Bucciferro Tosses Complete Game As Spartans Shutout Hawkeyes

@StateBaseball

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

Tony Bucciferro is supposed to be the ace of the Spartan staff, and on Friday against Iowa, he was. Bucciferro threw a complete game, five-hitter in the Spartans 6-0 victory over the Hawkeyes.

The complete game shutout was the fourth of Bucciferro's career, his nine strikeouts was just one shy of his career high, and with the full nine innings under his belt, Bucciferro took sole possession of the all-time innings pitched record for Michigan State University with 352.1.

With the win, their sixth in seven games, the Spartans move into a second-place tie in the Big Ten with the Indiana Hoosiers, but still trail Purdue for first place.

As has become the norm for Michigan State, they struck early, getting a first inning run off a Ryan Krill single. The Spartans would strike again in the third when Ryan Jones singled before coming home on a Torsten Boss sac fly to make the score 2-0.

Freshman catcher Blaise Salter hammered his first career home run in the fourth inning to give Bucciferro a 3-0 lead. Bucciferro would struggle in the fifth inning, hitting three straight batters to load the bases but was able to wiggle out of the jam without allowing a run.

In the seventh inning Bucciferro again appeared to lose a bit of control when he walked and then hit a batter, putting two men on base. Once again, he was able to focus and get three straight Hawkeyes out to avoid surrendering a run.

Bucciferro was rewarded for his performance in the stressful innings with three Spartans runs in the seventh, all with two outs. As the axiom goes, two out hits get you to heaven and if that's the case John Martinez is getting to heaven. With the bases loaded and two outs Ryan Krill drew a walk to force home a run to make it 4-0. Martinez then singled to center field, scoring Justin Scanlon and Jordan Keur extending the Spartans lead to 6-0.

At 108 pitches heading into the ninth, Bucciferro could have been one long plate battle away from not finishing the game, but he was able to come out and fan two more batters in the ninth frame to close out the win with 118 pitches.

Spartans Win 30th Game; Set School Record

MSU Athletics

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

For the first time in program history the Spartans baseball team has won 30 games in three straight seasons; Michigan State secured their 30th win on Tuesday with a 15-7 win over the Western Michigan Broncos in Kalamazoo, Mich. Last season the Spartans won 36 games and in 2010 they won 34 on the year. With the win the Spartans move up to No. 44 in the RPI rankings and within range of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

In the game on Tuesday the Spartans were efficient with their offense, recording 15 runs on 15 hits, including a season high six doubles. John Martinez lead the offense with a career day, recording four hits, four RBI and two doubles while going four-for-four with two walks.

Michigan State got on the board early with three runs in the first inning, capped by RBI doubles by Martinez and Jordan Keur. Ryan Jones got in on the hit parade with a double of his own in the second that scored a run to extend the Spartans lead to 4-0.

The Broncos weren't going to stay down long and they answered with four runs of their own on five hits in the third inning. But Jones responded with yet another RBI double in the fourth inning before being plated himself by a Torsten Boss single to make the score 6-4.

Western Michigan cut Michigan State's lead to one with a run in the bottom of the fourth but the Spartans answered right back by bringing three more runs around in the fifth inning to make the score 9-5. Blaise Salter was the guy with the big bat in the fifth, scoring two runs with a double to left field.

The Broncos would once again cut into the Spartans lead in the bottom of the fifth by scoring twice making the score 9-7, but it was all they would be able to muster. Spartan starter Mike Theodore didn't have a sparkling game going only two innings while allowing four runs on five hits.

Lefty Trey Popp came in as relief for Theodore in the third and although being a bit shaky in his two plus innings of work, earned his third win of the season. Popp pitched two plus innings while allowing eight hits and three runs.

Bryce Jenney came in to relieve Popp in the fifth inning with runners on first and third and no outs. Despite fanning a batter and getting the other two to pop out an unearned run would score on him, completing Popp's line.

Jenney finished out the game for the Spartans, earning himself a five-inning save, his first of the season. During his five innings he allowed just two hits and one run.

Michigan State tacked on runs in the sixth and seventh before closing the game with a four-run ninth to make the final score 15-7.

Spartans Sweep Doubleheader Against Indiana

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

After a rain out on Saturday the Spartans and Hoosiers met up on Sunday for a double header in which Michigan State came out the victor in both games. Michigan State finished the weekend in Bloomington, Ind. with the sweep of the double header to take the series, 2-1.

The first game of the double header was a 6-0 shutout by the Spartans and the second was a 20-10 slugfest that went the way of Michigan State.

