Rutgers Baseball: A Chance to Regain Momentum

They got swept in Indiana and fell into ninth place, one spot out of making the Big Ten Championships.  They bounced back in two mid-week games.  So, they're back on track.  On Wednesday, they topped a Columbia team (19-11, 10-2) that was leading the Ivy League.

Sparked by early offense and an effective start by soph Kevin Baxter (2-1), Rutgers baseball returned to the win column with a 7-4 victory over Columbia on Wednesday.  The Knights were able to build a 7-1 advantage after four innings.

Baxter was making his fourth start and was sharp over 6.1 innings with four hits and three runs allowed.  The righty struck out a career-high five batters, setting down ten consecutive hitters during one stretch.

Offensively, freshman Kyle Walker batted cleanup for the first time and produced three RBIs, while senior Vinny Zarillo scored three times as the leadoff hitter, collecting two hits. Joe D'Annunzio scored twice and drilled a two-run single.

Columbia Game Notes

Rutgers saw 16 different pitchers over the last two days … the team in now 6-3-1 when scoring in the first inning … it was the first win this season when giving up multiple homers … Zarrillo leads the Scarlet Knights with 13 multiple-hit games … the game lasted two hours, 38 minutes and the temperature at the start was 72 degrees.

Big Ten Standings

The baseball team hosts Michigan State this weekend in a key match up.  The two squads are currently battling for the last playoff spot in the conference tournament.

Michigan State: How to follow the action

Go there!  Be at the games!  The weather shouldn't be bad; local forecasters say Friday should be dry in the afternoon.  Overall, a decent weekend.  And this is a big series for the Knights...and the Spartans.

If you can't make it out, or you're out of the area, all three games will be broadcast.

BTN Plus information

WRSU-FM  88.7 or online

Gameday Promotions on Friday and Saturday

Friday is "Free Stuff Friday" which means.....well, they give away free stuff to people who attend.  Hey, it's free!  And Saturday is "This is R House" T-shirt giveaway.

This Week's Results and the Michigan State Series