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 Take Weekend Series Against Illinois

Sean Gagnier / Gang Green

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

The Spartans traveled to Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini this weekend and took two of three games from them; winning the first two contests before dropping the final game on Sunday. During the weekend, freshman Jimmy Pickens had a career series and earned himself conference honors.

Friday

Illinois pitching didn't stand a chance as the Spartans blasted 17 hits for 15 runs, recording eight of those runs against Illini starter Kevin Johnson in his 4.2 innings. Johnson, who had been tied for second in the Big Ten with seven wins, turned in a line that included eight allowed runs, seven earned runs on eight hits.

Spartan starter Tony Bucciferro stayed on the mound for 6.1 innings while giving up four runs on five hits and fanning five. He was tagged with the victory on the day, his fourth of the season and 24th of his career.

Pickens had a career day, going 3-for-5 with 6 RBI, a team and personal high. Highlights of Pickens' day were his two run double in the fifth and his bases-clearing triple in the sixth. Pickens' other RBI came on a single in the fourth that plated a runner.

After scoring four times in the fifth and five times in the sixth the Spartans held a ten-run, 13-3, lead over the Illini. Jared Hook would add another run on a solo home run in the seventh and Ryan Krill singled in the 15th run in the ninth inning.

Saturday

Yet another game went into extras and yet another time the Spartans came out on top - Michigan State improved its record to 7-1 in extra innings by beating the Illini 6-5 on Saturday. The victory secured the Spartans their first series win at Illinois since 2003.

Andrew Waszak tied a season high five strikeouts during his six innings of work; while on the mound he allowed eight hits and five runs, including a three-run home run in the first inning. Waszak calmed down after his shaky first inning and didn't allow another run until the fifth when the Illini scored two more to tie the game at five.

Jeff Kinley entered the game in the seventh in relief of Waszak and continued his dominance of late. Kinley threw 3.2 innings of shutout ball, adding to his scoreless streak that now sits at 26 innings. He was credited with the win, giving him a team-leading six victories on the season.

With the teams tied at five in the 10th, Jordan Keur drew a walk with one out. He then was able to get himself in scoring position by stealing second. Krill then hit a grounder to first base, but due to a bobble Keur was able to come around and score.

With Michigan State up 6-5, Kinley returned to the mound but didn't quite have it any more. An Illinois base-runner was able to get to second base on a two-base error by Pickens with one out. After fanning the next batter and walking the following one, Head Coach Jake Boss, Jr. turned to his closer Tony Wieber.

Runners on first and third and two outs, Wieber recorded his seventh save by getting the batter to pop out and close out the win for the Spartans.

Sunday

Michigan State wasn't able to complete the sweep over Illinois on Sunday, losing to the Illini, 8-6. The Spartans never led in the contest, but were able to tie things up three different times.

The see-saw match began when Illinois plated a run in the bottom of the second ahead of a Ryan Jones solo home run in the top of the third to tie the game at one. Illinois regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning by scoring an unearned run, but Pickens homered in the top of the fourth to tie the game at two all.

In the bottom of the fourth the Illini scored three more and racked up two more hits in the fifth before Spartan starter David Garner was pulled. Bryce Jenney came in as relief for Garner but allowed a sac-fly to extend the Illini lead to 6-2.

But three runs in the sixth and one in the seventh by the Spartans tied things at six. It was a three-run shot by John Martinez in the sixth that allowed the Spartans to get back into the game. Torsten Boss was able to cross the plate in the seventh after drawing a walk and eventually scoring on a wild pitch.

Jenney allowed a lead off single in the seventh before being relieved by Trey Popp. Popp allowed a sac-bunt, walked a batter and then gave up a single, loading the bases before being given the hook. Wieber was brought in to stop the Illinois rally but hit the first batter he faced. A sac-fly would tack on another run, giving the Illini their final 8-6 lead.

Big Ten Honors for Pickens

Pickens was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week on Monday for his performance in the weekend series against Illinois. He went .500 in the series (6-for-12), racked up seven RBI, scored four times and hit his sixth homer of the season.

Comedy in the locker room

The Spartans aren't all business, take this picture from catcher Joel Fisher. It shows him and fellow backstop Blaise Salter engaged in what Fisher referred to as "locker room chicken."

@J_Fish32 / Twitter

Garner Tosses Complete Game As Spartans Shut Out No.13 Purdue

MSU Baseball Facebook Page

 By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

Spartans pitcher David Garner took things into his own hands on Sunday when he threw a complete game shutout, while fanning seven to lead his Spartans to a 5-0 win over the No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers.

During the nine innings that Garner was on the mound, he allowed just five Purdue hits - impressive as Purdue entered Sunday as the third best batting team in the country. The shutout was the first the Boilermakers suffered this season.

