Randy Seymour Goes Yard Again as Michigan State Powers Past Bowling Green

(© Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA)

Michigan State picked up a much-needed win Tuesday night. After dropping three extremely close games to the nation’s No. 1 team—games they had a grip on at one point—the Spartans were left wondering what could have been. Each opportunity at a statement upset slipped through their fingers, like trying to hold onto a handful of water.

So when Tuesday rolled around and the Spartans faced Bowling Green, you could feel it coming. The energy, the urgency—it was there before the bus even arrived.

Michigan State came out with a sense of pent-up aggression and wasted no time setting the tone. The Spartans put together five runs in the first three innings and never looked back. Anthony Elezaj got things started in the second inning with an RBI double, scoring Ryan McKay and giving Michigan State an early spark.

By the third inning, the bats were heating up and the ball was starting to carry. CJ Deckinga lifted a deep fly ball for a sacrifice fly, bringing home Noah Bright, who had doubled to lead off the inning. Then came Randy Seymour.

Seymour blew the game open with a three-run home run, giving Michigan State a 4-0 lead and continuing what has been a monster season at the plate. The long ball marked his 15th home run of the year—more than double the next closest Spartan, Parker Picot, who sits at seven. Seymour now moves into a tie for sixth-most home runs in the Big Ten this season, further cementing his place as one of the conference’s most dangerous hitters.

Bowling Green didn’t go away quietly, though. The Falcons answered with three runs in the top of the fourth to cut into the lead. But Michigan State responded right back. Khamaree Thomas delivered an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning, pushing the Spartans back in front 6-3 and regaining control.

In the sixth inning, Nick Williams added another insurance run with an RBI single, stretching the lead to 7-4. From there, the Spartans put the game out of reach for good.

The seventh inning turned into a full-on offensive outburst. Michigan State poured on five runs in the frame, starting with a two-run double from Thomas that scored Williams and Cole Van Ameyde. Parker Picot followed with a two-run single of his own, bringing home Thomas and Bright.

And then came one of those moments you don’t forget. With the bases loaded, Elezaj stepped in and took a pitch to the body, driving in a run the old-fashioned way. It’s the kind of play that doesn’t always show up in highlights but matters just the same.