Michigan State University
21-16
Toledo
14-27
Spartans Rout Rockets, 11-1, Wednesday
4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball erupted for a seven-run eighth inning and went on to beat Toledo, 11-1, Wednesday afternoon at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
With the win, MSU improved to 21-16 overall, snapping a five-game losing skid. Toledo slid to 14-27 with the loss, the Rockets' fourth loss in a row. Wednesday was the Spartans' ninth-straight win over the Rockets, improving to 16-3 overall in the series, including 14-1 at East Lansing, winning the last 12 in a row.
"We haven't had a midweek in a while so it feels good. We needed this one in a bad way. I'm really proud of our guys. We chipped away early and were able to break it open in the eighth, so a good day for us all around," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., said.
Former Spartan shortstop Ryan Richardson (2013-15) returned to McLane Stadium Wednesday as the Rockets' volunteer assistant coach. Toledo head coach Cory Mee was an assistant at MSU from 2000-03.
Freshman left fielder Bryce Kelley was 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, adding a stolen base, leading MSU at the plate.
"Bryce has been really good for us. When Danny Gleaves went down with an injury, Bryce jumped into left field and really hasn't missed a beat. He's another kid that has taken advantage of his opportunity, now hitting over .350 on the season after his four hits today," Boss said.
The Spartans' offensive charge posted 13 hits. MSU's 11 runs marked the Spartans' 11th game this season posting double digits.
Sophomore right fielder Dan Chmielewski was 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored, smacking a solo home run in the sixth. Fellow sophomore, designated hitter Alex Troop was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while junior first baseman Zack McGuire was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Junior center fielder Brandon Hughes was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, also swiping one base.
On the mound, freshman Caleb Sleeman got his first start as a Spartan, firing 4.0 innings, yielding just one run on a home run in the second, while chalking up four strikeouts.
"I'm very pleased with how Caleb threw today. It was the first start for him. We've been switching some things up midweek-wise and Caleb did exactly what we needed him today. We were hoping to get him into through the fourth and then we needed to get a bunch of guys some work out of the bullpen so we turned things over to them," Boss said. "I'm very, very pleased with Caleb today. He wasn't intimated or scared of the moment, I'm sure he was a little nervous, but he was excited and ready to pitch today."
Sophomore Nathan Witt came on in relief and got the win, his first career victory, part of six Spartan relievers that kept the Rockets off the board.
Toledo got on the board first with a solo home run to left field by Dalton Bollinger in the top of the second for a 1-0 lead. That deficit was short-lived as the home Spartans scored a run in the bottom of the frame, taking advantage of a pair of Toledo errors to level the score at 1-1.
MSU took the lead in the bottom of the third as Kelley led off with a single to left. Three batters later, Troop drove Kelley in on a single to right for a 2-1 Spartan advantage.
The home team added a run in each of the fifth and sixth innings. Hughes had a Texas Leaguer single to center and later came around to score on a single by senior second baseman Dan Durkin for the Spartans' fifth inning run. In the sixth, Chmielewski belted a home run into the trees beyond the left field fence.
The Spartans broke the game open by erupting for seven runs in the eighth, including a two-run single by Kelley for his fourth hit of the afternoon. After Kelley swiped second, Hughes laced a single to center to score his fellow outfielder. McGuire later had an RBI single as part of the Spartans big inning to break open the game and seal the victory for MSU.
Michigan State returns to the road and Big Ten play by playing at Northwestern Friday-Sunday, April 28-30. MSU does not have a midweek game next week due to Finals Week for the students, before resuming action hosting Iowa in a three-game weekend series on Friday-Sunday, May 5-7.
Fans should stay tuned to www.MSUSpartans.com or follow MSU Baseball on twitter at statebaseball for any schedule and location updates.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Witt, Nathan (1-0)
L: PRECHTEL (1-3)
Batting:
HR: BOLLINGER 1
RBI: BOLLINGER 1
SH: HANSEN 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BOLLINGER 1
CS: GOSE 1
HBP: GOSE 1
Batting:
2B: Durkin, Dan 1
HR: Chmielewski, Dan 1
RBI: Kelley, Bryce 2 ; Hughes, Brandon 1 ; Durkin, Dan 1 ; Troop, Alex 1 ; McGuire, Zack 1 ; Chmielewski, Dan 2
SH: Chmielewski, Dan 1 ; Salter, Will 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kelley, Bryce 2 ; Hughes, Brandon 2 ; Gleaves, Danny 1 ; McGuire, Zack 2 ; Ando, Royce 1 ; Chmielewski, Dan 2 ; Bechina, Marty 1
SB: Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Hughes, Brandon 1 ; Durkin, Dan 1 ; Troop, Alex 1
CS: Kelley, Bryce 1
HBP: Chmielewski, Dan 1 ; Bechina, Marty 1
