Michigan State University
6-19, 0-5
Rutgers
15-9, 4-1
Spartans Topped Twice By Scarlet Knights Friday
3/30/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball was topped twice by Rutgers in a doubleheader on Friday afternoon at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, dropping the opener, 8-4, before falling, 6-4, in the nightcap.
Gm 1 - RU 8, MSU 4 Box Score | Gm 2 - RU 6, MSU 4 Box Score 
The Spartans and Scarlet Knights played a doubleheader Friday due to inclement weather in the forecast for the weekend. MSU and RU are scheduled to wrap up their three-game Big Ten Conference series on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
Friday's losses snapped an eight-game winning streak by MSU in the series with Rutgers, now holding a 13-4 series record. Overall, Michigan State is now 6-19 on the season and 0-5 in B1G action, while Rutgers is 15-9 overall and 4-1 in conference competition.
"I think it's physical for a lot of guys and I think it's mental for a lot of guys as well. Everybody's struggling right now, so you know everybody wants to be the guy. Everybody's pressing a bit right now and that's understandable when it's not going well," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "When you've got high character guys you know everybody tries to do it for their teammates and for Michigan State. I can't fault them for that, but at the same time this is our game is not bigger, faster, stronger wins and try hard isn't always the best thing in our game. We've got to do a better job of kind of letting the game come to us a little bit and taking what we're given and something to break out of our funk."
Senior first baseman Zack McGuire was 4-for-7 with a home run and three RBI on the day, while junior right fielder Dan Chmielewski was 3-for-8 with an RBI and sophomore center fielder Justin Antoncic was 3-for-9 with two runs scored. Senior designated hitter Chad Roskelly added two hits along with two RBI on the day.
"Recently we've changed our philosophy here about three or four weeks ago and I think we've seen some results to that," Boss said about the team trying to be more patient at the plate. "I think we get away from it at times still, but give our guys credit. They continue to fight, scratch and claw and got themselves back in it and gave ourselves a chance again in the eighth and the ninth. It's just unfortunate that Rutgers made plays when they had to. You've got to give them credit."
The Spartans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the opener, as McGuire blasted a two-run home run to left field, just over the out-stretched glove of leaping Rutgers left fielder Mike Nyisztor, and over the fence.
Junior pitcher Riley McCauley had a no-hitter going through four complete until Rutgers had three-straight singles in the fifth frame to load the bases. After Nyisztor followed with another single for a run, Jawuan Harris blasted a bases-clearing triple to left and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Walker, capping RU's five-run frame on five hits, taking a 5-2 lead.
Rutgers added a single run in the sixth, opening a 6-2 advantage.
The Spartans pulled within 6-4 in the eighth, with Antoncic sparking the rally with a one-out bunt single. Freshman second baseman Zach Iverson followed with an RBI triple to right center, then Iverson was driven in by a single to center off the bat of Chmielewski.
MSU's two-run deficit was short-lived as RU plated two in the top of the ninth for an 8-4 lead and that score held through the bottom of the frame to end the game.
In the nightcap, Rutgers scored a run in the top of the first, capitalizing on an MSU error, but senior pitcher Ethan Landon got out of the jam with a strikeout, leaving two Scarlet Knights on the bases.
The Spartans tried to counter in their first at bat, but the rally fizzled with sophomore left fielder Bryce Kelley stranded at third. Kelley had reached on a fielder's choice and then stole both second and third, padding to his B1G leading stolen base total, now at 19 base swipes.
MSU got on the board in the third, as Antoncic reached on a Rutgers error and advanced to second. He moved up to third on a balk by RU pitcher Harry Rutkowski, and was driven in on an RBI groundout by Kelley, leveling the score at 1-1.
Rutgers had four-straight singles in the fourth, followed by a double and went on to score four runs in the frame to open a 5-1 advantage.
After the visitors added a run in the top of the seventh, the Spartans countered with a run of their own after the seventh-inning stretch, as McGuire led off with a double and Roskelly followed with an RBI single to center to make it 6-2 with seven innings in the books.
The Spartans rallied in the eighth with senior catcher Will Salter sparking the rally by getting hit by a pitch to lead off the frame. Freshman shortstop Ryan King followed with a walk of his own and two batters later Chmielewski singled off Rutgers pitcher Karl Blum's leg for an infield single to load the bases. McGuire followed with an RBI walk, chasing Blum and bringing in Collin Kiernan in relief. Roskelly drew a walk off Kiernan for his second RBI of the game, but the rally ended with the bases loaded.
MSU tried to rally in the ninth getting the leadoff hitter, sophomore infielder Bailey Peterson on with a hit-by-pitch, and King later walked, but a double-play thwarted the threat and ended the long day of baseball.
McCauley took the loss in the opener, while John O'Reilly earned the win for Rutgers. In the nightcap, Landon was dealt the loss, while Rutkowski picked up the win.
"I thought we threw great today with the exception of two innings and it was just kind of one of those deals where you know they singled us to death and didn't many balls hard. They had the triple hard in the first game and I think they had a double hard in the second game and it just happens so quick, there wasn't really enough time to get anybody loose in the pen. It was just I think four or five hits in a row, and they put a four spot on the board," Boss said. "We didn't give them any from the mound as far as that was concerned, but it was just frustrating today."
Saturday's series finale is slated for 1:05 p.m., but any schedule updates will be announced on www.MSUSpartans.com and on twitter @statebaseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rutkowski, Harry (4-0)
L: Landon, Ethan (0-5)
S: Brito, Serafino (4)
Batting:
2B: Welsh, Kevin 1
RBI: Folinusz, Chris 2 ; McNamara, Tyler 1 ; Welsh, Kevin 2 ; Bowerbank, Luke 1
SF: Folinusz, Chris 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nyisztor, Mike 1 ; Harris, Jawuan 1 ; Folinusz, Chris 1 ; Sclafani, Carmen 1 ; DiGeorgio, Dan 1 ; McNamara, Tyler 1
CS: Sclafani, Carmen 1 ; DiGeorgio, Dan 1
HBP: Nyisztor, Mike 1
Batting:
2B: McGuire, Zack 1 ; Peterson, Bailey 1
RBI: Kelley, Bryce 1 ; McGuire, Zack 1 ; Roskelly, Chad 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Antoncic, Justin 1 ; McGuire, Zack 1 ; Salter, Will 1 ; King, Ryan 1
SB: Kelley, Bryce 2
HBP: Peterson, Bailey 1 ; Salter, Will 1
