Monday, February 28
Crutcher Scott Field | Abilene, Texas
3 PM ET / 2 PM CT
Michigan State University
3-4
2
at
10
Abilene Christian
4-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Michigan State
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
10
3
Abilene Christian
0
1
0
0
0
0
9
0
X
10
9
0
Photo by: Lucas Peltier
MSU Baseball Beaten In Monday Matinee
2/28/2022 7:36:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans defeated by Wildcats in series finale.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball played a rare Monday matinée game, losing to Abilene Christian in the series finale of an amended three-game series at ACU's Crutcher Scott Field.
After MSU had a 2-1 lead going into the seventh inning, the Wildcats overtook the Spartans with a 9-run seventh frame to win Monday's contest, 10-2, despite Michigan State out-hitting ACU, 10-9.
"It was a disappointing day and a disappointing weekend for us, we had big expectations coming down here and didn't play well enough to win," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We hit seven batters, walked six batters and made three errors, and when you give away 16 opportunities for outs, it's tough to win, even though we out-hit them, 10-9, and to lose 10-2. But we'll get back to practice tomorrow, and get ready for a very, very good tournament field in Minneapolis next weekend."
Michigan State and ACU were originally slated to play a four-game series, starting on Friday, but inclement weather in Abilene altered the weekend series to a rescheduled opening game with a single contest on Saturday followed by a doubleheader on Sunday. However, further inclement postponed that plan and amended the schedule to a twinbill Sunday and a single-game Monday matinée contest. MSU flew into Dallas, arriving late Friday night, then made the four-hour bus trip to Abilene Saturday morning and practiced at Crutcher Scott Field. The Spartans will return to Dallas Monday night, before flying back Tuesday morning.
MSU is now 3-4 on the young season, while ACU moved to 4-3. This weekend was the second-ever series between the Spartans and Wildcats, last meeting in 2017, when MSU swept a four-game series, and Michigan State now holds a 4-3 all-time series advantage.
The Spartans rapped out 10 hits, led by junior outfielder Casey Mayes going 2-for-4, as the only MSU player with multiple hits. Sophomore infielder Trent Farquhar (1-for-3), sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb (1-for-4), junior outfielder Zaid Walker (1-for-5), junior outfielder Peter Ahn (1-for-1), sophomore outfielder Jack Frank (1-for-3), redshirt-freshman catcher Bryan Broecker (1-for-4), sophomore infielder Brock Vradenburg (1-for-3) and sophomore infielder Parker Pilat (1-for-4) all added hits. Frank and Vradenburg's hits were doubles for the lone extra base hits.
Farquhar had the lone RBI for the Green & White, while Broecker and Vradenburg were the run scorers.
On the mound, freshman starter Ryan Sczcepaniak rang up three strikeouts in 2.1 IP, while junior Conner Tomasic rang up four punchouts in 3.2 IP. Sophomore reliever Kyle Dunning was dealt the loss, sliding to 1-1 on the year. Graduate senior Kyle Bischoff added 1.0 IP, with two Ks, while redshirt-freshman Dominic Pianto chalked up a three-up, three-down inning in his lone frame of work.
The home-standing Wildcats got on the board first in Monday's match-up, with a solo home run by Miller Ladusau to lead off the bottom of the second inning. ACU threatened to add to its lead in the third, loading the bases with only one out, before MSU went to the bullpen, bringing in Tomasic in to relieve Sczcepaniak. Tomasic rang up a strikeout and induced a flyout to thwart the threat and leave the bases loaded.
The Spartans broke through in the fifth frame, as Broecker led off with a single, and Vradenburg followed with a walk. Pilat was up next and he laid down a beautiful bunt down the third base line and beat the throw, loading the bases and chasing Wildcat starting pitcher Adam Stephenson. Farquhar greeted reliever Max Huffling with a single through the right side to drive in Broecker. Two batters later, a wild pitch allowed Vradenburg to scurry home and put MSU on top, 2-1.
ACU again loaded the bases in the sixth, this time doing so before any outs, but Tomasic again got out of the jam with back-to-back infield flies, then rang up a strikeout to leave 'em loaded again.
The Spartans threatened in the top of the seventh, as Farquhar drew a two-out walk and moved to second on a Jebb bunt, but the rally ended without a run, keeping the score, 2-1.
ACU plated nine runs on six hits and took advantage of a pair of MSU errors to break the game open.
Michigan State tried to get some runs back in the eighth, as Ahn knocked a one-out single to right and Frank doubled to left center, but again the rally fizzled without a run. The Spartans drew a two-out walk in the ninth, but a strikeout ended the game.
Michigan State heads to Minneapolis, Minn. to play in the Cambria Baseball Tournament at US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, Friday-Sunday, March 4-6. MSU opens on Friday, March 4 taking on Kansas at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT, before meeting Notre Dame on Saturday, March 5, also at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT. The Spartans wrap up the weekend on Sunday, March 6 against West Virginia at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT.
Fans can follow the action with links available at MSUSpartans.com.
After MSU had a 2-1 lead going into the seventh inning, the Wildcats overtook the Spartans with a 9-run seventh frame to win Monday's contest, 10-2, despite Michigan State out-hitting ACU, 10-9.