The win was Garner's first complete game of his career and the second in three days for Spartans pitching. Tony Bucciferro threw eight innings against Purdue on Friday in Michigan State's 6-2 loss that day. Sunday's win allowed the Spartans to avoid the sweep by the Boilermakers who won in walk-off fashion in the 14th inning Saturday night.

Michigan State got on the board first in the fourth inning when Torsten Boss, Ryan Krill and Justin Scanlon all contributed RBI singles to the effort. The three runs would be all Garner would need as he did not allow a runner to reach base on balls and surrendered just two hits in the final four innings of the game.

The Spartans would tack on two more runs in the eighth and ninth innings, with Jared Hook hitting an RBI single in the eighth and Scanlon with his own RBI single in the ninth. 

No. 13 Purdue Takes First Two Games From Spartans

MSU Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

The Spartan baseball team traveled to West Lafayette, Ind. to take on No. 13 Purdue in a three-game weekend series. First on the mound for the Spartans was Tony Bucciferro, the ace of the staff, and despite giving Michigan State a complete game in the first game of the series, the Spartans fell 6-2. On Saturday, the Spartans lost a 14-inning heart breaker to the Boilermakers, 4-3.

Friday

Michigan State went up against Purdue's ace, Joe Haase, who improved to 7-0 on the season, allowing just one run and maintaining his perfect record. Haase gave the Boilermakers seven innings of work while giving up six hits and fanning three. 

In Bucciferro's eight-inning outing he scattered eight Boilermaker hits, while allowing six runs, four earned. Purdue struck big in the fourth inning when RF Barrett Sarrato turned on a Bucciferro pitch and sent the ball over the fences for a grand slam - erasing the one-run lead the Spartans had and putting the Boilermakers up 4-1.

Two unearned Boilermaker runs came across in the seventh inning to extend their lead to 6-1. With the win Purdue improved it's nation-leading winning percentage to .846 and their record to 33-6. Michigan State failed to scratch across another run until the ninth inning when they loaded the bases with no outs.

With the bases loaded and no one out the Spartans bounced into a double play, which allowed a run to score but all but put the nail in the Spartans coffin. 

Jordan Keur improved his team-leading batting average to .406, by going 2-for-4 and being the only Spartan with more than one hit.

Saturday

The Spartans were in familiar territory on Saturday when they took the Purdue Boilermakers into 14 innings, but for the first time in seven attempts, Michigan State did not come out on top in the extra inning match-up, falling to Purdue, 4-3.

Both pitchers were on their game on Saturday - with a pitchers duel going on, the Spartans did not score until they were able to get three in the eighth inning. Torsten Boss cleared the bases with two outs in the top of the eighth for the Spartans when he took a pitch and drove it into the gap.

Andrew Waszak was on the mound for the Spartans and went 7.2 innings, exiting in the eighth inning having allowed just one run on the day. Waszak was in line for the win with closer Tony Wieber on the mound with a 0.94 ERA. But Wieber didn't seem to have it on Saturday.

With one out in the ninth, Wieber loaded the bases, but after getting a fly out for the second out of the inning, a clutch hit plated the two tying runs, tying the game a three and sending it into extras. The Spartans threatened but did not score in the 11th inning when they squandered a Ryan Jones single and Torsten Boss reaching on an error with no outs.

Purdue took home the win in the 14th when Tyler Spillner was able to reach first base on a fielding error by Jones. The next batter, Eric Charles, got on first on a throwing error by Boss. With men on first and second, a wild pitch moved them each up 90-ft. Cameron Perkins then singled to right field to score Spillner and win the game for the Boilermakers, 4-3.

Spartans Baseball Take Two of Three Against Minnesota

MSU Baseball

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
 
After a rain soaked Friday forced a double header on Saturday the Spartans and Golden Gophers of Minnesota split the twin billing with Michigan State winning on a walk-off in game one before having their five game winning streak snapped in game two. On Sunday, the Spartans shook off their loss and beat the Gophers in the 10th inning on a Torsten Boss walk-off allowing the Spartans to win two out of three games on the weekend.

Saturday - Double Header

The first game of the double header featured some of the best pitchers, starting and relievers, in the Big Ten. Michigan State had Tony Bucciferro on the mound going against Minnesota's TJ Oakes. Oakes entered the game ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten in ERA, IP and wins.

Minnesota struck first in the game when they strung together three hits in the first inning and were able to plate a runner, but the Spartans Jordan Keur tied things up in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI single.

Michigan State got to Oakes in the fifth with two outs when Ryan Jones singled to center field and was able to scamper around the bases and score on a Boss double to left field. After a shaky first inning, Bucciferro was able to toss four scoreless innings for the Spartans, allowing them to get out to a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning.

