Michigan State University
8-8, 0
Minnesota
3-13, 0
Spartans Rally For 7-6 Victory For MSU At Minnesota Friday
4/2/2021 10:21:00 PM | Baseball
MSU was down 5-1 after five innings and 6-5 after seven before rallying for win.
The Spartans won their second game in a row and third in the last five to level their record at 8-8, while the Gophers slid to 3-13. MSU's win came in the first meeting between the Spartans and Gophers since the 2018 Big Ten Tournament and also snapped a three-game losing streak to Minnesota in the series, as Michigan State won the opener of the last series between the two, on May 11, 2018.
On Friday night, MSU scored first with a run in the third, before Minnesota plated four in the fourth and one in the fifth to open a 5-1 lead through five frames. The Spartans quickly countered with a four-run sixth inning to tie it at 5-5. The Gophers went ahead 6-5 with a run in the home half of the seventh, but the Spartans again rallied and scored one run in the eighth before plating the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, as sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker darted home and slid in safely on a fielder's choice off the bat of freshman designated hitter Jack Frank for what proved to be the winning run.
"I'm really proud of our guys I think that's a big character win again today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "They could have folded, they could have got really down after giving up four and then going down again and giving up another one in the fifth to go to go down five to one, but they just kept at it and I give them a lot of credit they just keep coming and competing at the plate, getting good at bats and, it was sloppy, but we made some plays when we had to. I'm just really proud of these guys for just continuing to work and continuing to understand that the game is nine innings long and there's no time limit so it's not over until you make that 27th out."
𝙑𝙄𝘾𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙈𝙎𝙐!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@statebaseball) April 3, 2021
Final score: Michigan State 7, Minnesota 6
👏✋✋👏
High fives for everyone!
Spartans rally from down 4 runs, for the #VictoryForMSU in the series opener!
⚾️#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/CZXAUumIvE
Sophomore pitcher Burrell Jones, who came on in relief in the eighth, pitched a three-up, three-down ninth to earn his first win as a Spartan pitcher. Jones went 2.0 IP with only one hit and a walk, earning the win after picking up his first save in a MSU uniform last time out in MSU's 5-1 win over B1G-leader Indiana on March 28.
"I'm really happy for Burrell to get his first win here at Michigan State, he's a local kid and that's really exciting for him," Boss said.
Jones came on in relief of redshirt-sophomore reliever Wyatt Rush, who threw 2.0 IP with two hits and one run.
"Wyatt's done a nice job for us," Boss said. "He got us through the lineup and we figured at that time, it was a good time to turn it over to Burrell Jones."
Rush relieved redshirt-junior starter Mason Erla, who went 5.0 IP, scattering six hits while yielding five runs, four earned, while walking two, but striking out seven. The seven strikeouts moves Erla to 195 strikeouts in his career, vaulting from No. 8 on MSU's career strikeout list, to No. 5.
The Spartans got on the board first with an RBI double by Vradenburg, driving in Frank who led off the top of the 3rd with a single.
— Michigan State Baseball (@statebaseball) April 2, 2021
Vradenburg is now tied with Stewart for the team lead in doubles with 5 each!
⚾️#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/Lh821IhrsS
Frank ended the game 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI, and was one of three Spartans with multiple hits, as senior outfielder Joe Stewart was 2-for-3 with a run scored two walks, while freshman infielder Mitch Jebb was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored, and made the final play on a groundout to seal the win in the ninth.
Walker was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and drawing three walks and stealing three stolen bases. Two of Walker's swipes came in the ninth after drawing a walk, then stealing second and then third to get in position to score the go-ahead run off Frank's fielder's choice.
Freshman infielder Trent Farquhar and junior infielder Zach Iverson were both 1-for-4, with Farquhar notching a run and an RBI, coming on a ground-rule double in the sixth, and Iverson adding a scored run. Freshman infielder Brock Vradenburg was 1-for-5 with an RBI double, while redshirt-freshman catcher Gabe Sotres was 1-for-3, with a sacrifice.
The Spartans scored the first run of the game on an RBI double to right by Vradenburg, driving in Frank who led off with a single up the middle, and an early 1-0 Spartan advantage.
The Spartans got on the board first with an RBI double by Vradenburg, driving in Frank who led off the top of the 3rd with a single.
— Michigan State Baseball (@statebaseball) April 2, 2021
Vradenburg is now tied with Stewart for the team lead in doubles with 5 each!
⚾️#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/Lh821IhrsS
Minnesota scored four in the fourth, sending nine to the plate, rapping three hits and taking advantage of one MSU error, before leaving two on, as Erla chalked up a strikeout to halt the rally. The Gophers added another run in the fifth for a 5-1 lead.
Michigan State wiped out the deficit as Stewart sparked the rally with a walk, and Iverson followed with a single through the right side. Walker drew a walk that was a wild pitch on ball four, and Stewart scampered home to score. Jebb was up next and he sliced a double to the left center gap that skipped to the wall and Iverson and Walker darted around to score, chasing Minnesota starting pitcher Sam Ireland. Farquhar later knocked a ground-rule double to right center that bounced over the wall, to drive in Jebb and knot the score at 5-all.
Trent Farquhar belts an RBI ground-rule double, driving in Jebb, while Sotres has to stop at 3rd after getting HBP, and it's allllll tied up at 5-5 in the top of the 6th!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@statebaseball) April 2, 2021
⚾️#GoGreen | @trentjf7 pic.twitter.com/FhJKsNpn0w
The Gophers retook the lead at 6-5 with a run in the seventh with a single, sac bung, groundout and RBI single.
However, that would be the last the home team would score, as Rush and Jones grounded the Gophers' bats.
Farquhar started the Spartan rally in the eighth, drawing a one-out walk, and then on a failed pickoff throw went wide of first, Farquhar darted all the way to third. Senior outfielder Bryce Kelley fouled out to left, but it was deep enough for the sacrifice fly to drive in Farquhar with the tying run at 7-7.
In the ninth, Walker led off with a walk, then stole second and later third, and Frank's fielder's choice to first drove Walker in just ahead of the tag.
Mid 9th | MSU 7, MINN 6
— Michigan State Baseball (@statebaseball) April 3, 2021
Spartans plate go-ahead run on an RBI fielder's choice by Frank, scoring Walker who started rally w/ a walk, then stole 2nd & 3rd.
Jones back to bump to close this out.
⚾️#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/Hak5Qc81Bn
Jones induced two flyouts and then a groundout to Jebb for the final out to seal the Victory for MSU.
The Spartans and Gophers return to the diamond at Siebert Field for game two of the three-game weekend series on Saturday, April 3, with a 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT start time, before Sunday's series finale, also slated for a first pitch at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT.
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.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jones, Burrell (1-0)
L: Ryan Duffy (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Stewart, Joe 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 1
RBI: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Kelley, Bryce 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 2 ; Frank, Jack 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 1
SH: Sotres, Gabe 1
SF: Kelley, Bryce 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Stewart, Joe 1 ; Iverson, Zach 1 ; Walker, Zaid 2 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Frank, Jack 1
SB: Stewart, Joe 1 ; Walker, Zaid 3 ; Frank, Jack 1
HBP: Sotres, Gabe 1
Batting:
2B: Chase Stanke 1
RBI: Chase Stanke 4 ; Brett Bateman 1
SH: Andrew Wilhite 1 ; Jack Wassel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zack Raabe 3 ; Ronald Sweeny 1 ; Chase Stanke 1 ; Gabe Knowles 1
SB: Brett Bateman 1
