In the fourth, Illinois took a one-run lead with a two-run single by Cameron Chee-Aloy. The Spartans answered immediately in the next inning, loading the bases before Busch capitalized with a single to center, tying the game.

Coming into today's contest, Busch had a batting average of .267, but after swinging four-for-five, he now has a .308 mark, third on the team.

"Sam is a guy that has been around for a while now, he knows the game and he can do an awful lot," MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "He’s got power and he’s seeing the ball really well right now."

The MSU offense turned things around from the previous day, collecting 16 hits and three walks with only two strikeouts. Five Spartans recorded two or more hits, with Ryan McKay and JT Sokolove each earning three.

"So proud of our guys for their approach all day long, and jumping out early," Boss said. "We carried the sustained approach all the way through."

Busch recorded his highest hit total of the season with four. In the seventh, he blasted his ninth home run of the season over the right field wall, extending the Spartans’ lead to six before they added four more runs in the eighth.

In the final inning before the mercy rule, senior Nick Williams walked, and redshirt junior Jacob Anderson followed with a double to score Williams. McKay then doubled to center, bringing home Anderson. Will Shannon added to the fun with another double to right-center.

With a nine-run lead, Busch came to bat again. This time, he grounded a ball through the right side of the infield for a walk-off win by run-rule.

Sophomore Gannon Grundman started Saturday’s matinee, his second game-three start of the season. He pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, four earned runs and two walks while striking out three. Grundman also started last Sunday’s 10-5 win over Penn State.

Through three Big Ten series, Boss and MSU baseball pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde have consistently started juniors Joseph Dzierwa and Nolan Higgins in games one and two. However, game-three decisions can vary, as Boss mentioned.

"It really depends on how the weekend plays," Boss said. "We thought about using Grundman in the bullpen yesterday, but if we did, he wouldn’t have been able to start today."

As with yesterday, the Spartans battled spotty showers and strong winds. Despite this, Spartan pitchers shut down the Fighting Illini after giving up two runs in the third and fourth innings.

Illinois loaded the bases against Grundman in the fourth, prompting relief from redshirt sophomore Tate Farquhar. After allowing a hit to his first batter, Farquhar struck out the next hitter to escape the inning. The sophomore RHP then pitched two shutout innings with a walk and three strikeouts, giving MSU the opportunities they needed to score.

MSU graduate reliever George Viebrock III pitched the final two innings, also shutting out Illinois. In his five appearances, Viebrock has generated soft contact and produced outs when necessary. Among relievers, he holds the lowest ERA at 2.70.

"George hadn't thrown a whole lot for us recently, but came in and gave us two solid innings," Boss said. "Farquahr did a nice job for us, too. He's been up and down lately."

Next, MSU will travel to downtown Lansing for the annual Crosstown Showdown exhibition against the Lansing Lugnuts at Jackson Field. The Lugnuts have won the past 11 games in the series, which dates back to 2007. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.