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 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.

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.

Eastern Michigan Beats Michigan State, 13-5

Justin Wan / The State News

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

Michigan State was unable to keep their mid-week winning streak going on Wednesday afternoon after suffering a 13-5 loss to the Eastern Michigan Eagles at McLane Baseball Stadium in East Lansing, Mich.

Despite racking up 12 hits on Eagles pitching, the Spartans were unable to bounce back after a 12-run third inning by Eastern Michigan. Tim Simpson, a career reliever for the Spartans, made his first collegiate start on Wednesday.

The first six batters were no problem for Simpson, who retired them in order. However, in the third inning the wheels fell off. Brett Ohrman opened the floodgates for the Eagles in the third with a two run single, followed by another two run single by Jamie Simpson. The Eagles would record a three-run home run from Matt Hit, extending their lead to 7-0 before Simpson would get the hook.

Mike Mestdagh was called upon to stop the bleeding for the Spartans, but Eastern Michigan continued to pile on runs. Of the seven batters Mestdagh faced he allowed five of them to reach base with a hit. Coach Jake Boss, Jr. came out with the hook again with two outs in the third and gave the ball to Joe Zwierzynski.

Zwierzynski was able to finally get Michigan State out of the inning, but the Eagles had amassed a 12-0 lead. The Spartans would keep Zwierzynski on the mound through the fifth inning, allowing just three hits and keeping Eastern Michigan off the board.

The Spartans were able to get three runs back in the fourth and fifth innings off a two run double by Andy Johnson and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Jones. With the score sitting at 12-3 the Eagles tacked on another run in the seventh.

Ryan Krill capped off his career game with a two run single in the eighth to cut the Eagles lead to 13-5, but that's as close as the Spartans would get. Krill had a career-high three hits in the loss to Eastern Michigan.

Michigan State travels to Bloomington, Ind. to return to Big Ten action and take on the Indiana Hooisers in a three game weekend series.

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 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 Score 8 In First En Route to 10-5 Victory over Buckeyes

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
 
The Spartans took the rubber game of their series with Ohio State on Monday with an eight-run first inning en route to a 10-5 victory. Michigan State's victory was their 13th in their last 15 and seventh of eight at McLane Baseball Stadium this season.

Monday's game was the opposite of the first two of the series which were pitchers duels, on Monday the two teams racked up 11 runs and eight hits. Ohio State got out in front of the Spartans early with a three run first inning before Michigan State answered with eight of their own in the bottom of the first.

During their eight-run first the Spartans sent 12 men to the plate, racked up five hits and knocked Buckeye starter Brett McKinney out of the game. Tony Wieber lead the rally in the first when he sent a single up the middle that scored two.

With two runners in and Wieber on base Joel Fisher hit a frozen rope down the left field line that scored Wieber to tie the game at three. Ryan Krill then hit a sacrifice fly to center field that plated Fisher before Ryan Jones got his second hit of the inning that scored another two runs.With the hit Jones knocked McKinney out of the game.

Ohio State turned to John Kuchno in relief - his first batter was Jordan Keur, who promptly sent a double down the left field line to bring home another two runs to increase the Spartans lead to 8-3.

On the mound for the Spartans was Mike Theodore, who despite being knocked around in the first, bounced back allowing one run in the second before retiring nine consecutive batters. However, he was unable to get out of the fifth inning. Coach Jake Boss, Jr. took the ball from Theodore after 4.2 innings and handed it off to Jeff Kinley with the bases loaded and two outs.

Kinley proved the trust his coach had in him was well placed by getting out of the bases loaded jam with a flyout and providing the Spartans with 4.1 innings of scoreless, two hit work. During his time on the mound Kinley recorded a career-high six strikeouts and earned his fourth win of the season. Kinley has been on high of late, not allowing an earned run in his last four appearances.

In the bottom of the eighth Torsten Boss launched a one-out triple before being plated on a Wieber double to extend the Spartans lead to 10-5. The victory gives the Spartans their first series win over Ohio State since 2007. 

