Michigan State's Noah Bright, left, celebrates his score with head coach Jake Boss Jr., center, and the dugout during the eighth inning in the game against Ohio State on Friday, April 18, 2025, at McLane Stadium in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Spartans Blow Late Lead on Error, Fall in Big Ten Tourney

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated May 21, 2025 6:00 AM ET

Holding a 4-3 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, one out away from starting the Big Ten Tournament, 1-0, the No. 12 seed Michigan State Spartans (28-26, 13-17) could not finish the job and fell to the No. 7 Nebraska Cornhuskers in a 10th-inning walk-off loss.

Just one out away from taking down the defending Big Ten tournament champions, Nebraska had a runner on second base as Cornhusker third baseman Joshua Overbeek lined a ball out to sophomore right fielder Parker Picot, who dropped the ball, allowing the tying run to score.

Nebraska would end up grabbing a two-out base hit in the bottom of the 10th inning with a runner in scoring position to capture a comeback 5-4 walk-off win in extra innings. The Spartans held a 4-1 lead into the late frames but were unable to score anymore and keep the lead.

Picot made a game-saving, diving play in shallow right center back in the seventh inning to keep a one-run lead, but it would fade just innings later on the error. It is a gut punch for the Spartans as their hopes to advance out of Pool A are dead.

Spartan star lefty Joseph Dzierwa ended with a no-decision after a strong outing of six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts. The loss would go to senior right-hander Dominic Pianto, who entered the game following Picot's error that tied the ballgame.

The no-decision marks the final time that Dzierwa will pitch in a Spartan uniform, as he is a projected first or second-round draft pick this summer in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Up until the ninth, the Spartans played solid, clean baseball. They scored early and often, highlighted by sophomore second baseman Ryan McKay going 1-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored alongside redshirt senior first baseman Sam Busch's RBI double.

Michigan State will now play a meaningless second game of the conference tournament, facing the No. 1 seed Oregon Ducks (41-13, 22-8) on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. CT.

With the Big Ten introducing new rules for the Big Ten Tournament, the lower seeds are required to win their first game to have any sort of a chance to advance. Even if the Spartans were to beat Oregon later this week, the Ducks would still advance as the higher seed.