Michigan State baseball opens huge series against Michigan with walk-off win

Michigan State baseball needed a good result in Friday's series opener against rival Michigan to continue the positive momentum it had been building and keep pace in the Big Ten standings as it battles for a spot in the conference tournament.

And after losing the lead late in a tightly contested game, it would take extra innings for the Spartans to get it done.

But, in the home half of the 10th inning, MSU got back-to-back singles from nine-hole hitter Randy Seymour and senior outfielder Jack Frank. Michigan elected to intentionally walk third baseman Dillon Kark to load the bases with one out.

That brought up junior outfielder Nick Williams and the Wabash Valley Community College transfer was able to muscle a fly ball to right field, scoring Seymour on a sacrifice fly to give the Spartans a 3-2 walk-off win.

"I was just trying to put the ball in play, and I've been part of the opposite side after a game like this so it feels good to be on the winning side," Williams said. "It's a huge win for us going forward and I'm just thankful I was able to deliver in a big moment for the team."

MSU went with ace starter Joseph Dzierwa in the series opener, and the sophomore didn't disappoint. After allowing one run in the first inning on a balk, the sophomore pitcher dealt a gem, going eight innings while striking out nine Wolverine batters.

"Really good character win for our guys tonight and we played really well, clean defensively, and when you do those things you give yourself a chance," MSU coach Jake Boss said. "It's all about what happens on the mound, and (Dzierwa) was so good tonight. We've been good on Friday games throughout the year, but he is an unbelievable kid and an incredible worker

MSU responded in the first inning with an RBI single from freshman Ryan McKay, scoring Williams. Kark would give MSU a 2-1 lead on a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Graduate senior Aaron Mishoulam relieved Dzierwa in the ninth and pitched a flawless two innings, striking out four batters without allowing a baserunner.

"(Mishoulam) was lights out, and he fills up the strike zone and he's a mature kid who closed a lot of ball games at his former school," Boss said. "Albeit not against Michigan at our place, but he's a cool customer and doesn't get rattled by anything."

MSU's season has taken a 360-turn following a trip to West Lafayette for a series against Big Ten-leading Purdue. The Spartans struggled and got swept with some eye-popping results such as a 14-0 defeat followed by a 21-1 loss.

Since then, MSU has won its last two series against Penn State and Ohio State – two teams right behind them in the Big Ten standings, where MSU currently sits in eighth – the final spot to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.

"I feel like we started a little slow but we've picked things up since getting swept by Purdue," Williams said. "We took it up ourselves that it's on us to turn this ship around and it's been tough, but all the credit to the guys in the locker room who have stuck with it."

MSU will face Michigan again on Saturday at 3:35 pm before wrapping up the three-game series on Sunday at 2:05 pm at McLane Stadium.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU baseball opens huge series against Michigan with walk-off win