans look to avoid the sweep Sunday at 12:15 PM EST.