Deckinga's powerful hits ignited Michigan State's comeback, securing a crucial victory and preventing a series sweep against rival Michigan.
Michigan State avoided the sweep in dramatic fashion, taking Game 3 behind a momentum-shifting performance and timely power at the plate.
Unlike the first two games of the series, the Spartans were able to grab an early lead—and more importantly, maintain it throughout the entirety of the game. After dropping the previous three meetings against Michigan, including the first two in this series, Michigan State finally found a way to hit its way to victory—something that has been few and far between this season.
The Spartans’ pitching staff turned in a solid outing, using just three arms, with Logan Pikur carrying the bulk of the workload.
JD Greely got the start for MSU, going two innings while allowing two hits and one unearned run. He struck out three of the six outs he recorded, setting the tone early despite the Wolverines jumping out to a 2-0 lead.
Pikur followed with five strong innings of work. He allowed just four hits and one earned run while striking out six batters. His performance kept Michigan’s hitters—who had been timely and effective in the first two games—off balance and out of sync.
Nolan Higgins closed out the final two innings, though not without some turbulence. Higgins allowed three earned runs on four hits and a walk. While he remains MSU’s go-to late-inning arm, he has at times struggled with allowing too many base hits. Still, head coach Jake Boss Jr. has shown confidence in Higgins and will likely continue to rely on him down the stretch as the Spartans attempt to claw their way into the Big Ten Tournament—where anything can happen.
This was very much a “sandwich game,” with Michigan striking early before Michigan State’s power took over in the middle innings.
Trailing 2-0 in the third inning, the Spartans began to respond. Khamaree Thomas led off the inning with a solo home run to cut the deficit in half. Parker Picot followed with a double, and CJ Deckinga kept the rally going with a double of his own—an early sign of what was to come.
Deckinga’s double brought home Picot and tied the game at 2-2. The Spartans continued to apply pressure, loading the bases thanks to a Michigan error. However, the momentum briefly stalled when a crucial double play wiped out most of the threat. Still, Deckinga managed to score on the play, giving MSU a 3-2 lead with two outs. Randy Seymour then flew out to end the inning, and while it felt like a missed opportunity to break the game open, Michigan State still came away with the lead.
The Spartans have been notorious this season for leaving runs on the table—but this time, it didn’t come back to haunt them.
The score remained 3-2 in favor of MSU until the bottom of the sixth inning, when CJ Deckinga delivered the defining moment of the game.
With two outs and a runner on first, Nick Williams ripped a single that moved Isaac Sturgess to third. What followed was a chaotic sequence: two pitching changes, a wild pitch, and two walks allowed MSU to tack on another run and load the bases. That set the stage for Deckinga, who crushed an 0-2 pitch to left-center field for a grand slam—blowing the game wide open and giving the Spartans an 8-2 lead.
Michigan State wasn’t done yet.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Randy Seymour added insurance with his team-leading 12th home run of the season, extending the lead even further.
Michigan attempted to rally late, scoring three runs across the eighth and ninth innings, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. The Spartans held on to secure the win and salvage the final game of the series at home.
With the victory, Michigan State improves to 12-21 overall and 6-12 in conference play. The Spartans are currently tied for 14th in the Big Ten standings, which puts them just outside the top 12 teams that qualify for the conference tournament.
There is still work to be done if MSU hopes to make a late push and give itself a chance to compete in the postseason.
The Spartans will remain at home for their next matchup against the Oakland Grizzlies on Tuesday, followed by a trip to LMCU Ballpark to face the Western Michigan Broncos. After that, they head west for a pivotal three-game series against the Washington Huskies (16-20, 7-8)—a matchup that could have significant implications for the final Big Ten Tournament seeding.