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.