The Gophers tied the game at two in the sixth when catcher Matt Halloran singled in a run. Minnesota was able to chase Bucciferro from the game in the seventh when they loaded the bases with two outs. Spartans coach Jake Boss, Jr. gave the ball to Jeff Kinley to get his team out of the jam. Kinley did his job and got the next batter to ground out to end the inning.

Oakes also left after throwing 6.2 innings; he left runners on first and second with two outs for his reliever who was able to get Boss to pop out to end the threat.

Kinley and Gophers reliever Tom Windle both continued the pitchers duel into the 11th inning when Joel Fisher singled with two outs to put Spartans on first and third. Minnesota turned to their closer Kevin Kray to stop the rally but he walked Jones, loading the bases. Then Boss was able to draw a five pitch walk that forced in the game winning run.

The win was the Spartans third walk-off of the season, the fifth win of the season for Kinley and expanded Michigan State's extra innings record to 5-0.

Game two did not go the Spartans way. Michigan State, looking for their sixth win in a row, jumped out to a early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Ryan Krill, continued to shine in his freshman season when he drove in an RBI in the first with a ground out. The Spartans struggled to bring runners home in the early innings, leaving four runners on in the first two innings.

Krill's RBI would be the only run the Spartans would get until in the late game as they struggled to get anything going against Minnesota's DJ Snelton. The Gophers would bounce back in the second inning and plate two runners before adding two more in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead.

After a shaky first two innings Snelton settled in and faced the minimum through the next four innings. In the seventh the Spartans were able to scratch across another run when Jimmy Pickens was able to ground out to the right side of the infield.

Snelton completed the game, his first of the season, while throwing 121 pitches, allowing seven hits and fanning three. His counterpart, Andrew Waszak allowed just four runs through 5.2 innings, but his offense wasn't able to bail him out and he suffered his third loss of the season, making his record 4-3.

Sunday

In another extra innings game, the Spartans counted on Torsten Boss once again as he drove in the winning run on an RBI single to lift Michigan State over Minnesota in the rubber match of the series by a score of 5-4.

Extra innings have been good to the Spartans this year, with Sunday's victory being the fourth walk-off win of the season and second of the series for the Spartans. Michigan State's bats were hot on Sunday, racking up 15 hits, lead by Jordan Keur who matched a career high four hits on the day.

Minnesota scored twice in the eighth to tie the game at four, then Michigan State loaded the bases with no outs for the second straight inning, but came up short in both instances. Jimmy Pickens attempted to break the tie with two outs in the eighth when he made a break for the plate on a fly ball to center, but Gopher's center fielder Jake Bergren cut him down at the plate to end the inning.

In the 10th inning the Spartans once again filled the bases with no one out when Pickens launched a deep hit to right-center field, but as he was rounding first base he ran into Gophers first baseman Dan Olinger. The collision with Olinger sent Pickens stumbling but he was able to round second base and dig for third where he was thrown out. The umpires called Olinger for interference however, and awarded Pickens third base on the play.

Joel Fisher hit a hard liner between the shortstop and third baseman, but Gophers SS Matt Puhl was able to knock it down before it got out of the infield and held Pickens at third while Fisher reached first on the infield hit. In the next at bat, Ryan Jones was able to hit a pop up that dropped just in front of the Minnesota left fielder; it allowed Fisher to advance to second and Jones to reach first but was not deep enough to score Pickens.

With the bases loaded and no outs Boss stepped to the plate. He had worked a five pitch walk to score the game-winning run in the first game of the double header on Saturday and now he looked to do the same. On the first pitch Boss saw he connected with it and drove it to left-center field to score Pickens and give Michigan State the 5-4 win.

Hoosiers Walk-Off Against Spartans, 3-2

MSU Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

It wasn't the ending the Spartans had envisioned, Tony Wieber threw a wild pitch to the plate that allowed Indiana's Michael Basil to hustle the 90 ft to home to score the game-winning run. With Basil's intelligent play the Hoosiers beat the Spartans 3-2 on Friday night.

The game was billed to be a pitchers duel and Michigan State's Tony Bucciferro and Indiana's Joey DeNato proved to live up to that hype. Bucciferro, who lead the Big Ten in strikeouts heading into the game, gave the Spartans seven innings on the mound while surrendering just four hits, two runs and fanning seven.

DeNato, not to be outdone, also turned in seven innings of work while giving up two runs on seven hits.

The Hoosiers would score first when they got a solo shot from Dillon Dooney in the fourth to give them a 1-0 lead. Michigan State was able to answer in the fifth when a Justin Scanlon groundout scored Blaise Salter who had reached base on a double earlier in the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth Indiana would again grab the lead before the Spartans were able to drive home Ryan Jones who doubled to lead off the sixth inning.

