PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball (19-21) scored four or more runs in three different innings on the way to beating Michigan State (16-24), 15-8, Saturday at Bainton Field. The Scarlet Knights plated nine runs with two outs in evening the weekend series.
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"It was a warm day with the win blowing out and the ball was flying," head coach
Steve Owens said. "It was a good day to hit for both teams and a tough day to pitch. We got offensive production from a lot of different guys today. There was length to the lineup with many scoring opportunities. I was also happy that we played clean defensively."
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Ryan Lasko hit a three-run homer in a tie the sixth to put RU on top for good, recording four RBIs in a game for the second time this year.
Chris Brito and
Danny DiGeorgio each knocked in three with three hits apiece, while
Mike Nyisztor also had three knocks to raise his average to .357.
Kevin Welsh started the scoring with his third homer in his 200th collegiate game. The offense had 14 hits overall to reach double figures for the 19
th time this season, posting seven with two down.
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All nine starters in the lineup scored at least one run, led by three from
Evan Sleight. Rutgers added nine walks and was hit by a pitch three times to create consistent traffic on the bases. It was the third time RU posted 15 or more runs in a game in 2021.
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"It was good for Ryan to get that hit," Owens said. "He also drew two walks. There's going to be ups and downs with young players, but there's not too many freshmen playing a conference-only schedule with 11 homers and 29 RBIs."
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Defensively, the Scarlet Knights played errorless baseball for the 13
th time and turned a season-high three double plays.
Brent Teller earned the win with 3.1 innings of relief and
Dale Stanavich stranded the tying runs on base in the eighth in a four-out save.
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Rutgers has now won six of its last eight against Michigan State. The temperature at first pitch was 90 degrees and the game lasted three hours, 26 minutes.
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The rubber game is set for Sunday at noon. Watch on Big Ten Network+ or listen on WRSU 88.7-FM.
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