Saturday, April 24
East Lansing, Mich.
3:30 PM ET
Michigan State University
12-16, 12-16
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Nebraska
19-7, 19-7
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9
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Nebraska
1
0
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Michigan State
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0
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0
1
0
X
4
8
3
Photo by: Jeremy Fleming
Spartans Take Down Huskers, 4-2, Saturday
4/24/2021 8:10:00 PM | Baseball
MSU knocks off B1G-leading Nebraska
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State doubled up Nebraska, 4-2, Saturday afternoon at a rainy McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, taking down the Big Ten Conference-standing leading Huskers.
After the game had a 30-minute start time delay due to rain, the Spartans rallied from an early 1-0 deficit with a run in the third to tie it up. After Nebraska took a 2-1 lead in the fourth, MSU plated a pair in the fifth and added an insurance run in the seventh.
"Today was a really good win for our guys today; I thought it was a character win after really not playing well yesterday I thought we came back and we had a good effort today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We didn't start great and it could've gotten away from us in the first, but our guys just kept battling and fighting and kept the deficit to a manageable number."
MSU moved to 12-16 on the season, while Nebraska had its five-game win streak halted and are now 19-7. The Huskers have now scored their third and fourth-fewest runs of the season, only behind getting shutout at Iowa, 3-0, on March 19 and losing to Iowa, 3-1 on March 14. Prior to Friday's four runs, Nebraska had scored five or more runs in the previous 15 games, including double-digit runs in three of the previous six games.
Junior infielder Zach Iverson was 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored on Saturday, while freshman infielder Brock Vradenburg was 2-for-2 with an RBI.
The Spartans also got shutdown pitching from sophomore reliever Burrell Jones, who pitched the last 4.0 innings to earn his second save of the season, ringing up five strikeouts while yielding just one hit without a run. The lone hit Jones allowed was to the first batter he faced, as he then gave a hit by pitch and walk to load the bases, but then got a popup and flyout sandwiched around a strikeout to get out of the jam, and Jones didn't allow a Husker to reach second until the ninth.
Jones relieved freshman starter Nick Powers, who earned the win after going 5.0 IP with five Ks, scattering four hits and two runs, one earned, and four walks. Powers improves to 4-2 with the win.
"The offense got going and Zach Iverson had a big day at the plate and so did Brock Vradenburg, and Burrell Jones was lights out in four innings of relief," Boss said. "So it was good day today and we'll be back and ready to go tomorrow, we've got a chance to win the series tomorrow, but Nebraska is a really good ball club and we know we're going to get a good effort out of them tomorrow, so we need to be ready to go."
Along with Iverson and Vradenburg, additional hits from the Spartan offense came from freshman outfielder Casey Mayes going 1-for-3 with a run scored, while sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker and redshirt-freshman catcher Gabe Sotres were both 1-for-4, with Sotres scoring a run.
Just like Friday's series opener, Nebraska got on the board first, this time in the visitor's half of the opening inning, as leadoff hitter Joe Acker got on and later came around to score on an MSU error for an early 1-0 lead.
The Spartans leveled it in the bottom of the third after Iverson knocked a 1-out double to right. Next up was Vradenburg and he laced a single up the middle to plate Iverson and make it 1-all.
The tie score was short-lived as Nebraska's Luke Roskam belted a home run to left just over leaping Spartan freshman Jack Frank's glove and the wall, for a 2-1 lead.
In the home half of the fifth, Sotres sparked the Spartan rally with a 1-out single, and after a strikeout, advanced to second on a wild pitch. Iverson followed with a Texas Leaguer single to left center to plate Sotres and tie it back up. The score didn't stay tied for long, as Vradenburg followed with a single through the left side to advance Iverson to third. Next up was freshman infielder Trent Farquhar and he reached on a Nebraska error, allowing Iverson to score and give MSU a 3-2 advantage.
After the seventh inning stretch, Mayes led off and started the rally by doubling to right, chasing Nebraska starter Chance Hroch. Iverson greeted new reliever Tyler Martin with a single up the middle to plate Mayes for the insurance run and a 4-2 Spartan lead. Hroch was dealt his first loss of the season, sliding to 3-1.
Jones set down the Huskers in order in the eighth, and got the first two outs in the ninth, before a Spartan error allowed Jaxon Hallmark to reach second, but Jones rang up strikeout to end the game and spark the Victory for MSU celebration.
The Spartans and Huskers play the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday in a 12:05 p.m. first pitch.
Along with any schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.
After the game had a 30-minute start time delay due to rain, the Spartans rallied from an early 1-0 deficit with a run in the third to tie it up. After Nebraska took a 2-1 lead in the fourth, MSU plated a pair in the fifth and added an insurance run in the seventh.