With the game tied at two in the ninth, Michigan State threatened but did not score. Bases loaded and one out for Jordan Keur, who lined out to left field, but it wasn't deep enough to allow Anthony Cheky to score. Cheky took off down the third base line but was thrown out at home to end the inning.

Indiana also would threaten with the bases loaded in the ninth, but they are able to convert on the opportunity. With the bases loaded and two outs, Bryce Jenney was lifted for Wieber. Wieber was able to get a foul tip on his first pitch, but his second got past John Martinez and allowed Basil to score from third.

Saturday's game was postponed due to weather and the two teams were scheduled to play a double-header on Sunday.

Wolverines Drop Spartans 4-0 in Ann Arbor

MSU Baseball Facebook

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

Michigan's Brandon Sinnery proved to be too much for the Spartans as he tossed 8.1 scoreless innings in the Wolverines 4-0 victory of the series opener with Michigan State in Ann Arbor on Friday night.

Michigan State has ace Tony Bucciferro on the mound and, as always, he gave them a good outing, throwing 7.2 innings while striking out seven. The loss was reminiscent of Bucciferro's first Big Ten outing this season against Ohio State. During his two starts against the Buckeyes and Wolverines Bucciferro has allowed just four runs but has not received any run support of his own.

The Wolverines had their own ace on the mound in Sinnery, who turned in a stellar performance. He was eventually relieved from the mound, but only after throwing 127 pitches in 8.1 innings of scoreless ball while fanning five, walking just one and scattering nine hits.

UM shortstop Dylan Delaney gave the Wolverines all the runs they would need in the first inning when he connected with a Bucciferro pitch in the bottom of the first and drove it over the left field wall for a solo home run.

Bucciferro held the score at 1-0 until Patrick Biondi launched a pitch over the right field wall for a home run and John Lorenz plated a runner with a single to left. Coley Crank drove a Bucciferro pitch down the left field line in the eighth for an RBI double, giving the Wolverines a 4-0 advantage.

Michigan State outhit Michigan nine to eight, but struggled with runners in scoring position, stranding nine men on base in the game and four in the eighth and ninth innings.

The Spartans threatened in the sixth inning when the top of the order clicked and combined for three straight singles to load the bases with two out. Michigan stymied the rally when Sinnery was able to get Tony Wieber to pop out to end the inning.

In the eighth the Spartans threatened once again, getting Jordan Keur and Torsten Boss on base on back to back singles. But with the runners on and two out the Spartans were unable to cash in on the scoring opportunity.

Michigan State gave one last effort with one out in the ninth when they loaded the bases. But a Jared Hook grounder that was turned for a double play ended the rally and the game for the Spartans.

The Michigan victory is their first in their last four opportunities, with the losing skid dating back to the 2010 season. The series shifts to McLane Baseball Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday before closing out back in Ann Arbor on Sunday.

Buckeyes Beat Spartans 1-0 in Big Ten Opener

MSU Athletics

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

The Ohio State Buckeyes edged out a hard fought victory over the Spartans in the Big Ten Opener on Saturday 1-0. It turned into a pitchers duel with both pitchers playing exceedingly well, but the Buckeyes were able to get to the Spartans relief pitching late for the win.

Spartans starter Tony Bucciferro tossed eight scoreless innings while fanning nine and ultimately allowing just two hits. The Buckeyes broke up Bucciferro's no-hit bid in the seventh. But that performance wasn't good enough to beat Buckeye's starter Jaron Long who threw a complete-game, allowing only five hits.

Bucciferro had to be given the hook after the eighth inning as his pitch count was at 122, Head Coach Jake Boss, Jr. turned to David Garner in the ninth to keep things knotted at zero. Ohio State had other ideas however and scored the game-winning run in the top of the ninth.

Garner walked the first two batters he faced and was lifted for reliever Trey Popp. Popp lasted just one batter after Kirby Pellant sacrificed the runners to second and third. Coach Boss then turned to his closer to get his team out of the jam. Tony Wieber faced off against David Corna, and Corna won. Corna drove a 2-1 pitch to right field that brought home the game-winning run.

Wieber was able to stop the bleeding to just one run and strand Buckeyes on first and third, but the one run was all Ohio State would need to top the Spartans on Saturday.

Michigan State still had a chance in the bottom of the ninth when Andrew Cheky drew a leadoff walk - the only walk allowed by Long all game. However, Cheky got greedy and was thrown out attempting to steal second base for the first out of the inning. With the bases clear Ryan Jones hit a single but Jordan Keur ended the game by hitting into a double play.

Saturday's game was a classic pitchers duel with the Buckeyes collecting just three hits on the day and the Spartans only amassing five. Bucciferro has yet to allow a runner to score in his two outings at McLane Baseball Stadium, but has yet to earn a decision at home. No earned runs have been scored against Bucciferro since the first inning of the Spartans game against Cincinnati on March 16th.

