YPSILANTI, Mich. (Interstat) — The Michigan State Spartans broke open a tight game with a seven-run second inning and rode a strong collective pitching performance to a 13-5 victory over the Eastern Michigan Eagles in nonconference baseball Tuesday.

The game, which started in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, saw the Spartans snap a five-game losing streak and improve to 4-11. The Eagles fell to 4-13.

Michigan State sent 11 men to the plate in the decisive second inning, turning a 2-0 lead into a commanding 9-0 advantage. The rally began with a walk and a bunt single before Dayton Murphy cleared the bases with a two-run triple to right-center field. Nick Williams followed by launching an inside-the-park, two-run home run down the right-field line to cap the outburst.

The Spartans added three more in the third on a towering three-run homer to right-center by Randy Seymour, his first of the season, making it 12-0.

Eastern Michigan chipped away with two unearned runs in the bottom of the second, capitalizing on a Spartan throwing error. The Eagles then mounted their most serious threat in the fifth inning against reliever Ben Klug. After a walk and a hit-by-pitch, Devan Zirwas connected for a three-run home run to right-center, his first of the year, cutting the deficit to 12-5.

Michigan State answered immediately in the top of the sixth, however, as Adam Broski delivered a key two-run double down the left-field line to restore a nine-run cushion. Broski, the Spartans’ top star, finished 2 for 5 with four RBIs, providing crucial hits in the first and sixth innings.

From there, the Spartan bullpen silenced the Eagles’ bats. Five Michigan State relievers — Bobby Crane, Andrew Everson, Ben Kochany, and Nolan Higgins — combined for 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out five. Higgins was particularly sharp, recording the final four outs, including three strikeouts.

The most important sequence of the game was Michigan State’s immediate response to Eastern Michigan’s biggest rally. After Zirwas’ homer brought the Eagles within seven and injected energy into the home dugout, the Spartans put two runners on in the sixth. Broski then smacked his two-run double, effectively extinguishing any momentum Eastern Michigan had gained and ensuring the outcome was never again in doubt.

Aidan Norris provided a bright spot for Eastern Michigan with two scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit. Murphy went 2 for 4 with two RBIs for Michigan State, while Williams was 2 for 4 with his two-run homer.

Michigan State used 12 hits and eight walks to pressure Eastern Michigan pitchers throughout the day. The Eagles managed just five hits, with Zirwas’ three-RBI homer representing their only extra-base hit.

The Spartans continue their road trip with a three-game Big Ten series at Rutgers starting Friday. The Eagles open Mid-American Conference play with a three-game set at Ball State, also beginning Friday.