Spartans Run Win Streak To Five In A Row With 2-1 Victory For MSU Over Minnesota
MSU owns longest active win streak in B1G, Spartans’ longest since 2018.
msuspartans.com
from msuspartans.com:
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State scored two runs in the first three innings and went on to win its fifth in a row with 2-1 triumph over Minnesota Saturday afternoon at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field on MSU’s Military Appreciation Day.
MSU’s five-game win streak is the Spartans’ longest win streak since a six-game win spurt April 18-27, 2018. Michigan State’s five game win streak is also the longest current win streak in the Big Ten, as MSU entered the day tied with Maryland for the league’s longest active win streak, but the 23rd-ranked Terps lost at home to Northwestern, 7-4.
The Spartans got timely hitting, solid defense and stellar pitching to earn the hard-fought win over the scrappy Gopher squad.
“I’m really pleased with how we played today. I thought we were really good on the mound, very clean defensively, and I’m sure it was a good college baseball game to watch,” MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “It was pretty clean on both sides, good pitching on both ends of it, and we got a big hit to start the game and then got a productive hit in the third to score one and then turn it over to the pitching, so it was a good way to win it.”
MSU wore new special camouflage-themed uniforms for Saturday’s Military Appreciation Day, with festivities including a giant flag presentation in center field by Michigan State University Army and Air Force ROTC cadets. Michigan State track & field student-athlete Casey Mossholder representing the MSU Student Veteran Resource Center and Peer Advisors for Veteran Education, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Throughout the game, members of the different military and armed forces were recognized with special military-themed music, including “God Bless America” played during the seventh-inning stretch. After the game, all the military in attendance had a meet-and-greet with the Spartan players and coaching staff.
“It was a very special day,” Boss said. “Thanks to our marketing staff for putting together a really neat day and it’s just a great way for us to bring maybe a little bit of perspective back into our program, thinking about those people that have served our country and sacrificed an awful lot for us and our freedom. So we’re honored to be able to do something like this at Michigan State and it was really fun and exciting to see so many members of the military, both veterans and active military alike here today, so it was it was a fun day and a very good day.”
Sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb smacked a home run to leadoff the Spartan lineup in the bottom of the first, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Junior outfielder Casey Mayes went 2-for-4 with an RBI on a pair of infield singles, while sophomore infielder Brock Vradenburg was 2-for-4. Redshirt-freshman catcher Bryan Broecker was 1-for-3 wih a walk. Sophomore infielder Trent Farquhar also drew a walk.
The solid pitching was handled by junior Wyatt Rush, sophomore Nick Powers and graduate-senior Kyle Bischoff. Rush was the opener and went 2.2 IP with one strikeout and two walks, yielding three hits and one run to start things off for the Spartan hurlers. Powers came on in the third and was solid, going 4.1 IP with two Ks and two hits without a run, earning the win to improve to 3-5. Bischoff came on in the eighth and threw 2.0 IP of scoreless baseball on just one hit and rang up two strikeouts in posting his B1G-leading 10th save.
Bischoff’s 10th save is the most by Spartan reliever since 2014 when Jeff Kinley fired a school-record 13 saves. The 10 saves moves Bischoff to sole possession of the No. 3 spot on MSU’s single-season saves list, and just one behind Jeff Ericson with 11 in 1990.
The Spartan pitching got help from the MSU defense throughout the day, logging two double plays, adding to its B1G lead, now with 35 double plays on the season.
Michigan State bolted out of the gates scoring in the first at bat of the bottom of the first as Jebb smacked an opposite-field home run to left center for an early 1-0 Spartan advantage.
Minnesota quickly countered with its lone run of the day in the top of the second on an RBI single to level the score at 1-all.
Jebb knocked a one-out single in the third to spark a Spartan rally, and later stole second. After Farquhar walked, Jebb and Farquhar successfully executed a double-steal to advance a base, and Mayes followed with a single to drive in Jebb for a 2-1 MSU lead with one-third of the game complete.
After coming on in the top of the third to get the last out of the inning, Powers retired the next four batters at the plate. After yielding a leadoff single to Noah Berghammer in the fifth, Powers got help from Broecker and Jebb, as Broecker fired a frozen rope to Jebb at second to nab Berghammer trying to steal, and Powers to the next two outs for his second three-up, three-down frame in a row, just with a twist of unconventionality.
In the sixth, Powers had another non-traditional 1-2-3 inning and again getting help from the defense, as a one-out single was followed by a ground ball to Farquhar at second to start a 4-6-3 inning ending double play, the Spartans’ second of the day.
Minnesota countered with a double play of its own in the bottom of the sixth, shutting down a Spartan rally that starting with an infield single by Mayes, his second such single of the game, but was erased from the basepaths with the double play.
Bischoff came on for Powers in the eighth, yielding a leadoff single by Berghammer, then a sacrifice bunt moved Berghammer to second and he went to third on an infield groundout. However, Bischoff slammed the door on a Gopher rally with a strikeout to end the inning.
In the ninth, Bischoff got a three-up, three-down stanza to seal the Victory for MSU with a popup to Jebb at short, a strikeout and then a foul popup to Vradenburg, making the catch against the fence and the Spartans celebrated their fifth win in a row and capture the series.
The Spartans and Gophers wrap up the three-game series up on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
The week schedule is subject to change based on weather.
Along with any further schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming of home games from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.
MSU owns longest active win streak in B1G, Spartans’ longest since 2018.
