April 4, 2004
EAST LANSING, MI – Michigan State scored five runs in the first two innings and added seven late to come away with a 12-1 win and four-game sweep of the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Freshman starter Craig Brookes struck out six and allowed five hits in the complete game victory.
Michigan State scored five runs in the first two innings. In the four run second, leftfielder Ryan Basham hit a one-out single up the middle. Iowa starter Andrew Hansen got number nine-hole hitter Troy Krider to hit a grounder to Iowa shortstop Jeff Gremley for what could have been an inning ending double play. However, Gremley booted the ball and the Spartans then made the Hawkeyes’ pay.
Centerfielder Alan Cattrysse doubled in a run and second baseman Oliver Wolcott hit a three-run homerun into the trees in right field to put Michigan State up 5-0. Right fielder Travis Gulick followed with a double to right field, but Hansen struck out Scott Koerber looking and forced James Moreno into an inning ending fly out.
After the second, Hansen settled down and allowed only one hit over the next five innings. The senior righthander struck out four batters over seven innings of work.
The Hawkeyes stringed together three straight singles in the seventh to plate their first run of the contest. Catcher Kris Welker hit the first pitch he saw through the left side and leftfielder Jesse Brownell hit a routine fly ball that was held up by the stiff wind that ended up dropping for a base hit. Right fielder Nate Yoho followed with a hard grounder down the right field line that ricocheted off first base into shallow right field to plate Welker and make the score 5-1.
The Spartans broke the game open in the bottom of the eighth with seven runs to make the game 12-1.
The Hawkeyes will return to competition on Tuesday night at Duane Banks Field against Illinois State beginning at 6 p.m.