  

Spartans Take Home Opener Against Oakland

Photo from Sean Gagnier

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

Tony Bucciferro toed the slab at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field for the first time this season and he refused to give up an earned run to the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland. The Spartans ace took the ball from Coach Jake Boss Jr. and went seven solid innings in a 2-1 Spartans win.

Oakland was able to plate their only runner of the game in the first inning when Tim Ryan reached base on a throwing error by Justin Scanlon. From there the Grizzlies showed how aggressive they play ball as Ryan stole second followed quickly by another swipe of third. Aaron Cieslak then singled Ryan in, an unearned run, before himself stealing second. Bucciferro was then able to get Spencer Marentette to ground out to end the inning.

Michigan State was unable to get a runner home until the third when Jared Hook hit a lead off double to center ahead of a Anthony Cheky sacrifice bunt to move him to third. With Hook on third Ryan Jones flew out to center to allow Hook to tag and score.

Bucciferro took advantage of the aggressive Oakland team, picking two runners off first base during his seven innings of work. During his time on the mound Bucciferro allowed seven hits, even pitching out of a bases loaded one out jam in the second, while walking two and fanning four.

Jeff Kinley entered the game in relief of Bucciferro in the eighth and retired Oakland without allowing a hit while walking one. Tony Wieber, the designated hitter for the game, drove in Jordan Keur on a double to left. Keur reached base on a walk before being plated by Wieber. Jimmy Pickens then struck out looking before Kevin Goergen grounded out to third.

In the ninth Coach Boss turned to David Garner who walked one and retired one before being hit by a throw from catcher John Martinez.

With an Oakland player on first he took off for second and Martinez rose and fired towards second base to try to catch him stealing, but instead caught Garner square in the back causing him to double over. He attempted to get back on the mound but was unable to which meant that Tony Wieber took over for the last 2/3 of the inning.

Wieber faced two batters in his time in the ninth, he struck one out looking before getting Todd Dunham to pop out to third to end the game.

Bucciferro Shines as Spartans Down Bearcats 4-3

Photo from Michigan State Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
 
It may have taken a career game by Tony Bucciferro but the Spartans went into Cincinnati and beat the Bearcats 4-3 on Friday. Bucciferro, the Spartans right-handed ace, fanned a career-high 10 batters while pitching his way to his 23rd career victory.

With the win, Bucciferro (3-1) moves into a tie for fourth in all-time wins for Michigan State with Larry Ike and Brian Wolcott. His 10 strikeouts also pushes Bucciferro over 200 for his career, becoming only the third Spartan to accomplish such a feat.

The Spartans scored first off a Torsten Boss sacrifice fly in the first to score Andrew Cheky. Bucciferro then surrendered two runs in the bottom of the inning giving Cincinnati a 2-1 lead going into the 2nd inning.

The two runs would be the only the Bearcats would get off Bucciferro who had a highlight reel game, retiring 10 consecutive Cincinnati batters at one point.

Michigan State would knot the game at two in the fourth when a Ryan Krill single allowed Jimmy Pickens to reach the plate. The Spartans would then jump out the the lead in the sixth when Pickens again reached the plate, this time off the bat of John Martinez.

Boss then added one more to the Spartans tally in the seventh when he knocked home Jordan Keur on a double. Bucciferro would give up the ball in the eighth and was relieved by Trey Popp who then promptly gave up three hits to his first four batters, including a leadoff home run in the inning that cut into the Spartans lead, 4-3.

Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. called on Saturday's starter, David Garner, who came into the eighth with his team up one and runners on second and third with just one out. Garner then fanned his first batter before walking the bases loaded and getting the final out of the inning on a looking strikeout.

Coach Boss then gave the ball to his closer, Tony Wieber, in the ninth and he made short work of the Bearcats. Wieber fanned all three batters in the ninth and picked up his fourth save of the season and 13th of his career.

His 13 saves puts Wieber one save away from a tie with Brad Lamont for the Michigan State record. Including Wieber's three and Bucciferro's 10, Spartan pitchers recorded 15 strikeouts on Friday.
 

Spartans Rally Pushes Them Past Xavier

Photo from MSU Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

The Spartans headed to Port Charlotte, Fla. to compete in the Snowbird Classic and their first opponent was Xavier. Michigan State rallied for the lead in the bottom of the seventh to claim a 6-5 lead after scoring three runs in the inning. They would go on to add two more runs in the eighth to bring the final to 8-5.

In the seventh the Spartans did their damage with two outs, striking for three straight hits to rally for three runs. Anthony Cheky made his second collegiate start in center field and started the seventh inning rally with a single before stealing second, his second swipe of the game. Torsten Boss then drove home Cheky on an RBI double before Ryan Jones singled in Boss, tying the game at five.