Spartans Run Win Streak To Five In A Row With 2-1 Victory For MSU Over Minnesota - Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State scored two runs in the first three innings and went on to win its fifth in a row with 2-1 triumph over Minnesota Saturday afternoon at McLane Stadium
msuspartans.com
from msuspartans.com:
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State scored two runs in the first three innings and went on to win its fifth in a row with 2-1 triumph over Minnesota Saturday afternoon at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field on MSU’s Military Appreciation Day.
MSU’s five-game win streak is the Spartans’ longest win streak since a six-game win spurt April 18-27, 2018. Michigan State’s five game win streak is also the longest current win streak in the Big Ten, as MSU entered the day tied with Maryland for the league’s longest active win streak, but the 23rd-ranked Terps lost at home to Northwestern, 7-4.
The Spartans got timely hitting, solid defense and stellar pitching to earn the hard-fought win over the scrappy Gopher squad.
“I’m really pleased with how we played today. I thought we were really good on the mound, very clean defensively, and I’m sure it was a good college baseball game to watch,” MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “It was pretty clean on both sides, good pitching on both ends of it, and we got a big hit to start the game and then got a productive hit in the third to score one and then turn it over to the pitching, so it was a good way to win it.”
MSU wore new special camouflage-themed uniforms for Saturday’s Military Appreciation Day, with festivities including a giant flag presentation in center field by Michigan State University Army and Air Force ROTC cadets. Michigan State track & field student-athlete Casey Mossholder representing the MSU Student Veteran Resource Center and Peer Advisors for Veteran Education, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Throughout the game, members of the different military and armed forces were recognized with special military-themed music, including “God Bless America” played during the seventh-inning stretch. After the game, all the military in attendance had a meet-and-greet with the Spartan players and coaching staff.
“It was a very special day,” Boss said. “Thanks to our marketing staff for putting together a really neat day and it’s just a great way for us to bring maybe a little bit of perspective back into our program, thinking about those people that have served our country and sacrificed an awful lot for us and our freedom. So we’re honored to be able to do something like this at Michigan State and it was really fun and exciting to see so many members of the military, both veterans and active military alike here today, so it was it was a fun day and a very good day.”
Sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb smacked a home run to leadoff the Spartan lineup in the bottom of the first, finishing 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Junior outfielder Casey Mayes went 2-for-4 with an RBI on a pair of infield singles, while sophomore infielder Brock Vradenburg was 2-for-4. Redshirt-freshman catcher Bryan Broecker was 1-for-3 wih a walk. Sophomore infielder Trent Farquhar also drew a walk.
The solid pitching was handled by junior Wyatt Rush, sophomore Nick Powers and graduate-senior Kyle Bischoff. Rush was the opener and went 2.2 IP with one strikeout and two walks, yielding three hits and one run to start things off for the Spartan hurlers. Powers came on in the third and was solid, going 4.1 IP with two Ks and two hits without a run, earning the win to improve to 3-5. Bischoff came on in the eighth and threw 2.0 IP of scoreless baseball on just one hit and rang up two strikeouts in posting his B1G-leading 10th save.
Bischoff’s 10th save is the most by Spartan reliever since 2014 when Jeff Kinley fired a school-record 13 saves. The 10 saves moves Bischoff to sole possession of the No. 3 spot on MSU’s single-season saves list, and just one behind Jeff Ericson with 11 in 1990.
The Spartan pitching got help from the MSU defense throughout the day, logging two double plays, adding to its B1G lead, now with 35 double plays on the season.
Michigan State bolted out of the gates scoring in the first at bat of the bottom of the first as Jebb smacked an opposite-field home run to left center for an early 1-0 Spartan advantage.
Minnesota quickly countered with its lone run of the day in the top of the second on an RBI single to level the score at 1-all.
Jebb knocked a one-out single in the third to spark a Spartan rally, and later stole second. After Farquhar walked, Jebb and Farquhar successfully executed a double-steal to advance a base, and Mayes followed with a single to drive in Jebb for a 2-1 MSU lead with one-third of the game complete.
After coming on in the top of the third to get the last out of the inning, Powers retired the next four batters at the plate. After yielding a leadoff single to Noah Berghammer in the fifth, Powers got help from Broecker and Jebb, as Broecker fired a frozen rope to Jebb at second to nab Berghammer trying to steal, and Powers to the next two outs for his second three-up, three-down frame in a row, just with a twist of unconventionality.
In the sixth, Powers had another non-traditional 1-2-3 inning and again getting help from the defense, as a one-out single was followed by a ground ball to Farquhar at second to start a 4-6-3 inning ending double play, the Spartans’ second of the day.
Minnesota countered with a double play of its own in the bottom of the sixth, shutting down a Spartan rally that starting with an infield single by Mayes, his second such single of the game, but was erased from the basepaths with the double play.
Bischoff came on for Powers in the eighth, yielding a leadoff single by Berghammer, then a sacrifice bunt moved Berghammer to second and he went to third on an infield groundout. However, Bischoff slammed the door on a Gopher rally with a strikeout to end the inning.
In the ninth, Bischoff got a three-up, three-down stanza to seal the Victory for MSU with a popup to Jebb at short, a strikeout and then a foul popup to Vradenburg, making the catch against the fence and the Spartans celebrated their fifth win in a row and capture the series.
The Spartans and Gophers wrap up the three-game series up on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
The week schedule is subject to change based on weather.
Along with any further schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming of home games from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.
