Michigan State University
5-11
Niagara
3-9
MSU Nipped By Niagara, 3-2, Friday
3/16/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball was nipped by Niagara, 3-2, Friday afternoon at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
MSU had a 2-1 lead going into the ninth inning, but the Purple Eagles plated two runs in the top of the ninth, taking advantage of two MSU errors, and then set the Spartans down in order in the bottom of the frame for the win. With two outs, freshman first baseman Zach Iverson put a big charge into the ball, with Niagara right fielder Peter McCauley making a sprawling catch at the top of the grassy berm at the base of the wall in right field.
With the loss, MSU is 5-11 overall while Niagara improves to 3-9. Friday was the Spartans' sixth one-run loss as part of their eighth one-run game this season, as well 10th game decided by two runs or less.
"We made some errors in the ninth. We had multiple opportunities, we took a routine ground ball to lead off the ninth and threw it into the stands, we then had two double-play balls that we can't execute, and that's how you lose ballgames," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., said.
Friday's loss wiped out a solid start by senior starting pitcher Ethan Landon, who went 7.0 IP, striking out six and walking only one, while scattering five hits.
MSU's offense was led by sophomore left fielder Bryce Kelley with a 2-for-4 outing with an run scored and two stolen bases. Junior catcher Nic Lacayo was 2-for-3, while junior right fielder Dan Chmielewski was 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while sophomore designated hitter Justin Antoncic was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base.
Niagara took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI sacrifice fly by Peter Battaglia, plating McCauley who reached on a one-out walk.
Purple Eagle pitcher Cody Eckerson kept the MSU bats in check, yielding a hit by Kelley to open the game, but then retired 10-straight Spartans, before a walk, but then put down the next three hitters. Lacayo broke through with a single in the bottom of the fifth, but nothing became of it.
MSU cracked through in the top of the sixth with Kelley lacing a one-out single to right. After stealing second, Kelley was driven in with an RBI double to left center by Chmielewski, then Antoncic followed with a single to center to score Chmielewski for a 2-1 Spartan advantage.
That score held until the ninth, before a pair of Spartan throwing errors allowed the Purple Eagles to score two runs on just one hit in the inning.
After a strikeout and a lineout, Iverson threatened with a deep drive, but McCauley thwarted the threat with the big catch to end the game.
The Spartans and Purple Eagles will play game three of their four-game series on Saturday, March 17 with a 1:05 p.m. first pitch, before wrapping up the series on Sunday, March 18, also with a 1:05 p.m. start time.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Erwin, Ben (2-1)
L: Tyranski, Mitchell (1-1)
S: MacKinnon, Alex (1)
Batting:
2B: Cullen, Greg 1
RBI: Battaglia, Peter 1 ; Gabriele, Michael 1
SF: Battaglia, Peter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McCauley, Trevor 1 ; Blanks, Darian 1 ; Serrano, Benny 1
Batting:
2B: Chmielewski, Dan 1
RBI: Chmielewski, Dan 1 ; Antoncic, Justin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Chmielewski, Dan 1
SB: Kelley, Bryce 2 ; Antoncic, Justin 1
CS: Antoncic, Justin 1 ; Lacayo, Nic 1