A Jimmy Pickens double down the right field line scored Jones before he was caught in a run-down to end the inning. Ryan Krill started the Spartans off in the eighth when he drove a double to the right center field wall that scored Justin Scanlon before he himself came to the plate on a balk and an error in the field.

Spartans starter Tony Bucciferro had an uncharacteristically poor outing, being charged with all five Xavier runs while surrendering seven hits, walking two and fanning four during his 6.2 innings on the mound. Bryce Jenney came on in relief of Bucciferro and although he allowed one of the runners he inherited from Bucciferro to score he threw a scoreless eighth and picked up his first win as a Spartan. 

Tony Wieber came on to throw his usual ninth inning and sat Xavier down in order to record his third save of the season. His 12 career saves now places his second all time for the Spartans with Mike Ericson and Domanick Squires.

The key to the Spartans recent wins and their ability to hang with the top teams in the country is that Coach Jake Boss Jr. has them running the base paths - the Spartans have stolen eight bases in the last two games, three from Cheky who is making a name for himself in his first two collegiate starts.

Errors Cost Spartans Series Opener Against Aggies

From MSU Athletics Department

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

Michigan State headed down to College Station, Tex. to take on the No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies in the biggest series of the young baseball season but errors cost the Spartans the game as they lost 7-3 in front of 5,236 onlookers.

The Spartans were able to get to Aggies starter Michael Wacha, who had surrendered just three hits in his previous two starts. Jordan Keur, Torsten Boss, Ryan Jones and Ryan Krill each struck for two hits as the Spartans combined for 12 hits Friday night. Michigan State, now 4-4, left 10 runners on base, seven of whom were in scoring position against the Aggies, something that Coach Jake Boss Jr. called "frustrating."

Wacha gave up the first run, giving up a lead-of home run to Boss, his second of the season. But A&M came right back and plated two runs in the third inning and three in the fourth to gain a 5-1 lead - they never looked back. Spartans starter Tony Bucciferro didn't have the benefit of solid defense behind him during the third and fourth as his defenders committed three errors.

In Wacha's seven innings of work he fanned seven Spartans while surrendering a season-high eight hits and two runs. His counterpart, Bucciferro, didn't fair as well as he was on the mound for six innings, surrendering five runs, all earned, on 10 hits while striking out five Aggies.

Jimmy Pickens singled in the Spartans second run in the eighth inning to bring the score to 6-2 after the Aggies plated their sixth the half-inning before. A&M reliever Estevan Uriegas pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the eighth by striking out Andy Johnson on three straight pitches.

Texas A&M would go on to add another run in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to 7-2. In the ninth the Spartans recorded three straight singles from Krill, pinch-hitter Blaise Slater and Keur loading the bases before Boss hit into a double play bringing the score to 7-3. Pickens then grounded out to end the game.

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.

Spartans Sweep Day One of First Pitch Invitational

MSU Baseball Facebook Photo

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

Coming off a 1-2 weekend in the Big Ten / Big East Challenge the Spartans were looking to bounce back in their fifth trip to the First Pitch Invitational in Greenville, S.C. Day one held a double header for Michigan State against Miami-Ohio and Furman. The Spartans proved to be too much for both clubs as they locked up a 13-4 drubbing of the Red Hawks and a 4-2 victory over Furman.

Riding an 11-run third inning the Spartans cruised to a 13-4 win over Miami-Ohio in the opening game of the First Pitch Invitational on Friday. Michigan State roughed up Red Hawks pitching for 16 hits with Ryan Jones, John Martinez and Jared Hook racking up three apiece.

The Spartans ace Tony Bucciferro toed the rubber for the second time this season and earned his 22nd career victory in a solid outing. In his six innings of work, Bucciferro allowed four runs, three earned, while surrendering 10 hits and fanning two. It was Bucciferro's second straight game in which he did not walk a batter.

Jones led off the third inning with a single before stealing second and made it home off a Justin Scanlon single. Following a Torsten Boss flyout, Michigan State went on to get eight straight hits with 11 batters reaching base consecutively.

The Spartans punished RedHawks pitching and were only retired after a double play was turned with the bases loaded. Spartans batters had tallied 11 runs on 11 hits in the third, the most since a 12 run inning against Iowa in 2010.

Miami-Ohio trimmed the Spartans 12-0 lead in the fourth by scoring one run and then plating three more in the fifth inning. Coach Jake Boss Jr. said he hoped his team could have scored more and wished his pitcher could have gone longer but attributed the surrendered runs to the rain delays throughout the game.

Michigan State tacked on one more in the seventh to bring the score to 13-4 before Joe Zwierzynski tossed three scoreless innings to earn his second career save for the Spartans.

vs. Furman

The Spartans were still hot coming off their 13-4 win over Miami-Ohio when they took on Furman in the second game of the First Pitch Invitational. Michigan State jumped out to a quick lead with a three-run first and successfully defended their lead the right of the game.