With the temperatures in the upper-70's the Spartans racked up season high runs, 20, and hits, 25, in game two of the double header. Ryan Jones led the charge in the 20-10 route by collecting five hits, tying a career high, after recording just one hit in the day's first game. His six hit day pushed him over the 200-hit mark, making him just the 15th Spartan to accomplish that feat. Jones' 204 current hits has him ranked 12th in the all-time school hits record books.

Jones was not the only player to pile up the hits, Ryan Krill and John Martinez both got to Hoosiers pitching for six hits apiece. Krill scored six times on the day and split his six hits with three in each bout. Martinez used one of his six hits for his first career home run in the first game and came away with 3 RBI and four runs on the day.

Not to be outdone, Jordan Keur added five hits to the Spartans totals on Sunday. His performance improved his team-best batting average to .392.

By the third inning of game two the Spartans had already recorded 15 hits and had driven 12 runs home. Indiana's starter did not finish the first inning after he allowed four runs to score. His replacement faired no better and was ran off the mound in the second when Michigan State tacked on five more runs.

Jimmy Pickens chipped in with a home run in the third inning to make it 13-0, his fourth homer of the season which now has him tied with Torsten Boss for the team lead. The Hoosiers would scratch across two runs in the fourth but Michigan State responded by scoring two of their own in the fifth to make the score 15-2.

A homer in the seventh and four more runs in the ninth gave the Spartans their season-high 20, and earned a win for starter David Garner. Garner gave up six runs, four earned, but struck out a career-high nine batters while giving up just nine hits and not walking a hitter.

The Hoosiers made a run late, scoring eight runs in the final three innings, but the Spartans lead was too much to overcome.

Overshadowed by the fireworks of the second game, Andrew Waszak earned his fourth win of the season while tossing seven innings of three hit ball. He struck out a season-high five hitters and walked just one while keeping the Hoosiers off the board.

Michigan State collected runs from Martinez's two-run home run to left center and a Jones tally after a wild pitch in the fourth. With the score 3-0 the Spartans would add three more in the eighth when they began the inning with four straight singles, highlighted by a two-run single by Justin Scanlon.

Jeff Kinley was called on to give Michigan State a two inning save and despite loading the bases in the ninth, was able to toss two scoreless. With only one out Kinley allowed three straight hits but was able to close out the game with a popout and a strikeout.

Spartans Top Irish, 8-2 In Snowy Game

MSU Athletics

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

Michigan State improved to 20-10 on the season with their 11th straight victory of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at McLane Baseball Stadium on a snow filled Tuesday afternoon - winning by a score of 8-2.

Weather conditions were less than favorable with wind gusting throughout the game and snow flurries occurring on and off, at one point snowing enough to begin slight accumulation behind home plate.

RHP Mick VanVossen got his first collegiate victory after tossing 6.1 innings for the Spartans while giving up just two runs on six hits.

The Spartans jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when Jordan Keur and Ryan Jones recorded consecutive singles, giving Michigan State runners on the corners with no outs. Ryan Krill then laced another single to the outfield that scored Keur. Justin Scanlon extended the Spartans lead to two runs when he hit into a fielder's choice after Krill's single.

Things remained 2-0 in favor of Michigan State until the fifth inning when they piled on four more runs, giving them a 6-0 lead. Torsten Boss came up big for the Spartans in the fifth when he hit a bases loaded triple to right field. Scanlon was then able to drive Boss in to make the score, 6-0, on an RBI single later in the inning.

VanVossen was able to keep the Irish from scoring until the seventh inning. Notre Dame was able to drive home a run on a sacrifice fly to the outfield and were able to capitalize on a throwing error by Boss later in the inning for an unearned run.

Trey Popp relieved VanVossen in the sixth and would keep the Irish off the scoreboard for the last 2.2 innings. During his time on the mound Popp fanned three.

Michigan State tacked on two more runs in the eighth with an RBI single by John Martinez and an RBI triple by Jared Hook. The extra runs would push the Spartans in front of the Irish by a margin of 8-2.

Spartans Top Wolverines 10-8 in 13 Innings

MSU Athletics

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

It took 13 innings on Sunday but the Spartans topped the Wolverines in the final game of the season series by a score of 10-8. With the win Michigan State remained perfect in games that extended into extra innings, improving their record to 4-0 in games longer than nine innings.

The winning run came around in the top of the 13th when Jimmy Pickens hit an RBI double to right-center to bring home Justin Scanlon. Pickens then himself scored off an RBI single by John Martinez to center to give the Spartans the 10-8 advantage.

Michigan State headed to Ann Arbor on Sunday trying to avoid being swept by their rivals after having dropped games the previous two days in Ann Arbor and East Lansing.

With Michigan State down 8-7 and one out Justin Scanlon singled and advanced to second when Pickens was hit by a pitch. Jared Hook walked to load the bases with two outs and Jordan Keur came to the plate. He too was struck by a pitch that forced in Scanlon to tie the game. The Spartans were unable to capitalize any further on the loaded bases in the inning.

