After a dominant eighth, Dzierwa returned to the dugout, where pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde waited. Van Ameyde started toward him but, upon meeting Dzierwa’s eye, simply turned around — silently signaling he would finish the game. The moment, Dzierwa said, gave him the final boost of confidence to dominate the ninth.

“He didn’t say anything, so I said ‘let's go,'” Dzierwa said. “I went out there, told myself to take things back a little bit, stay present, execute each pitch and not get one pitch ahead.”

It was a dominant ninth and dominant outing altogether, striking out 11 and walking none with just four Oregon base runners. The last time a Spartan pitcher threw a complete game shutout was in 2016 when Cam Vieaux lifted MSU to an 11-0 win at Purdue. 

With the win, Michigan State improved to 24-19 (10-12 Big Ten) and sits tied with Northwestern for the final spot in the 12-team Big Ten Tournament.

MSU registered just two hits in the outing, but it was all they needed. In the second, designated hitter Will Shannon roped a single to right center. After a Parker Picot strikeout, Randy Seymour flied to center field. Despite the Ducks' stellar defense, center fielder Anson Aroz dropped the ball, scoring Shannon from first.

In the fifth, Picot redeemed himself by launching a solo home run to left field on the first pitch of his at-bat, extending MSU’s lead to 2-0.

MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. said there was no secret to the Spartans’ first ranked win of the season. Boss said the guy on the mound for MSU was “really good.”

“That was a really well-pitched game,” Boss said. “(There were) two really good arms going at it, their guy was outstanding. I think Joe is one of the best left-handed arms in the country, and I think he proved it tonight.”

Oregon put its ace, Grayson Grinsell on the mound to match Dzierwa. The junior LHP lasted the whole game, throwing eight innings, allowing two hits, one earned run and two walks while striking out nine. 

After being swept by Michigan last weekend and sitting idle during the week, MSU came into Friday hungry for redemption. Boss said the combination fueled their performance.

“Last week was a bad week for us, all the way around,” Boss said. “They were chomping at the bit to get back out there, and it's a great challenge to have Oregon here in town. Everybody knows what their ranking is, the talent they have in their dugout and the success they've had over the last few years. So give them credit, I think (we) rose to the challenge tonight.”

Facing a power lefty, MSU shifted Sam Busch to left field to add another right-handed bat in Shannon. Usually a first baseman, Busch made just his second outfield appearance since high school and made several key catches, including a fly ball at the wall.

MSU and Oregon will meet again Saturday, with sophomore right-hander Tate Farquhar expected to start for the Spartans. Through 32 innings, Farquhar holds a 5.91 ERA and a 7.59 K/9 but has struggled with command at times. Unlike Dzierwa, Farquhar relies more on location than overpowering stuff.

First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m., with streaming available on Big Ten Plus.