In game one of a Saturday double-header at McLane Baseball Stadium, the MSU baseball team beat Minnesota 3-1 in 11 innings on a bases loaded, walk-off walk.
With one out and the game tied at two in the bottom of the 11th, freshman right fielder Jimmy Pickens reached first on a fielder’s choice. Sophomore catcher Joel Fisher then notched a base hit, followed by a walk from junior second baseman Ryan Jones to load the bases.
Junior third baseman Torsten Boss then drew a walk on a 3-1 count to score Pickens and win the game.
Senior right-hander Tony Bucciferro took the mound for the Spartans (25-12 overall, 5-4 Big Ten) on Saturday and found himself in trouble early. Three of the first four Golden Gopher batters reached on base hits, and catcher Matt Halloran’s single brought home the first run of the game.
For Minnesota, TJ Oakes started off hot, retiring the first five batters he faced and striking out three in the first two innings.
However, MSU finally got to Oakes in the bottom of the third, when junior center fielder Jordan Keur’s two-out single scored Jones. Two innings later, Boss doubled to left field with two outs, scoring Jones again and giving the Spartans a 2-1 lead after five innings.
Meanwhile, Bucciferro settled in after his rough first inning and cruised through the next four. In the top of the sixth, though, Bucciferro gave up a lead-off double to Minnesota third baseman Kyle Geason. Two batters later, Halloran delivered his second RBI single of the day and tied the game at two.
The Golden Gophers had a chance to take the lead in the top of the seventh, when Bucciferro loaded the bases with one out. MSU escaped the inning, though, after Bucciferro forced a pop out and sophomore left-hander Jeff Kinley induced a groundout to end the inning.
Similarly, the Spartans found a scoring opportunity in the bottom half of the inning, when junior left fielder John Martinez reached second after a base hit and a wild pitch. But nothing came of it, as Fisher grounded out and Boss fouled out to the catcher for the last two outs of the inning.
MSU also put runners at first and second in the bottom of the ninth, but Boss struck out swinging to end the chance and send the game to extra innings.
Neither team threatened in extra innings until the Spartans put the game away in the bottom of the 11th.
Kinley, who threw 4.1 innings and gave up just one hit, earned the win for MSU. At the plate, Jones led the Spartans with a 3-for-4 day, and Boss added two RBIs.
MSU and Minnesota play game two of the three-game series Saturday evening.
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