Michigan State University
12-21, 0
Northwestern
9-22, 0
Landon Leads Spartans To 5-3 Win Over Northwestern
4/20/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Behind a solid outing by Ethan Landon and a five-run first inning, Michigan State baseball beat Northwestern, 5-3, Friday afternoon at NU's Miller Park in the opener of a three-game Big Ten Conference series, in a nationally televised game on Big Ten Network.
The victory for MSU was the Spartans' third win in their last four games and sixth in their last eight games, moving to a palindromic 12-21 overall and 4-5 in B1G action after their fourth-straight league win. Northwestern slid to 9-22 overall and 1-12 in B1G play. MSU has also won 12 of the last 15 vs. Northwestern, moving to 94-49-1, as MSU is making its second-straight visit to Evanston after not visiting since 2010.
Senior starting pitcher Ethan Landon fired eight strikeouts in 7.0 IP, scattering seven hits and walking just one, while yielding three runs. The eight strikeouts was one shy of Landon's career-high, as well as his second-straight outing this season with six or more Ks, as part of his eighth time in 10 starts this season.
"That's what we need out of our Friday night guy," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "That's why we made the switch, not that we couldn't rely on Riley (McCauley), but we really like Riley at the back end of the bullpen, so Ethan was the next guy up and he's been throwing really well. He's bounced back from a tough year last year and he's doing what a fifth-year senior should do. Ethan is a guy that throws a lot of strikes, and he's a competitor, and is a guy that our young guys can pay attention to and learn a lot from."
Senior first baseman Zack McGuire smacked a two-run home run in the first, finishing 1-for-4 with two RBI, while fellow senior, designated hitter Chad Roskelly, was also 1-for-4 with two RBI on a two-run single also in the first as part of MSU's five-run opening inning.
The five-run first frame gives the Spartans three innings of four or more runs in the last four games against Northwestern, doing so twice in the three games last season.
Sophomore second baseman Justin Antoncic was 2-for-2 with a run scored, while sophomore center fielder Danny Gleaves was 2-for-3, while sophomore left fielder Bryce Kelley and freshman third baseman Zach Iverson also had hits.
MSU swiped five bases in the game, getting two each from Gleaves and Antoncic to go with one by Kelley. On the season, Kelley now has 24 base swipes, leading the B1G and ranking tied for fourth in the NCAA. The 24 base swipes also gives Kelley sole possession of the No. 4 spot on MSU's single-season stolen base list, closing in on former teammate Brandon Hughes' single-season school record of 30 base swipes.
Gleaves now has 15 stolen bases, while Antoncic now has swiped 12 bases.
Landon was supported on the mound by sophomore Caleb Sleeman, who got a big out, then sophomore Mitchell Tyranski, who pitched the final 1.2 IP, chalking up three Ks, to earn his third save of the season.
The Spartans erupted for five runs in the visitor's first inning, boosted by a two-run single by Roskelly and a two-run home run by McGuire, along with an RBI double by Proctor.
Kelley led off with a single and stole second, sophomore second baseman Justin Antoncic followed with a walk, then both Kelley and Antoncic moved up on a wild pitch and Roskelly drove them in by smashing a single up the middle. Two batters later, McGuire smacked a home run down the left field line, just inside the foul pole, for a 4-0 lead. After freshman shortstop Ryan King reached on a fielder's choice, then moved to second on a wild pitch, he was driven in by Proctor's double to left center, putting MSU on top early at 5-0.
Northwestern added two runs in the bottom of the second, stringing together three-straight singles, closing to 5-2.
MSU tried to extend its lead in the fourth, as Gleaves had a one-out single and stole second, then moved to third on a flyout and Antoncic walked and stole second, but the rally fizzled without a run.
Northwestern pulled within 5-3 in the home half of the fourth on an RBI single by Jack Dunn, but a throw from Antoncic to Proctor at the plate gunned down Ben Dickey also trying to score on the play.
Landon struck out the side in the fifth inning, then got the second and third outs of the sixth frame on punchouts, as he only allowed two Wildcat base runners after the fifth inning. Sleeman and Tyranski retired Northwestern in order in the eighth and ninth innings, with Tyranski ringing up a strikeout to end the game.
The Spartans and Wildcats play game two of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, before Sunday's series finale is slated for a 1 p.m. ET start.
MSU then faces off with Eastern Michigan at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, on Tuesday, April 24 at 6:35 p.m.
The Spartans-Eagles battle is full of coaching connections, as MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., was the head coach at EMU for one season in 2008, MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde was head coach at EMU from 2014-17, before returning to MSU, Spartan volunteer assistant coach Jordan Keur was also an assistant at Eastern Michigan for the 2015 season under Van Ameyde after playing for him at Michigan State. EMU interim head coach Eric Roof is in his fourth season at Eastern Michigan, after serving as a volunteer assistant under Coach Boss at MSU for two seasons (2013-14), and was a three-year letterwinner at Michigan State (2007-09), playing under Coach Boss. Current EMU pitching coach A.J. Achter was also a three-year letterwinner for the Spartans (2008-10), and was teammates with Roof under Coach Boss. Achter went on to have a three-year career in Major League Baseball as part of eight years in professional baseball.
Any schedule updates will be announced on www.MSUSpartans.com and on twitter @statebaseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Landon, Ethan (2-5)
L: Lavelle (3-5)
S: Tyranski, Mitchell (3)
Batting:
2B: Proctor, Adam 1
HR: McGuire, Zack 1
RBI: Roskelly, Chad 2 ; McGuire, Zack 2 ; Proctor, Adam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Antoncic, Justin 1 ; Roskelly, Chad 1 ; McGuire, Zack 1 ; King, Ryan 1
SB: Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Antoncic, Justin 2 ; Gleaves, Danny 2
CS: Gleaves, Danny 1
HBP: Gleaves, Danny 1
Batting:
2B: Bourbon 1
RBI: Dunn, J. 1 ; Dickey 1
SH: Kaplan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maxwell 1 ; Lind 2
HBP: Dickey 1
