A late rally vanished as Oakland snatched victory in the ninth. Blown leads continue to plague Michigan State's season.
Michigan State jumped out early and battled back late, but once again, the Spartans couldn’t hold the line. Oakland pushed across two runs in the ninth inning to steal an 11–9 win in East Lansing.
With the victory, the Grizzlies earned their 10th win of the season and their fifth in the last seven games.
As for the Spartans, the story remains all too familiar. Blown leads and lost momentum continue to define their season. Michigan State has now dropped five of its last seven and sits at 12–22 overall, including a 6–12 mark in Big Ten play—good for 11th out of 16 teams. Only the top 12 teams qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.
Michigan State has made a habit of jumping out to early leads, which is typically a recipe for success. But for this team, those leads have been anything but safe. In fact, they disappear faster than you can get comfortable, and Tuesday night was no exception. Spartan fans were treated to not one, but two blown leads.
The Spartans’ most consistent hitter this season, Randy Seymour, got things started in the bottom of the first, doubling home Isaac Sturgess with two outs. The momentum continued as Ryan McKay—last year’s top hitter—followed with an RBI single to score Seymour and give MSU a 2–0 lead.
McKay has shown signs of finding his groove lately, but his numbers still reflect a noticeable drop from last season. If Michigan State wants to turn things around, they’ll need him to return to the .300-plus form he displayed a year ago.
And as has often been the case, the early lead didn’t last long.
In the top of the second inning, Oakland responded with a double and two two-out singles, each bringing in a run to take a 3–2 lead. Michigan State answered in the bottom half when Parker Picot laid down a sacrifice to score Khamaree Thomas, who had reached base via walk and advanced on a throwing error during a pickoff attempt.
Oakland continued to apply pressure, tacking on three more runs to build a 6–3 lead through five innings. It wasn’t flashy offense—just consistent contact, sharp hits, and a steady approach that allowed the Grizzlies to nickel-and-dime their way into a comfortable advantage.
In the sixth inning, Oakland delivered a bigger blow. Orr jumped on a first-pitch fastball and sent it over the wall, extending the lead to 8–3.
Michigan State tried to chip away in the bottom of the inning when Khamaree Thomas singled to bring home Seymour, cutting the deficit to 8–4. At the time, it felt more like a consolation run than the start of a comeback.
But in the seventh inning, the Spartans showed life.
After two hit-by-pitches and a wild pitch set the table, Isaac Sturgess delivered a clutch double that plated two runs, making it 8–6. Then, following two walks, Thomas stepped back to the plate and came through again, driving in two more runs with a double to tie the game at 8–8.
Suddenly, the momentum had completely flipped.
Moments later, Parker Picot recorded his second sacrifice of the game, bringing home the go-ahead run and giving Michigan State a 9–8 lead—its first since the opening inning.
However, the lead proved just as fragile as the first.
In the top of the eighth, Tommy Szczepanski entered in relief, but Orr struck again, launching his second home run of the night to even the score at 9–9.
With the game tied heading into the ninth, Michigan State turned back to Szczepanski. After a walk and a hit-by-pitch—despite recording two outs—Oakland capitalized. Clark jumped on the first pitch he saw and ripped a double, scoring both baserunners to give the Grizzlies an 11–9 lead.
The Spartans had no answer in the bottom half, going down in order for the second straight inning to seal the loss.
Michigan State appeared to be building some momentum after a strong showing against Michigan on Sunday. With five games on the schedule this week—including matchups against in-state opponents Oakland and Western Michigan, followed by a three-game road series at Washington—this was a key opportunity to keep things trending upward.
Instead, the pitching staff once again struggled to shut the door, and Oakland took full advantage, stealing a road win and halting any progress the Spartans had hoped to build.
Michigan State will look to bounce back Wednesday night when it hosts Western Michigan at 6 p.m. EST.