Michigan State University
Seton Hall
Baseball Suffers Loss to Seton Hall
2/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 21, 2009
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Jake
BRADENTON, Fla. - In a back and forth game that saw four lead changes and four ties, the Michigan State baseball team came out on the short end and suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday (Feb. 21) afternoon, 8-4, at the hands of Seton Hall (2-0). The Spartans (1-1) will close out the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge on Sunday (Feb. 22) with a non-conference game against Minnesota at 10 a.m.
"It's still early and it's the first couple times we've been outside and it showed today," said MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. "We didn't play particularly well but at the same time we gave ourselves a chance to win in the last part of the game and that is what you ask for from your kids."
The scoring began in the first when Seton Hall had runners on first and second. The Pirates' Chris Affinito doubled to right field and drove in one run but a relay throw and subsequent tag at the plate by MSU catcher Eric Roof kept the second potential SHU run off the board.
MSU answered in the top half of the second as junior Eli Boike hit the Spartans' first home run of the year - a two-run shot over the wall in right center.
Seton Hall tied the game at two in the second with a solo home run and then threatened in the third with two runners on but Spartan starter A.J. Achter got the Pirates Ed Brown to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.
Achter faced the minimum in the fourth before a throwing error in the bottom of the fifth gave the Pirates the lead, 3-2. The Spartans responded with the long ball again in the top of the sixth when freshman designated hitter Andrew Carpenter hit an opposite field homer to right center to tie the game at three. MSU then took a 4-3 lead four batters later when Jonathan Roof slapped a single to shallow right center field to score Chris Roberts, who reached on an error.
Seton Hall took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth as the Pirates tied the game then scored twice more with two outs to grab a 6-4 lead. They added two more runs in the eighth inning to make the final score 8-4.
Achter went 5.0 innings, giving up two earned runs off four hits, and recorded two strikeouts. In his first collegiate outing, freshman Tony Bucciferro pitched two complete innings, giving up two runs on three hits while fanning two.