Tony Wieber was once again the story for the Spartans, giving his team 3.2 innings of scoreless ball leading to his first win of the season. He was handed the ball in the 10th and stranded a Wolverine runner at second base. Wieber did not allow a run during his time on the mound, but did allow Michigan to get at least one baserunner on in each of the innings he threw.

Wind played a major factor in the game on Sunday, with gusts effecting play all day. Michigan State benefited from the environmental factors in the 13th when a pop fly to second base by Scanlon, but the gusts pushed the ball out of the reach of Michigan 2B Kevin Krantz and allowed Scanlon to reach second base.

Pickens then put a charge into the first pitch he saw and scored Scanlon with a double. Martinez then singled Pickens in to give the Spartans an insurance run, extending the lead to 10-8 heading into the bottom of the 13th.

The four and a half hour game finally ended when Wieber got the Wolverines out in the bottom of the 13th. Michigan State's next game is Tuesday against Notre Dame at McLane Baseball Stadium in East Lansing at 3:05 p.m.

Spartans Roll In Yspilanti, Beat Eastern Michigan 6-1

MSU Baseball Facebook

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
 
The Spartans took a ride to Ypsilanti, Mich. on Wednesday to take on Eastern Michigan where they beat the Eagles 6-1 to improve to 18-8 on the season. With the win the Spartans have claimed victory in 14 of their last 16 games.

Wednesday's game looked a lot like the Spartans last series with Ohio State with the game being tied at one until the fifth inning. The Spartans exploded in the sixth inning for five runs to put them over the top of the Eagles.

Jordan Keur got things going in the sixth by drawing a leadoff walk before Tony Wieber was hit by a pitch to give the Spartans two men on with no one out in the sixth. Joel Fisher drove in Keur with an RBI single to left. Ryan Krill and John Martinez kept things going with back-to-back singles with Martinez's single scoring Wieber to extend the Spartans lead to 3-1.

Jimmy Pickens grounded out but was able to drive in Fisher making it 4-1. Ryan Jones then continued his hot streak and launched a two-run single to center. With the score sitting at 6-1 the Spartans bullpen shut down Eastern Michigan and finished out the game.

Mick VanVossen, making his second career start, gave the Spartans four innings of four hit baseball, but once again did not earn himself a decision. Wednesday's start was a good bounce back for VanVossen who was coming of a 4.1 inning, five run outing against Central Michigan in his first start.

Trey Popp again took the ball in relief for Michigan State in the fifth. Popp continued his scoreless streak by throwing two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth and earned his second win of the season. Bryce Jenney came in for the Spartans in the seventh and eighth, and kept the Eagles off the scoreboard.

David Garner closed out the game for Michigan State in the ninth, retiring the Eagles in order.

Spartan pitching held Eastern Michigan to just six hits on the day while collecting nine hits of their own.

Spartans Sweep Cincinnati Before Homestand

From the Lansing State Journal

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
 
Saturday, Mar. 17   Spartans v. Cincinnati        Game 2 of 3

Last week the Spartans endured a 16-inning marathon of a game, started by Andrew Waszak, who went seven of those innings, and beat Seton Hall. On Saturday, Waszak was once again on the mound and the Spartans game against the Cincinnati Bearcats extended all the way to the 14th inning where John Martinez drove in the winning run to give the Spartans the 5-4 victory.

After being swept in College Station, Tex. in Feb. the Spartans have won five of their last six games and with their latest extra-innings win improve to 3-0 in extra inning games on the season.

Waszak again went seven innings on Saturday, giving up two runs on five hits while fanning four Bearcats. It was another quality start for the Spartans No. 2 pitcher who now boasts a 1.34 ERA on the season.

Michigan State was leading 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth and with their shutdown closer Tony Wieber toeing the rubber the Spartans thought they were in the clear. Wieber however struggled in his outing and the Bearcats were able to scratch two runs across off the pitcher who hadn't allowed a run in his last seven appearances.

With the game tied at four the Spartans called on Bryce Jenney out of the bullpen to keep the Bearcats from rallying in extras - he did just that. Jenney tossed three scoreless and handed the ball to the eventual winning pitcher Ryan Martin, his first career win.


The Bearcats threatened but did not score off Martin in the 13th. Martin allowed a single which due to an error and a flyout placed a runner on third with two outs, but Martin was able to get the next batter to pop out.

Torsten Boss reached base in the 14th when the Cincinnati shortstop bobbled the ball and allowed him to reach first on an error on a fielder's choice. With one out Jordan Keur bunted Boss over to second where he was able to score off a Martinez single up the middle.

