Big Ten: No. 12 Michigan State Beats No. 5 Purdue; Iowa Tops Illinois on Day One Of Conference Tourney

No. 12 Michigan State 8, No. 5 Purdue 4 – The Michigan State Spartans jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and held on to win the Big Ten tournament opener, thumping the fifth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers behind 7 2/3 dominant innings from starter Aidan Donovan, who allowed just five hits, walked one and struck out six, allowing just two runs in his final 2/3 of an inning.

The win was Michigan State’s first win at the Big Ten tournament since 2021 and made them the first team in Big Ten tournament history to win a game.

Randy Seymour had a two-run single in the first and added another RBI single in the second that put the Spartans ahead 6-0. Isaac Sturgess, World Baseball Network’s Player to Watch for Michigan State, contributed an RBI double in the second as well.

Purdue battled back, getting a pair of runs of Donovan in the eighth on a single by Brandon Rogers, and then two more in the ninth, the first on a double to center field by Jackson Bessette that scored Sam Flores, and then Dylan Drake’s sac fly scored Bessette to make it 8-4.

The Boilermakers got the tying run to the on-deck circle in the ninth when Zach Zykowski was hit by a pitch with a 3-2 count and two outs, but Rogers struck out swinging to end the rally and the game.

With the win, the Spartans advance to face the winner of today’s afternoon game between eighth-seeded Iowa and ninth-seeded Illinois on Wednesday evening, while Purdue will face the losing team from the Iowa/Illinois game in an elimination game tomorrow morning.

Currently ranked No. 53 in the Rating Percentage Index, an early exit from the Big Ten tournament for Purdue could drop them lower in that ranking, possibly costing them a bid to the NCAA Tournament, depending upon the outcome of some of the mid-major conference tournaments.

No. 8 Iowa 10, No. 9 Illinois 6 – Iowa roared back with a five-run bottom of the seventh to advance to a Wednesday evening game against Michigan State, putting themselves a win away from moving on to the single-elimination bracket that begins on Friday.

Collin Jennings capped a four-run first for Illinois with a two-run homer, but in the second, Iowa got a two-run double from Max Burt and and RBI single from Miles Risley to cut the lead to one run. They tied it in the third when Gable Mitchell stole home while the Illinois defense was distracted by Risley’s attempt to steal second.

The Illini regained the lead on J.R. Nelson’s fourth inning RBI single, and a homer from AJ Putty an inning later made it 6-4.

But Jaixen Frost got the Hawkeyes within one with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, and then he tied the game two innings later with a sac fly to center that scored Risley. Two batters later, Max Burt’s sac fly got Caleb Wulf home with the go-ahead run, and Joey Nerat hit a three-run homer with two outs that made it 10-6.

With the loss, the Illini will face fifth-seeded Purdue at 10 a.m. EDT Wednesday morning in an elimination game.

No. 7 Michigan 10, No. 10 Rutgers 0 (Seven Innings) – A six-run seventh inning propelled the Wolverines to victory in a game shortened by the early termination rule. Evan Haeger hit a two-run homer and Noah Miller followed him with a solo shot, Jack Lafitte later drew a bases-loaded walk, and then a two-run single in the seventh by Colby Turner ended the game. Michigan’s Cade Montgomery held Rutgers to a single hit over seven shutout innings, walking two and striking out six.

Rutgers will face Ohio State Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. EDT in an elimination game, while Michigan will face Washington at 10 p.m. with a berth in the quarterfinals on the line.

No. 11 Washington 8, No. 6 Ohio State 6 – A triple by Mic Paul in the top of the ninth scored Sam DeCarlo and Casen Taggart, giving the Huskies a two-run lead that they held, giving the two lowest seeds wins on the first day of the Big Ten tournament. Taggart also hit a two-run homer for Washington, drawing two walks, scoring three times and driving in two runs in the game.

Ohio State will face Rutgers in an elimination game at 3 p.m. EDT, while Washington will face Michigan for a trip to the quarterfinals at 10 p.m.

Where to Watch – The entire 2026 Big Ten Baseball Championship will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and the games will also be available on the FOX Sports App.

2026 Big Ten Tournament Schedule
All times Eastern Daylight Time
All games played at Charles Schwab Field, Omaha, Nebraska

Tuesday, May 19
No. 12 Michigan State 8, No. 5 Purdue 4 – Game 1
No. 8 Iowa 10, No. 9 Illinois 6 – Game 2
No. 7 Michigan 10, No. 10 Rutgers 0 (Seven Innings) – Game 3
No. 11 Washington 8, No. 6 Ohio State 6 – Game 4

Wednesday, May 20
10 a.m. – Purdue vs. Illinois – Game 5
3 p.m. – Rutgers vs. Ohio State – Game 6
7 p.m. – Michigan State vs. Iowa – Game 7
10 p.m. – Michigan vs. Washington – Game 8

Thursday, May 21
3 p.m. – Game 5 Winning Team (Purdue/Illinois) vs. Game 7 Losing Team (Michigan State/Iowa) – Game 9
7 p.m. – Game 6 Winning Team (Rutgers/Ohio State) vs. (Michigan/Washington) – Game 10

Friday, May 22
10 a.m. – Game 7 Winning Team vs. No. 4 Southern California – Game 11
3 p.m. – Game 9 Winning Team vs. No. 1 UCLA – Game 12
7 p.m. – Game 10 Winning Team vs. No. 2 Nebraska – Game 13
10 p.m. – Game 8 Winning Team vs. No. 3 Oregon – Game 14

Saturday, May 23
3 p.m. – Game 11 Winning Team vs. Game 12 Winning Team – Semifinal 1 – Game 15
7 p.m. – Game 13 Winning Team vs. Game 14 Winning Team – Semifinal 2 – Game 16

Sunday, May 24
3 p.m. EDT – Championship Game

Photo: Picture of Michigan State’s Aidan Donovan pitching against Purdue on Tuesday (Photo courtesy of MSU Baseball on X)