Friday, March 24
McLane Stadium at Kobs Field | East Lansing, Mich.
4:05 p.m.
Michigan State University
11-8, 0-1
4
vs
5
Purdue
10-10, 1-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Purdue
0
0
0
1
3
0
0
0
1
5
5
0
Michigan State
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
9
3
Spartans Nipped By Purdue In B1G Opener Friday
3/24/2023 8:48:00 PM | Baseball
MSU’s season-long six-game win streak halted with loss.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball had its Big Ten Conference opener and it's six-game win streak spoiled by Purdue in a 5-4 thriller Friday afternoon at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field in a nationally televised contest on Big Ten Network.
After MSU took a 4-0 lead after two innings, Purdue rallied with one run in the fourth and three in the fifth to tie it at 4-all, then scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth for the 5-4 final score.
The loss snapped Michigan State's season-long win streak at six in a row, as the Spartans had not lost since March 8, and MSU is now 11-8 on the year and 0-1 in B1G action. Â Purdue broke its three-game losing skein in leveling its record at 10-10 and 1-0 in conference competition. The Spartans still hold an 85-77 all-time series lead, despite the Boilermakers now winning four in row.Â
MSU scored four runs on nine hits on the day, with six coming in the first two innings and only three in the final six frames. Â The Spartans also left 10 runners on base. Purdue plated its five runs on five hits and left seven on.
"We've got to take care of the details, and we've got to take care of the little things," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I think at this level, there are very few flukes. When you play better than the other team, usually you win. When you win, you usually deserve to win, and when you lose, you usually deserve to lose, and we deserve to lose today, we didn't play well enough. So we need to take care of the details, we need to move the baseball with runners on base, runners in scoring position. I think overall, it's not an effort-related thing, but it's an execution thing. The effort was fine, the effort was there, but we need to execute. I mean effort is good, but it doesn't always win you games."
The junior infielder trio of Trent Farquhar, Mitch Jebb and Brock Vradenburg all had two hits apiece, with Farquhar and Vradenburg going 2-for-4, and all three had an RBI each and Farquhar had one run. Vradenburg knocked a pair of doubles, while Farquhar and Jebb had a two-bagger apiece.
Fellow junior infielder Dillon Kark was 1-for-3 with a run scored, and also made a fantastic bare-handed scoop and throw from his third base position in the seventh inning. Senior outfielder Casey Mayes was 1-for-4 and joined Kark with a nice defensive play in the seventh, following up Kark's play for the first out by running down a long fly ball at the warning track, and also had a nice snare in the fourth, limiting a bases-loaded Purdue rally to just a sacrifice fly.
Freshman outfielder Jake Dresselhouse was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
On the mound, freshman Joseph Dzierwa started and went 4.2 IP, yielding four runs on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Senior Andrew Carson allowed one run on two hits in 3.1 IP with three Ks, and was dealt the tough-luck loss to level his record at 2-2. Senior Wyatt Rush pitched the final 1.0 IP with a walk and two strikeouts.
The Spartans got on the board in their first at bat, as Farquhar led off the game with a single up the middle, and two batters later Vradenburg laced an opposite-field double down the left field line for an early 1-0 MSU advantage.
Michigan State erupted for three runs in the second, with Frank leading off with a walk and stealing second. That brought Kark to the plate, and he knocked an infield single. Two batters later, Dresselhouse had a swinging bunt to drive in Frank. Farquhar followed with a Texas Leaguer blooped down the right field line to drive in Kark, and Jebb then knocked another single to plate Dresselhouse and put the Spartans ahead, 4-0.
The Boilermakers loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the fourth, before Dzierwa yielded a sacrifice fly to left field that senior outfielder Casey Mayes made a great catch before running into the wall for the first out. Dzierwa then induced a foulout and groundout, both to Vradenburg at first to end the inning and keep it a 4-1 ballgame.
Purdue got back in the game in the top of the fifth, plating three runs on three hits, with Dzierwa turning the ball over to Carson in the frame, before Carson ended the Boilermaker rally with a flyout to right.
The score stayed tied, with the Spartans threatening after the stretching and singing, as Vradenburg knocked a two-out double to the right-center gap, and Busch was intentionally walked, but the rally fizzled with a groundout, keeping the game knotted at 4-all.
Purdue started its rally in the ninth with a leadoff single, and scored the go-ahead run after loading the bases with no outs and a hit by pitch drove in what proved to be the winning run, before Rush rang up a pair of strikeouts and a flyout.
The Spartans tried to rally in their last at bat, with Jebb knocking a two-out double to the gap in left center, and Vradenburg was intentionally walked. However a strikeout and groundout ended both the MSU rally and the game.
Saturday's game two of the Michigan State-Purdue series is scheduled for a 3:35 p.m. start time, before Sunday's series finale has a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.Â
MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
Fans can find "Tickets," "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
Â
After MSU took a 4-0 lead after two innings, Purdue rallied with one run in the fourth and three in the fifth to tie it at 4-all, then scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth for the 5-4 final score.