Jones had another successful game, going 2-for-4 against Furman and 5-for-9 on the day. He showed why Coach Boss has him written into the lead off position with a solo home run to start the game. A Jordan Keur sac fly and a Jared Hook groundout plated Scanlon and Boss to extend the Spartans first inning lead to 3-0.

Furman answered right back with a solo home run in the bottom of the first but were then shut down by Andrew Waszak. The Paladins were unable to muster anything else against Waszak until the sixth when an RBI groundout cut the Spartans lead to 3-2.

LHP Trey Popp made his second appearance of the season in the seventh when he came in the relieve Waszak and held the Paladins to their two runs. Waszak had his second successful start of the season, but the first in which he earned a decision. Through sixth innings, Waszak struck out four while surrendering just three hits and two runs.

In the top of the ninth Jones continued his hot day and drove home Ryan Krill to extend the Spartans lead to 4-2. Tony Wieber entered the game in the eighth and ran into some trouble in the ninth. After surrendering two singles putting the tying runs on base Wieber was able to retire the Paladins and record his 11th career save.

Spartans Finish Big East Challenge with Loss but with Honors for Bucciferro

Photo from MSU Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier

@SeanGagnier 

The Spartans dropped the final game of the Big Ten/Big East Challenge to No. 15 Louisville by a score of 7-6. The weekend wasn't a total loss for Michigan State, who took on the top three programs in the Big East and managed an 11-4 victory over No. 11 St. John's in the opening day of the tournament.

Michigan State scratched across an unearned run in the second before Louisville scored two off a home run but they quickly bounced back with a four run third to gain a 5-2 lead and chase Louisville starter Travis Tingle from the game. The Spartans had a big fourth, but it could have been much better for them as they had the bases loaded with no outs and failed to plate any more than four runners.

Louisville answered back in the bottom of the third scoring three times off starter David Garner who was replaced on the mound in the fourth by Trey Popp after the Cardinals scored again to give themselves a 6-5 advantage. Popp was unable to get a hold and the Cardinals singled home another run in the sixth to extend the lead to 7-5.

Garner's performance was vastly different than the previous two Spartan pitchers days - Garner lasted 3.2 innings, surrendering six runs on seven hits and fanning just four. Spartans starters Tony Bucciferro and Andrew Waszak posted impressive numbers in their outings going six innings with one hit and fanning six and seven innings with four hits and 3 K's respectively.

Michigan State was able to close the gap to 7-6 in the seventh after a bunt single and throwing error allowed Keur to reach second before advancing 90 feet on a flyout and scoring on a groundout to the right side of the infield. The Spartans were unable to get anything else going against the Cardinals closer, Derek Self who picked up his first save of the season.

The green and white don't have long to lick their wounds as they will be heading to Greenville, S.C. for the First Pitch Invitational from Feb. 24-26. The Spartans will face Miami-Ohio and Furman twice during the Invitational.

Bucciferro named Big Ten co-pitcher of the week

For his dominating performance in the Spartans opening game against St. John's senior Tony Bucciferro was named the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week. In his start on Friday Bucciferro led the Spartans to an 11-4 win by retiring the first 13 batter he faced and allowing just one hit through his six innings of work.

Bucciferro managed to fan six Red Storm players while not surrendering a base-on-balls all day for his 21st career victory in the green and white. The win vaults him to sixth place in Spartan history, tied with Ron Perranoski.

This is Bucciferro's second time receiving this award, having earned the honor last April following his third complete game shutout for the Spartans in a game against Minnesota.

Spartan Baseball Opens Season in Big Ten/Big East Challenge

Photo from SpartanNation.com

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

Baseball season is already here for the Spartans who traveled down to Dunedin, Fla. to compete in the final year of the Big Ten-Big East Challenge. Michigan State drew a tough slate of opponents for the tournament facing off against No. 11 St. John's, South Florida, and No. 15 Louisville over the weekend.

RHP Tony Bucciferro becomes the Spartans ace this season and took the mound in the opener against St. John's, securing a victory on the power of his teammates bats. The team wasn't able to keep things rolling on Saturday when they fell late to South Flordia in a 2-1 loss.

Opening Day vs. No. 11 St. John's - Feb. 17

Michigan State never trailed on the day to St. John's and rode a six-run eight inning to claim an 11-4 victory. The Opening Day win is nothing new for Spartan Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. who extended his Opening Day record to 4-0 in green and white.

Bucciferro stepped up and showed why Coach Boss considers him the ace of the staff and why he was named co-captain by getting his 21st career victory and surrendering just one hit through six innings while sitting down his first 13 batters. On the day Bucciferro struck out six while walking just one.