"Today was a really good win for our guys today; I thought it was a character win after really not playing well yesterday I thought we came back and we had a good effort today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We didn't start great and it could've gotten away from us in the first, but our guys just kept battling and fighting and kept the deficit to a manageable number."
MSU moved to 12-16 on the season, while Nebraska had its five-game win streak halted and are now 19-7. The Huskers have now scored their third and fourth-fewest runs of the season, only behind getting shutout at Iowa, 3-0, on March 19 and losing to Iowa, 3-1 on March 14. Prior to Friday's four runs, Nebraska had scored five or more runs in the previous 15 games, including double-digit runs in three of the previous six games.
Junior infielder Zach Iverson was 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored on Saturday, while freshman infielder Brock Vradenburg was 2-for-2 with an RBI.
The Spartans also got shutdown pitching from sophomore reliever Burrell Jones, who pitched the last 4.0 innings to earn his second save of the season, ringing up five strikeouts while yielding just one hit without a run. The lone hit Jones allowed was to the first batter he faced, as he then gave a hit by pitch and walk to load the bases, but then got a popup and flyout sandwiched around a strikeout to get out of the jam, and Jones didn't allow a Husker to reach second until the ninth.
Jones relieved freshman starter Nick Powers, who earned the win after going 5.0 IP with five Ks, scattering four hits and two runs, one earned, and four walks. Powers improves to 4-2 with the win.
"The offense got going and Zach Iverson had a big day at the plate and so did Brock Vradenburg, and Burrell Jones was lights out in four innings of relief," Boss said. "So it was good day today and we'll be back and ready to go tomorrow, we've got a chance to win the series tomorrow, but Nebraska is a really good ball club and we know we're going to get a good effort out of them tomorrow, so we need to be ready to go."
Along with Iverson and Vradenburg, additional hits from the Spartan offense came from freshman outfielder Casey Mayes going 1-for-3 with a run scored, while sophomore outfielder Zaid Walker and redshirt-freshman catcher Gabe Sotres were both 1-for-4, with Sotres scoring a run.
Just like Friday's series opener, Nebraska got on the board first, this time in the visitor's half of the opening inning, as leadoff hitter Joe Acker got on and later came around to score on an MSU error for an early 1-0 lead.
The Spartans leveled it in the bottom of the third after Iverson knocked a 1-out double to right. Next up was Vradenburg and he laced a single up the middle to plate Iverson and make it 1-all.
The tie score was short-lived as Nebraska's Luke Roskam belted a home run to left just over leaping Spartan freshman Jack Frank's glove and the wall, for a 2-1 lead.
In the home half of the fifth, Sotres sparked the Spartan rally with a 1-out single, and after a strikeout, advanced to second on a wild pitch. Iverson followed with a Texas Leaguer single to left center to plate Sotres and tie it back up. The score didn't stay tied for long, as Vradenburg followed with a single through the left side to advance Iverson to third. Next up was freshman infielder Trent Farquhar and he reached on a Nebraska error, allowing Iverson to score and give MSU a 3-2 advantage.
After the seventh inning stretch, Mayes led off and started the rally by doubling to right, chasing Nebraska starter Chance Hroch. Iverson greeted new reliever Tyler Martin with a single up the middle to plate Mayes for the insurance run and a 4-2 Spartan lead. Hroch was dealt his first loss of the season, sliding to 3-1.
Jones set down the Huskers in order in the eighth, and got the first two outs in the ninth, before a Spartan error allowed Jaxon Hallmark to reach second, but Jones rang up strikeout to end the game and spark the Victory for MSU celebration.
The Spartans and Huskers play the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday in a 12:05 p.m. first pitch.
Along with any schedule updates, fans can follow the games with links for live stats, live audio (when available) and live streaming from Big Ten Network+ at MSUSpartans.com.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Powers, Nick (4-2)
L: Hroch, Chance (3-1)
S: Jones, Burrell (2)
Batting:
2B: Foster, Logan 1
HR: Roskam, Luke 1
RBI: Roskam, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Acker, Joe 1 ; Roskam, Luke 1
SB: Matthews, Brice 1
HBP: Schwellenbach, S. 1
Batting:
2B: Mayes, Casey 1 ; Iverson, Zach 1
RBI: Iverson, Zach 2 ; Vradenburg, Brock 1
SH: Farquhar, Trent 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sotres, Gabe 1 ; Mayes, Casey 1 ; Iverson, Zach 2
HBP: Trahey, Reese 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF/OF/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
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Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
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