The loss snapped Michigan State's season-long win streak at six in a row, as the Spartans had not lost since March 8, and MSU is now 11-8 on the year and 0-1 in B1G action. Â Purdue broke its three-game losing skein in leveling its record at 10-10 and 1-0 in conference competition. The Spartans still hold an 85-77 all-time series lead, despite the Boilermakers now winning four in row.Â
MSU scored four runs on nine hits on the day, with six coming in the first two innings and only three in the final six frames. Â The Spartans also left 10 runners on base. Purdue plated its five runs on five hits and left seven on.
"We've got to take care of the details, and we've got to take care of the little things," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I think at this level, there are very few flukes. When you play better than the other team, usually you win. When you win, you usually deserve to win, and when you lose, you usually deserve to lose, and we deserve to lose today, we didn't play well enough. So we need to take care of the details, we need to move the baseball with runners on base, runners in scoring position. I think overall, it's not an effort-related thing, but it's an execution thing. The effort was fine, the effort was there, but we need to execute. I mean effort is good, but it doesn't always win you games."
The junior infielder trio of Trent Farquhar, Mitch Jebb and Brock Vradenburg all had two hits apiece, with Farquhar and Vradenburg going 2-for-4, and all three had an RBI each and Farquhar had one run. Vradenburg knocked a pair of doubles, while Farquhar and Jebb had a two-bagger apiece.
Fellow junior infielder Dillon Kark was 1-for-3 with a run scored, and also made a fantastic bare-handed scoop and throw from his third base position in the seventh inning. Senior outfielder Casey Mayes was 1-for-4 and joined Kark with a nice defensive play in the seventh, following up Kark's play for the first out by running down a long fly ball at the warning track, and also had a nice snare in the fourth, limiting a bases-loaded Purdue rally to just a sacrifice fly.
Freshman outfielder Jake Dresselhouse was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
On the mound, freshman Joseph Dzierwa started and went 4.2 IP, yielding four runs on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Senior Andrew Carson allowed one run on two hits in 3.1 IP with three Ks, and was dealt the tough-luck loss to level his record at 2-2. Senior Wyatt Rush pitched the final 1.0 IP with a walk and two strikeouts.
The Spartans got on the board in their first at bat, as Farquhar led off the game with a single up the middle, and two batters later Vradenburg laced an opposite-field double down the left field line for an early 1-0 MSU advantage.
Michigan State erupted for three runs in the second, with Frank leading off with a walk and stealing second. That brought Kark to the plate, and he knocked an infield single. Two batters later, Dresselhouse had a swinging bunt to drive in Frank. Farquhar followed with a Texas Leaguer blooped down the right field line to drive in Kark, and Jebb then knocked another single to plate Dresselhouse and put the Spartans ahead, 4-0.
The Boilermakers loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the fourth, before Dzierwa yielded a sacrifice fly to left field that senior outfielder Casey Mayes made a great catch before running into the wall for the first out. Dzierwa then induced a foulout and groundout, both to Vradenburg at first to end the inning and keep it a 4-1 ballgame.
Purdue got back in the game in the top of the fifth, plating three runs on three hits, with Dzierwa turning the ball over to Carson in the frame, before Carson ended the Boilermaker rally with a flyout to right.
The score stayed tied, with the Spartans threatening after the stretching and singing, as Vradenburg knocked a two-out double to the right-center gap, and Busch was intentionally walked, but the rally fizzled with a groundout, keeping the game knotted at 4-all.
Purdue started its rally in the ninth with a leadoff single, and scored the go-ahead run after loading the bases with no outs and a hit by pitch drove in what proved to be the winning run, before Rush rang up a pair of strikeouts and a flyout.
The Spartans tried to rally in their last at bat, with Jebb knocking a two-out double to the gap in left center, and Vradenburg was intentionally walked. However a strikeout and groundout ended both the MSU rally and the game.
Saturday's game two of the Michigan State-Purdue series is scheduled for a 3:35 p.m. start time, before Sunday's series finale has a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.Â
MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
Fans can find "Tickets," "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: SUVAL, Aaron (3-1)
L: Carson, Andrew (2-2)
Batting:
RBI: ALBRECHT, Evan 1 ; TOETZ, Paul 1 ; CASKENETTE, Connor 1 ; STEVENS, Jo 1
SH: THOMPSON, Cam 1
SF: CASKENETTE, Connor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BOLTON Jr., Mike 2 ; ALBRECHT, Evan 1 ; JARVIS, Jake 1 ; STEVENS, Jo 1
HBP: ALBRECHT, Evan 1 ; TOETZ, Paul 1 ; STEVENS, Jo 1
Batting:
2B: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 2
RBI: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
SH: Kark, Dillon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Frank, Jack 1 ; Kark, Dillon 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
SB: Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Frank, Jack 1 ; Mayes, Casey 1
HBP: Frank, Jack 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
OF/C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
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