Lansing - Hosting the Ohio State Buckeyes, the MSU baseball team shined Friday night under the lights at Oldsmobile Park.
The 12-5 win keeps the Spartans (31-15 overall, 12-11 Big Ten) in a tie with Indiana (30-15, 12-11) for third place in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers defeated Purdue (21-26, 11-14) Friday night in West Lafayette,15-5 .
Ohio State (29-16, 15-9) ranks second in the conference, but MSU showed no fear to start the four-game series.
Back-to-back home runs from junior right fielder Bob Malek and senior center fielder Chris McCuiston led to a five-run second inning, and a 6-1 lead.
With two outs and two on, Malek had no doubt his blast was headed over the wall in right field. He pointed to the sky well before the ball sailed over the 337-foot sign.
Malek finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and one run. Senior second baseman Jared Koutnik also recorded three RBIs for MSU, finishing 2-for-5 with two runs.
Buckeye right-hander E.J. Laratta (6-4) took Malek’s three-run shot personally, throwing behind the feet of the Spartan’s next batter, McCuiston.
MSU’s RBI leader gave the pitcher a sharp glare, then responded with a solo shot over the left-field wall.
The Spartans put another nickle on the board in the fifth inning, giving MSU a 12-1 lead.
Ohio State attempted a rally with four runs in the sixth, but sophomore right-hander Bryan Gale escaped the inning en route to his second consecutive complete game.
Gale (6-4) allowed five earned runs and three walks on nine hits. He struck out seven Buckeyes.
Laratta picked up the loss after allowing 12 earned runs on 13 hits in 4.1 innings.
The Spartans and Buckeyes resume the series at Oldsmobile with a doubleheader today. The first game starts at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a senior night ceremony before game two.
