Rutgers baseball’s start to the Big Ten season got off to a bit of a rocky start, listing their series with Michigan State.
After defeating Michigan State (12-14, 3-3) 4-2 on Friday, Rutgers baseball (19-9, 1-2) dropped back-to-back games against the Spartans on Saturday (5-2) and Sunday (3-2).
Game Two
The Scarlet Knights brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning but could not complete the comeback against the Spartans in game two. Rutgers pitcher Christian Coppola (4-2) picked up his second loss on the season, recording five strikeouts and allowing four earned runs on four hits in five innings pitched.
The Spartans struck first in the bottom of the third inning when right fielder Jack Frank logged a home run to right field, giving Michigan State a 3-0 lead. The Scarlet Knights cut the Michigan State lead to two when left fielder Johnny Volpe recorded a solo blast in the top of the fifth inning. After a scoreless bottom of the fifth inning by the Spartans and a sac fly by Rutgers Pete Durocher in the top of the sixth inning, the Spartans lead was cut to one.
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Durocher’s RBI in the sixth inning would be the final run for the Scarlet Knights on Saturday, giving the Spartans a 5-2 victory.
🌧️ Schedule Update 🌧️
Due to tomorrow’s weather forecast, our game against Hofstra will not be played.
We will work to reschedule for a later date, which will be communicated when a decision is made. #TCD
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 1, 2024
Game Three
For the second straight week, Rutgers got a career-long start from pitcher Zack Konstantinovsky, recording six shutout innings on Sunday. He finished with zero runs, six hits, four strikeouts, and three walks.
The Scarlet Knights built a 1-0 lead for Konstantinovsky in the top of the third inning when shortstop Josh Kuroda-Grauer singled in Trevor Cohen to give Rutgers an early lead.
Rutgers added to their one-run lead in the top of the seventh when Cohen doubled home catcher Jackson Natili to give the Scarlet Knights a 2-0 lead. While Rutgers grabbed the 2-0 advantage into the bottom of the seventh, the Spartans hit a pair of doubles to score one and an RBI single up the middle to score a second, tying the game at 2-2.
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After Rutgers went scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, MSU had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Spartans would win the game on a two-out double followed by a walk-off single, giving them the 3-2 victory.
The Scarlet Knights will return to action on Wednesday against Marist after their Tuesday matchup against Hofstra was canceled because of weather conditions.