Rutgers season ends, falls to Michigan State in elimination game of Big Ten Tournament

It was a similar script on Thursday afternoon.

Rutgers held leads in both of its games in the Big Ten Tournament but could not hold on in the end. After a 9-7 loss on Wednesday, the Scarlet Knights faced an elimination game against Michigan State.

Rutgers held a 4-3 lead before Michigan State was able to score three unanswered, including two in in the eighth inning. The Scarlet Knights threatened in their final at-bats but could not plate anything and ended with a 6-4 loss in Omaha.

This loss gives the Scarlet Knights a final record of 33-23 for the season.

Michigan State took an immediate 1-0 lead before Jordan Sweeney tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. The Spartans went up 3-1 in the top of the fifth and Rutgers answered with its best inning of the game.

The Scarlet Knights loaded the bases in the bottom half. Evan Sleight drew a walk and Andy Axelson got hit by a pitch to allow Rutgers to tie the game. Trevor Cohen put Rutgers in front 4-3 with sac fly. Despite scoring three runs in the inning, Rutgers was unable to get that big hit to break the game open. This ended up costing the team in the end.

Axelson and Cohen finished with two hits and an RBI each. Drew Conover got the start on the mound and allowed two runs on three hits in four innings of work. Jake Marshall was tagged with the loss as he allowed two runs during his 1 ¹⁄₃ innings.

To have a chance at the NCAA Tournament, Rutgers likely needed to win the Big Ten Tournament — or at least make another deep run for a shot. On Thursday, another 30-win season comes to an end for the Scarlet Knights.