Sunday, March 28
East Lansing, Mich.
1:05 PM ET
Michigan State University
7-8, 7-8
5
vs
1
Indiana
11-3, 11-3
1
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4
5
6
7
8
9
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H
E
Indiana
0
0
0
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0
1
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6
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Michigan State
0
2
1
0
0
2
0
0
X
5
7
1
Photo by: Jeremy Fleming
Powers Propels Spartans To 5-1 Victory For MSU Over Indiana Sunday
3/28/2021 6:46:00 PM | Baseball
Freshman pitcher stymies Hoosiers.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball was boosted by solid pitching and timely hitting to capitalize on opportunities for a 5-1 win over Indiana Sunday afternoon at a cold and rainy McLane Stadium at Kobs Field to wrap up the three-game weekend series.
Freshman pitcher Nick Powers went 6.2 IP with three strikeouts, and did not allow an Indiana runner past second base until the seventh, his final inning, in limiting the Hoosiers to just four hits. Powers also got solid defensive play behind him to help stymie Indiana.
"I really appreciate all the great defense I have behind me, I have trust all my guys, they always make plays and they help me with my success throughout the game," Powers said.
Powers got some early run support from the Spartan offense, as MSU scored two runs in the second and another in the third for a 3-0 lead through one-third of the game.
"Getting runs early is a big boost, and it just gives me more confidence that I can make my pitches, throw more strikes with a lot more confidence, and it kind of picks up the whole team, not just me, so we all start to play a little better," Powers said.Â
Powers' win came in his first appearance at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field and Sunday's performance will leave a lasting mark during his time as a Spartan.
"It's definitely exciting, as a freshman, obviously I've never played a game here before, so it's my first outing in this stadium and getting a win is very big deal to me, and I'm really excited," Powers said.
The Spartans' win moved MSU's record to 7-8, while Indiana is 11-3 with the loss.
"Today was a really good win out of our guys. I was proud of them. We kind of challenged them a little bit before the game and said it was going to be kind of a mental toughness type of day. Indiana took it to us both Friday and Saturday, so I think it was important for us to bounce back today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "The conditions aren't great, and that's another part of it, and we need to try to block all that out and just go out and play good hard, baseball like we do and I thought we did that right from the get-go."
MSU had seven hits in the game, while drawing five walks.
"I think we had a lot of good at bats, a lot of really competitive at bats where we didn't chase a ball out of the strike zone, and got ourselves into some good counts and drew some walks, to really have opportunity to put some pressure on them by getting a lot of guys on base," Boss said.
Powers was again solid in the series finale for the Spartans, earning his second-straight win, both coming this week after a stellar outing at No. 22 Michigan on Monday.
"Nick was kind of a calming force for us, he was really in control the whole way, with his three pitches for strikes, and he was really only in trouble once, and kind of got himself out of it," Boss said about Powers' performance. "It was important for him to go deep into the game for us on a Sunday, and he did just that. He was really, really good again, and he's done a heck of a job for us so far this year."
Sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker started the Spartan rally in the second with a single, then darted around and scored on a double from freshman designated hitter Jack Frank, but was thrown out rounding second too far looking to stretch it into a triple. Freshman infielder Mitch Jebb followed with a single and two batters later, sophomore infielder Reese Trahey knocked a double down the first base line for an RBI and a 2-0 MSU lead.
After the Spartans scored two runs on three hits in the second, they scored a run in the third without a hit, as senior outfielder Bryce Kelley led off with a walk, then stole second, and moved to third on a wild pitch. Junior infielder Zach Iverson then drove him in with an RBI sac fly to right for a 3-0 Spartan advantage.Â
Kelley's stolen base was his 78th career stolen base, one shy of MSU's career stolen base record of 79, held by Anthony Cheky (2012-15).Â
MSU added to its 3-0 lead in the sixth, as senior designated hitter Bailey Peterson led off with a double off the wall in left. Freshman catcher Gabe Sotres then reached on an error, allowing Peterson to scamper around and score. Trahey grounded out to move Sotres to third, and freshman infielder Trent Farquhar was up next and rapped a single to right to drive in Sotres, putting MSU ahead, 5-0.
The Hoosiers got on the board in the seventh, on a leadoff double by Jordan Fucci, but he was erased from the basepaths on a comebacker to Powers off the bat of Sam Murrsion, and Powers ran Fucci down and tossed to Iverson at third for the out, but Murrsion replaced him at second during the rundown. Two batters later, Jeremy Houston singled down the right field line to drive in Murrsion and wipe out the shutout at 5-1.
MSU made a pitching change, bringing in sophomore Burrell Jones to replace Powers, and Jones induced a flyout to Drew Ashley to thwart the threat.Â
Jones went 2.1 IP with three strikeouts and two hits, picking up his first save as a Spartan.
Jebb ended the game going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Farquhar was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two walks. Kelley also drew two walks and had a run. Frank was 1-for-2 with an RBI, Peterson was 1-for-2 with a run scored, and Trahey was 1-for-4 with an RBI.
MSU heads to Minneapolis, Minnesota next weekend to take on Minnesota, Friday-Sunday, April 2-4. The Spartans vs. Golden Gophers series gets underway Friday at 5 p.m. ET, then 2 p.m. ET start times on Saturday and Sunday.
Along with any schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats and live streaming from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.