Tony Wieber Drives Home Winner and Sets Record as Spartans Top Buckeyes, 2-1

Sean Gagnier / Gang Green

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

The Spartans topped the Buckeyes 2-1 in a pitchers duel at McLane Baseball Stadium on Sunday with Tony Wieber delivering the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh and then setting the Michigan State all-time saves record in the ninth.

Andrew Waszak took the mound for the Spartans against the Buckeyes and tossed eight innings of two hit ball. He allowed just one run and was credited with his third win of the season to push his record to 3-1.

The only run that Waszak allowed in the game came in the second when Ohio State's David Corna drove a ball to right field for a double before being sacrificed to third and coming home on a groundout tying the game at one. Not only was the second the only time the Buckeyes would score it was the only inning in which they would get a hit. Despite Waszak allowing three more baserunners to reach, on walks, they failed to come home and one was even picked off first.

Michigan State took the lead early with Ryan Jones leading off the first with a single before stealing second and moving to third on a groundout. Joel Fisher brought him home with a two-out single to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead at the time.

The Spartans racked up nine hits on Buckeye pitching, even getting runners on first and third in the sixth before an attempted squeeze play cut Fisher down at the plate.

In the seventh the Spartans got to Ohio State starter Brian King for their second run of the game when Jones hit a leadoff single to left. King then attempted to pick Jones off first but short armed the ball which sailed over the first baseman and into the open bullpen. By the time the Buckeyes got the ball back to the infield Jones had advanced to third.

The next two Spartans grounded out leaving Jones on third with two outs, then Wieber came to the plate and laced a hit through the shortstop-third base hole to score Jones and give Michigan State the 2-1 lead.

Starter Waszak threw another inning before handing the ball over to Spartan closer Wieber for a chance to break the all-time Michigan State saves record. Wieber did just that, his first batter flew out to left. Then he got the next to pop up to the catcher, Fisher, who was unable to hold onto the ball. He then hit the batter but erased his mistake with a 1-6-3 double play to close the game.

The save was Wieber's 15th of his career and sixth of the 2012 season. He passed Brad Lamont's previous school record of 14 saves set from 1987-90.  

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.

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.

Spartans Bounce Back with Win Over No. 25 Baylor

Photo from MSU Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

The Spartans bounced back from a weekend drubbing in College Station, Tex. to ride the performance of David Garner to a 4-0 win over No. 25 Baylor in Waco, Tex. The sophomore RHP Garner tossed six scoreless innings while scattering three hits and fanned four Baylor Bears.

Coming off three straight losses to No. 5 Texas A&M and a loss earlier in the season to then No. 15 Louisville the victory over No. 25 Baylor was the Spartans second win over a ranked team this season. Michigan State defeated No. 11 St. John's on Opening Day in Dunedin, Fla.

Baylor countered Garner with freshman Austin Stone, who was making his first collegiate start, but he was pulled from the mound after throwing just 1.2 innings. Stone got the hook after walking two straight Spartans before hitting another to load the bases. Michigan State was unable to capitalize on Stone's miscues and were unable to plate any of the runs that were on base.

The Bears pitching struggled with control all game, walking 10 batters on the day over the six pitchers that were called to the mound. 

Torsten Boss got things rolling for the Spartans in the third when he lead off the inning with a bunt before advancing to second on a throwing error. Ryan Jones was able to drive in the run with a double but got greedy and was thrown out at third trying to stretch his double into a triple.

Michigan State again added to it's lead in the sixth on a Boss groundout that scored Anthony Cheky, who was making his first collegiate start in center field. The Spartans stretched their lead to 3-0 on a Jimmy Pickens RBI infield single.

Cheky came around to score again for the Spartans in the seventh when Jordan Keur drove him in on an RBI single. Following Garner to the mound was Jeff Kinley, Trey Popp and Tony Wieber who each threw an inning of relief to close out the game.

Spartans Drop Final Game to Aggies

Photo from MSU Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

They jumped out to an early lead but the Spartans were unable to hold off the hard charging Aggies who came back and beat them 9-8 on Sunday. Michigan State was able to strike for 10 hits and left six runners on base but couldn't get over the hump and allowed Texas A&M to get back into the game and ultimately win.