"It was a disappointing day and a disappointing weekend for us, we had big expectations coming down here and didn't play well enough to win," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We hit seven batters, walked six batters and made three errors, and when you give away 16 opportunities for outs, it's tough to win, even though we out-hit them, 10-9, and to lose 10-2. But we'll get back to practice tomorrow, and get ready for a very, very good tournament field in Minneapolis next weekend."
Michigan State and ACU were originally slated to play a four-game series, starting on Friday, but inclement weather in Abilene altered the weekend series to a rescheduled opening game with a single contest on Saturday followed by a doubleheader on Sunday. However, further inclement postponed that plan and amended the schedule to a twinbill Sunday and a single-game Monday matinée contest. MSU flew into Dallas, arriving late Friday night, then made the four-hour bus trip to Abilene Saturday morning and practiced at Crutcher Scott Field. The Spartans will return to Dallas Monday night, before flying back Tuesday morning.
MSU is now 3-4 on the young season, while ACU moved to 4-3. This weekend was the second-ever series between the Spartans and Wildcats, last meeting in 2017, when MSU swept a four-game series, and Michigan State now holds a 4-3 all-time series advantage.
The Spartans rapped out 10 hits, led by junior outfielder Casey Mayes going 2-for-4, as the only MSU player with multiple hits. Sophomore infielder Trent Farquhar (1-for-3), sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb (1-for-4), junior outfielder Zaid Walker (1-for-5), junior outfielder Peter Ahn (1-for-1), sophomore outfielder Jack Frank (1-for-3), redshirt-freshman catcher Bryan Broecker (1-for-4), sophomore infielder Brock Vradenburg (1-for-3) and sophomore infielder Parker Pilat (1-for-4) all added hits. Frank and Vradenburg's hits were doubles for the lone extra base hits.
Farquhar had the lone RBI for the Green & White, while Broecker and Vradenburg were the run scorers.
On the mound, freshman starter Ryan Sczcepaniak rang up three strikeouts in 2.1 IP, while junior Conner Tomasic rang up four punchouts in 3.2 IP. Sophomore reliever Kyle Dunning was dealt the loss, sliding to 1-1 on the year. Graduate senior Kyle Bischoff added 1.0 IP, with two Ks, while redshirt-freshman Dominic Pianto chalked up a three-up, three-down inning in his lone frame of work.
The home-standing Wildcats got on the board first in Monday's match-up, with a solo home run by Miller Ladusau to lead off the bottom of the second inning. ACU threatened to add to its lead in the third, loading the bases with only one out, before MSU went to the bullpen, bringing in Tomasic in to relieve Sczcepaniak. Tomasic rang up a strikeout and induced a flyout to thwart the threat and leave the bases loaded.
The Spartans broke through in the fifth frame, as Broecker led off with a single, and Vradenburg followed with a walk. Pilat was up next and he laid down a beautiful bunt down the third base line and beat the throw, loading the bases and chasing Wildcat starting pitcher Adam Stephenson. Farquhar greeted reliever Max Huffling with a single through the right side to drive in Broecker. Two batters later, a wild pitch allowed Vradenburg to scurry home and put MSU on top, 2-1.
ACU again loaded the bases in the sixth, this time doing so before any outs, but Tomasic again got out of the jam with back-to-back infield flies, then rang up a strikeout to leave 'em loaded again.
The Spartans threatened in the top of the seventh, as Farquhar drew a two-out walk and moved to second on a Jebb bunt, but the rally ended without a run, keeping the score, 2-1.
ACU plated nine runs on six hits and took advantage of a pair of MSU errors to break the game open.
Michigan State tried to get some runs back in the eighth, as Ahn knocked a one-out single to right and Frank doubled to left center, but again the rally fizzled without a run. The Spartans drew a two-out walk in the ninth, but a strikeout ended the game.
Michigan State heads to Minneapolis, Minn. to play in the Cambria Baseball Tournament at US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, Friday-Sunday, March 4-6. MSU opens on Friday, March 4 taking on Kansas at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT, before meeting Notre Dame on Saturday, March 5, also at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT. The Spartans wrap up the weekend on Sunday, March 6 against West Virginia at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT.
Fans can follow the action with links available at MSUSpartans.com.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Max Huffling (1-0)
L: Dunning, Kyle (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Frank, Jack 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 1
RBI: Farquhar, Trent 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Broecker, Bryan 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 1
CS: Frank, Jack 1
Batting:
2B: Colton Eager 1 ; Hunter Gieser 1 ; Randle, Bash 1
HR: Miller Ladusau 1
RBI: Hunter Gieser 3 ; Randle, Bash 1 ; Miller Ladusau 1 ; Tanner Tweedt 1 ; Alexei Cazarin 2 ; Aaron Staehely 2
SH: Mitchell Dickson 1 ; Alexei Cazarin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Colton Eager 1 ; Hunter Gieser 1 ; Randle, Bash 2 ; Miller Ladusau 3 ; Tanner Tweedt 1 ; Alexei Cazarin 1 ; Aaron Staehely 1
HBP: Mitchell Dickson 2 ; Hunter Gieser 2 ; Miller Ladusau 3
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP/INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
Monday, May 19
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
Tuesday, March 25
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 11 2025
Tuesday, March 11