Â
Freshman pitcher Nick Powers went 6.2 IP with three strikeouts, and did not allow an Indiana runner past second base until the seventh, his final inning, in limiting the Hoosiers to just four hits. Powers also got solid defensive play behind him to help stymie Indiana.
"I really appreciate all the great defense I have behind me, I have trust all my guys, they always make plays and they help me with my success throughout the game," Powers said.
Powers got some early run support from the Spartan offense, as MSU scored two runs in the second and another in the third for a 3-0 lead through one-third of the game.
"Getting runs early is a big boost, and it just gives me more confidence that I can make my pitches, throw more strikes with a lot more confidence, and it kind of picks up the whole team, not just me, so we all start to play a little better," Powers said.Â
Powers' win came in his first appearance at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field and Sunday's performance will leave a lasting mark during his time as a Spartan.
"It's definitely exciting, as a freshman, obviously I've never played a game here before, so it's my first outing in this stadium and getting a win is very big deal to me, and I'm really excited," Powers said.
The Spartans' win moved MSU's record to 7-8, while Indiana is 11-3 with the loss.
"Today was a really good win out of our guys. I was proud of them. We kind of challenged them a little bit before the game and said it was going to be kind of a mental toughness type of day. Indiana took it to us both Friday and Saturday, so I think it was important for us to bounce back today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "The conditions aren't great, and that's another part of it, and we need to try to block all that out and just go out and play good hard, baseball like we do and I thought we did that right from the get-go."
MSU had seven hits in the game, while drawing five walks.
"I think we had a lot of good at bats, a lot of really competitive at bats where we didn't chase a ball out of the strike zone, and got ourselves into some good counts and drew some walks, to really have opportunity to put some pressure on them by getting a lot of guys on base," Boss said.
Powers was again solid in the series finale for the Spartans, earning his second-straight win, both coming this week after a stellar outing at No. 22 Michigan on Monday.
"Nick was kind of a calming force for us, he was really in control the whole way, with his three pitches for strikes, and he was really only in trouble once, and kind of got himself out of it," Boss said about Powers' performance. "It was important for him to go deep into the game for us on a Sunday, and he did just that. He was really, really good again, and he's done a heck of a job for us so far this year."
Sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker started the Spartan rally in the second with a single, then darted around and scored on a double from freshman designated hitter Jack Frank, but was thrown out rounding second too far looking to stretch it into a triple. Freshman infielder Mitch Jebb followed with a single and two batters later, sophomore infielder Reese Trahey knocked a double down the first base line for an RBI and a 2-0 MSU lead.
After the Spartans scored two runs on three hits in the second, they scored a run in the third without a hit, as senior outfielder Bryce Kelley led off with a walk, then stole second, and moved to third on a wild pitch. Junior infielder Zach Iverson then drove him in with an RBI sac fly to right for a 3-0 Spartan advantage.Â
Kelley's stolen base was his 78th career stolen base, one shy of MSU's career stolen base record of 79, held by Anthony Cheky (2012-15).Â
MSU added to its 3-0 lead in the sixth, as senior designated hitter Bailey Peterson led off with a double off the wall in left. Freshman catcher Gabe Sotres then reached on an error, allowing Peterson to scamper around and score. Trahey grounded out to move Sotres to third, and freshman infielder Trent Farquhar was up next and rapped a single to right to drive in Sotres, putting MSU ahead, 5-0.
The Hoosiers got on the board in the seventh, on a leadoff double by Jordan Fucci, but he was erased from the basepaths on a comebacker to Powers off the bat of Sam Murrsion, and Powers ran Fucci down and tossed to Iverson at third for the out, but Murrsion replaced him at second during the rundown. Two batters later, Jeremy Houston singled down the right field line to drive in Murrsion and wipe out the shutout at 5-1.
MSU made a pitching change, bringing in sophomore Burrell Jones to replace Powers, and Jones induced a flyout to Drew Ashley to thwart the threat.Â
Jones went 2.1 IP with three strikeouts and two hits, picking up his first save as a Spartan.
Jebb ended the game going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Farquhar was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two walks. Kelley also drew two walks and had a run. Frank was 1-for-2 with an RBI, Peterson was 1-for-2 with a run scored, and Trahey was 1-for-4 with an RBI.
MSU heads to Minneapolis, Minnesota next weekend to take on Minnesota, Friday-Sunday, April 2-4. The Spartans vs. Golden Gophers series gets underway Friday at 5 p.m. ET, then 2 p.m. ET start times on Saturday and Sunday.
Along with any schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats and live streaming from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Powers, Nick (2-1)
L: Bierman, Gabe (1-2)
S: Jones, Burrell (1)
Batting:
2B: Fucci, Jordan 1
RBI: Houston, Jeremy 1
SH: Hopkins, Collin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Murrsion, Sam 1
HBP: Richardson, Grant 1 ; Barr, Cole 1
Batting:
2B: Frank, Jack 1 ; Peterson, Bailey 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Trahey, Reese 1
RBI: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Iverson, Zach 1 ; Frank, Jack 1 ; Trahey, Reese 1
SF: Iverson, Zach 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Walker, Zaid 1 ; Peterson, Bailey 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Sotres, Gabe 1
SB: Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
ph/dh
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
INF/OF/RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ BaseballIF/OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
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