May 6, 2008

LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State baseball team hosts Western Michigan Wednesday, May 7 at 6:05 p.m. at Oldsmobile Park. The Spartans, who are 8-2 over their last 10 games, enter the contest with a 21-23 record. WMU is 23-17-1 heading into Tuesday night's game at Oakland. Wednesday's game is the first of two contests between the two schools this season. MSU defeated the Broncos, 10-1, on April 9 in Kalamazoo.

Michigan State is coming off a 4-1 week in which it won three games at Penn State, including a doubleheader sweep on Sunday. Last Wednesday, MSU scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Oakland, 7-6. Senior Justin Potes delivered the game-winning hit, a walk-off two-run single.

Sophomore Chris Roberts has led Michigan State's resurgence. The outfielder from Oshkosh, Wis., is hitting a team-high .366 with five triples and 26 RBI. He batted .529 (9-for-17) with six RBI last week, highlighted by a towering home run on Sunday at Penn State. Roberts' .449 batting average in Big Ten play is the fifth-highest mark in the conference. Junior Kyle Day is hitting .331 with seven home runs and 43 RBI.

Western Michigan is embarking on a stretch where it will play nine of its final 10 games on the road. The Broncos are led by Chris Lewis, who is hitting .401 with six homers. Matt Abro (.369) and Zach Gentile (.349) are WMU's other top offensive performers.

The Broncos didn't get much offense in the first meeting between the two schools. Senior Ryan MacFarlane pitched six strong innings - allowing just one run and striking out five - to pick up his first win of the season. Four Spartan relievers combined for three shutout innings to finish the game. Day went 3-for-3 with a home run and four runs scored, while junior Eric Roof went 3-for-4 with a three-run double that broke the game open. Freshman Brandon Eckerle added two hits and two RBI.

MSU's hot streak has gotten the team back in the hunt for a berth in the Big Ten tournament. The Spartans are currently a half-game behind Penn State and Northwestern for the sixth spot in the Big Ten standings. MSU is just one game behind fourth-place Ohio State. The top six teams in the regular season advance to the Big Ten tournament.

The Spartans (10-13 Big Ten) will play a four-game series against second-place Purdue (17-7 Big Ten) beginning Friday, May 9 at Purdue's Lambert Field. Friday's first pitch is set for 3 p.m.