Things started out going the Spartans way in the first inning, with Jordan Keur reaching on a fielding error and Justin Scanlon reaching right after him after a catcher interference call. With two runners on Torsten Boss singled to right which scored an unearned run in Keur. Ryan Jones hit a fly ball to left that allowed Scanlon to score from 3B. With one out and in a 2-1 count Jimmy Pickens hit one over the fence bringing Boss with him on his home run trot. Michigan State then grounded into two straight outs to end the inning.

It was just what Coach Jake Boss Jr. had wanted his team to do, take advantage of the miscues that the Aggies gave them and get runners home. In the first the Spartans were able to plate four runners on two hits and three errors.

TAMU was able to claw back into the game in the second off two throwing errors by 3B Andrew Carpenter. With two runners on base due to throwing errors and a walk the Aggies had the bases loaded and were able to get a run across after Spartans starter Mike Theodore hit an Aggies batter.

Texas A&M was able to cut the lead in half in the fourth inning when a throwing error by 1B Ryan Krill allowed the Aggies to make the score 4-2. TAMU was able to take a 5-4 lead in the sixth when a pair of singles by Jacob House and Brandon Wood scored three.

The Spartans imploded in the seventh, allowing four more runs when a walk, stolen base and a balk moved runners to second and third base. After a two RBI triple chased Bryce Jenney, Trey Popp took the ball and promptly surrendered another RBI triple and an RBI single to drive the score to 9-4 in favor of the Aggies.

In the eighth Michigan State mounted a rally driven by Jared Hook RBI double and a Krill 2 RBI home run. With the score now at 9-7 the Spartans turned to their closer Tony Wieber in the bottom of the eighth and struck out two of the four batters that inning. In the ninth Keur singled to left before being moved up by a Boss single and was able to score on a Jones single. Pickens then flew out to center field.

Spartans starter Mike Theodore performed well during his 4.1 innings of work, surrendering just three hits while giving up two runs, neither of which were earned. While he did strike out two of the 23 batters he faced, he struggled with command and hit two batters with a pitch. His replacement Jeff Kinley did not fare well in his 1.1 innings as he surrendered three earned runs on three hits while hitting one batter.

The bullpen is where Michigan State lost on Sunday as Jenney, who was brought in as relief for Kinley, gave up three earned runs on two hits in just 0.2 innings of work. Popp then relinquished another run on two hits in his 0.2 innings before Wieber was able to shut down the Aggies in his one inning of work, giving up just one hit.

Michigan State was able to take early advantage of some Aggies miscues but could not keep it up against the No. 5 Aggies who were just too much for them to handle. The Spartans (4-6) head to Waco, Tex. on March 7 to take on the Baylor Bears.

Aggies Shut Down Spartans

From MSU Spartans Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

No. 5 Texas A&M shut out the Michigan State Spartans, 4-0, beating the green and white for the second straight day on Saturday. The Spartans got another spectacular outing from starter Andrew Waszak but were unable to get any runners across to help him out.

TAMU was held to just five hits on the day but made the most out of them, striking the Spartans starter Waszak for three runs, only one of which was earned, in his six innings of work. Waszak had another stellar performance on the mound for Michigan State as he scattered four hits and fanned four Aggies in his time on the mound.

Despite their pitcher's performance the Spartans were unable to get to TAMU starter Ross Stripling who simply out dueled Waszak surrendering just five hits and fanned five in his eight innings of work. Errors proved costly for the Spartans for the second straight game when Ryan Jones committed an error which lead to three runs in the second.

Michigan State threatened in the fifth when they loaded the bases off a TAMU error and two walks, but Jones grounded into a fielder's choice that ended the inning for the Spartans. Errors aside, Michigan State once again stranded 10 runners on base, something that Coach Jake Boss Jr. called "frustrating" in the opening game of the series.

Boss called on David Garner, usually a starter, to relieve Waszak in the seventh and he surrendered one run on a Matt Juengel single. The loss drops the Spartans to 4-5 on the season and the Aggies improved to 10-1.

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.

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.