The performance of his ace pitcher is exactly what Coach Boss wanted to see out of the gates as he is looking to fill the void left by Kurt Wunderlich. Wunderlich dominated the opposition and clearly established himself as the ace of the staff last season - something Coach Boss wanted to see from Bucciferro. If the senior can continue with the kind of stuff he displayed Friday, he will do Wunderlich justice.

Pre-season All American Torsten Boss played his first career game in center field on Friday, a move that didn't appear to phase him as he turned in a 3-for-5 performance with a home run in his first plate appearance and three RBI on the day. Boss had previously played third base the past two seasons but Coach Boss, no relation, said that he felt that Boss was too athletic for the hot corner and could do much more in center field.

The Spartans relief corps looked a bit shaky once Bucciferro left the game, allowing St. John's to creep back into the game, getting as close as 5-4 before closer Tony Wieber came in to shut down the rally. Following clutch RBI knocks in the eighth Wieber recorded his 10th career save, tied for fourth most in Michigan State history.

vs. South Florida - Feb. 18

The Spartans suffered their first loss of the season on a solo-home run by South Florida's Andrew Longely in the bottom of the ninth inning, handing MSU a 2-1 defeat. Longely's home run was just the coup-de-gras in the collapse - the Spartans led the Bulls 1-0 heading into the eighth but following an RBI double and Longely's homer the next inning green and white went home losers.

RHP Andrew Waszak dominated the Bulls through seven, holding them scoreless while surrendering just four hits, walking two and striking out three. The junior looks to solidify his spot in the rotation with a number of quality starts early in the season.

LHP Jeff Kinley relieved Waszak in the eighth and was hit around to some extent, allowing an RBI double with two outs in the eighth before surrendering the game-winning homer in the ninth. Kinley's performance wasn't all bad, the contact pitcher was able to strike out a batter and secure a ground-out before Longely's one-out walk-off homer in the ninth.

The only run the Spartans were able to plate came off the bat of junior Jordan Keur who singled in Joel Fisher in the 2nd. Keur's RBI wasn't the only scoring opportunity the Spartans had as they stranded seven runners, four of whom were in scoring position on the day.

Boss may have some competition this season as Keur is 5-for-7 over the Spartans first two games this season. The Spartans have RHP David Garner on the mound as they take on No. 15 Louisville on Feb. 19.

Spartan Baseball Picked to Repeat as Big Ten Champs

Photo from SpartanNation.com via MSU SID

By Sean Gagnier

Easton Baseball released their predictions for each of the major collegiate baseball conferences and has Michigan State repeating as the Big Ten champions in 2012. The Spartans took control of the Big Ten last season and won their first conference title since 1979.

2011 saw Michigan State win more than 30 games for the second year in a row and maintain the highest batting average in the Big Ten (.318). Despite losing several players to the MLB draft the Spartans are returning seven starters, four of which posted batting averages of .300+.

The bad news for Michigan State is that they lost Brandon Eckerle, who hit .379 last season, Jeff Holm a .376 hitter and ace-pitcher Kurt Wunderlich who went 10-2 with a 3.19 ERA. With their top two hitters having left the banks of the Red Cedar the Spartans will look to players like Torsten Boss, .370 in 2011, and Ryan Jones, .344, to pick up the slack and propel them back to the championship.

Michigan State could have fielded an all "Gold Glove" team in 2011 with a .976 fielding percentage. The Spartans will again field Boss at 3B, Justin Scanlon at SS, Jones at 2B and the nearly perfect Joel Fisher. Behind the plate Fisher was only credited with one error during the 2011 season and will be managing an experienced pitching rotation.

The pitching rotation is highlighted by Tony Bucciferro (8-3, 3.38 ERA), Andrew Waszak (4-3, 4.79 ERA) and  David Garner (5-4, 4.62 ERA). The top Spartan pitchers will need to maintain their output from last season in order to give their team a chance to get back to the Big Ten title game and beat Illinois for the outright Big Ten title.

Top Spartan relievers Tony Wieber (5-0, 3.64 ERA, 8 SV) and Bryce Jenney (0-1, 4.58 ERA, 5 SV) are returning and will be joined by a solid group of incoming players that will fortify the bullpen for Coach Jake Boss.

The highlights of Coach Boss' recruiting class are C Blaise Salter, 1B Ryan Krill, OF Jeremy Pickens and RHP Mick Van Vossen. All four were drafted, Slater, Krill and Pickens by the Detroit Tigers and Van Vossen by the Texas Rangers but decided to head to East Lansing instead of the minors.

This season could prove whether or not Michigan State was a fluke last year or if Coach Boss is truly building something special in East Lansing. With the amount of skill the Spartans possess, they should have no trouble reaching 30 wins once again, but it will take special effort by several players to get Michigan State back to where they were last season.