Sunday, Mar. 18     Spartans v. Cincinnati    Game 3 of 3

The Spartans came out swinging on Sunday, compiling 16 hits off Cincinnati pitching while scoring nine runs in a 9-4 victory.With the win the Spartans have won the last six of seven and completed a sweep of the Bearcats.

Mike Theodore made his third start of the season for the Spartans but was still looking for his first win despite having allowed just one earned run and boasting a 0.89 ERA. Theodore had not enjoyed much run support in his previous starts, but Sunday was different.

Michigan State was able to plate five runs in the first two innings and give Theodore the support he needed. Theodore allowed two runs off six hits on the day and came home with his first victory as a Spartan.

John Martinez continued his hot streak and drove in another RBI in the seventh to give the Spartans a 7-2 lead before Jordan Keur singled in another in the eighth. With the score at 8-2 Jimmy Pickens drew a bases loaded walk later in the eighth to drive the score to 9-2.

Sunday was the first collegiate appearance for Mick VanVossen, drafted in 2011 by the Texas Rangers, when he relieved Theodore in the sixth inning. In his 2.2 innings of work VanVossen allowed just one run on four hits while fanning and walking two apiece.

The sweep of Cincinnati was the 11th sweep of a series for the Spartans under Coach Jake Boss Jr., which continues to allow Boss to add to the school record in that category.

Spartans Baseball To Play Big Series in College Station

Photo from MSU Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

The 4-3 Michigan State Spartans face a weekend series this week that is as big as they come - they will be heading to College Station, Tex. March 2-4 for a three game series against the No. 5 ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The Spartans have faced two Top 25 teams this season, winning against No. 11 St. John's and losing to No. 15 Louisville in their first series of the season.

Playing southern teams has always been a struggle for Michigan State because teams like Texas A&M have the luxury of warm weather that allows them to practice outdoors year-round, but Spartans head coach Jake Boss Jr. has stated that the mild winter has been a blessing for his team because they have been able to be on Kobs Field much more than usual.

In their first series of the year the Spartans headed to Dunedin, Fla. and played some of the top teams in the Big East and despite losing to No. 15 Louisville and South Florida, Boss' team was happy with the way they played. They beat No. 11 St. John's on Opening Day and their pitchers had a solid weekend despite the win-loss numbers.

Last weekend Michigan State traveled to play in the First Pitch Invitational for the fifth consecutive year and came very close to sweeping the tournament. In the first day of the tournament the Spartans played a double-header against Miami-Ohio and the host team Furman and beat them both. The following day the Spartans came out on top of Furman once again but they couldn't keep things rolling when they played the RedHawks for the second time, losing 1-0 to close out the tournament.

Boss has said that he is happy with how his team is playing, but has stated that their record could very easily be much more impressive. With the way that his top pitchers are throwing, he is very right. Spartans ace Tony Bucciferro has won both of his starts this season while posting a 2.25 ERA while fanning nine and allowing just three earned runs. Michigan State's second pitcher, Andrew Waszak has been stellar in his two appearances earning himself a 1-0 record while recording a 1.38 ERA, seven strikeouts and allowing just two earned runs. Waszak his holding opposing batters to a .156 batting average so far this season.

Third in the Spartans rotation is David Garner, who had a less than stellar performance against No. 15 Louisville in his first start of the season, but bounced back well in his second appearance against Furman. On the season Garner has a 7.27 ERA while allowing seven earned runs but he is missing bats, as evident by his 10 strikeouts on the season. If the Spartans will defend their Big Ten championship he will need to play like he did against Furman and continue to miss bats.

The Aggies are a formidable 8-1 on the season with their most recent win coming as an 8-1 victory over Northwestern State. Texas A&M's top pitcher, Michael Wacha has posted outstanding numbers in his first two appearances this season - compiling two victories, 19 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA. During his starts opponents are hitting .075 and have recorded just three hits. Things don't get much easier as the Aggies also have Rafael Pineda who through his two starts has given up six hits, struck out 11 and recorded a 1.29 ERA.

Michigan State will need their big bats the show up in College Station, Tex. to have a chance to pull out a series win this weekend. OF Jordan Keur leads the Spartans with a .458 batting average and a .548 OBP. C John Martinez trails Keur with a .368 BA and a .400 OBP. 2B Ryan Jones has a .323 BA and .382 OBP on the season and is closely trailed by SS Justin Scanlon who has posted a .313 BA and a .333 OBP.

While Coach Boss would surely like to see his team OBP be higher, he has to be happy with the production he has been getting so far, but his leading batters will need to stay as such in the series with the Aggies. If the bats of Keur, Martinez and Jones go silent in College Station then the Spartans may be swept out of Tex. without a win. Needless to say this is a big weekend for the green and white.