Washington baseball avoids sweep with 8-5 win over Michigan State

The Washington Huskies were able to snap a four-game losing streak and avoid a sweep at the hands of the Michigan State Spartans on Sunday afternoon with an 8-5 victory over their Big Ten foes.

Coming in, coach Eddie Smith's team had lost seven of its last eight games and was able to buck that trend by jumping out to an early lead, scoring five runs in the third inning. The outburst was headlined by a two-run home run off the bat of center fielder Mic Paul and a two-run single from shortstop Sam DeCarlo.

However, the Spartans bounced right back in the top of the fourth, plating four runs, including two on a double from right fielder Parker Picot, who was cut down trying to stretch it into a triple, ending the inning and the Spartans' biggest threat of the night. In the bottom of the frame, designated hitter Casen Taggart got one of those runs back with a solo home run as part of a 1-for-2 day with 2 walks and 3 runs scored.

RBI singles from right fielder Braeden Terry and first baseman Landon Young gave the Husky pitching staff some breathing room to seal the win for starter Hayden Lewis, who improved to 4-4 on the year after 5 innings, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits with a walk and 3 strikeouts along the way.

Tommy Brandenberg did the rest on his way to his fourth save of the year, allowing 4 hits with 2 walks and a strikeout over the final 4 innings. Carter Monke took the loss for the Spartans after he was able to make it through just 3 innings, surrendering 5 runs on 4 hits with a walk and 2 strikeouts.

With the win, the Huskies improved to 17-22 on the year and 8-10 in Big Ten play. Next, they'll head to Ridgefield, Washington, for a neutral site matchup with the Portland Pilots on Tuesday, which is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. PT.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies avoid sweep with 8-5 win over Michigan State