Wednesday, March 8
Fluor Field | Greenville, S.C.
1:30 p.m. ET
Michigan State University
5-7
9
vs
12
Wofford
12-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Wofford
0
6
3
0
1
0
0
1
1
12
11
0
Michigan State
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
1
5
9
15
2
Photo by: Ben Clemens
MSU Rally Comes Up Short In Loss To Wofford Wednesday
3/8/2023 8:09:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans open Greenville action with defeat; MSU belts three HR, including Busch and Anderson knocking first of Spartan career.
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Michigan State baseball's late rally came up short as MSU opened its stay at its home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, with a hard-fought, 12-9, loss to Wofford on Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday was Michigan State's fourth week since the mass shooting on the East Lansing campus on Monday, Feb. 13, when three MSU students were killed and five were hospitalized. Michigan State University canceled classes the rest of the week following the deaths of the three students – juniors Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner and sophomore Brian Fraser. Classes resumed on Monday, Feb. 20.
Fluor Field's Green Monster was adorned with a pair of large Spartan head decals with "Spartan Strong" underneath. MSU players again wore "Spartan Strong" stickers on their helmets in a tribute, and several players had personal tributes as well.
The Spartans, who debuted their new "Spartans" script white jerseys, were down 12-4 entering the ninth inning, but rallied with a five-run frame and had a runner on base with the rally and the game ended. Michigan State slid to 5-7 with the loss, while Wofford won its 12th straight game in improving to 12-1. Wednesday was only the second-ever meeting between the Spartans and Terriers, with the only other meeting coming in 2002.
"I'm proud of our guys for coming back, we won the middle third and we won the last third of the game, the first third of the game was the one that got us," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "(Assistant coaches) Coach Sikes, Coach VanAmeyde and Coach Stone did a great job putting a scouting report together. We felt like we had a pretty good idea of what they were going to do, and unfortunately in the second and third innings, we just didn't execute, so that was very disappointing."
Michigan State belted three home runs in Wednesday's game, including sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch and redshirt-freshman infielder Jacob Anderson hitting the first round-trippers of their collegiate career. Busch blasted a two-run shot to right center in the fifth that was 105 MPH off the bat and went 422 feet, while Anderson's solo home run to left center in the eighth was 101 MPH off the bat and traveled 391 feet. Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg belted a three-run home run to right in the ninth inning, that was his team-leading fourth of the season. While it was Vradenburg's first career three-run home run, it was also his ninth career home run, taking over sole possession of the number two spot on MSU's active players career HR list.
"I'm happy for guys like Brock Vradenburg, Sam Busch and Jacob Anderson, who all had really good days at the plate, with Sam and Jacob getting their first home runs of their college careers," Boss said. "But at the end of the day, we need to make a couple plays, eliminate some of the free base runners and put a stop to the big inning, and we'll be okay, but we didn't do that tonight. Credit Wofford they're really good. They executed their plan and that's why they're 12-1."
MSU had 15 hits in the game, marking its second-straight double-digit hits outing and eighth of the season. The Spartans had at least one hit in eight of their nine at bats, including five in the ninth, along with three in the third and two in the fifth.
Vradenburg and Anderson both ended 3-for-4, and both logged three RBI, while Vradenburg scored two runs. Busch was 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored. Junior infielder Trent Farquhar and junior outfielder Jack Frank were both 2-for-5, with Frank scoring two runs and Farquhar touching the plate once. Senior outfielder Casey Mayes and junior outfielder Greg Ziegler were both 1-for-5.
On the mound, freshman Nolan Higgins made the first start of his Spartan career, going 2.2 IP, ringing up five Ks to tie his season-high for the second-straight outing, while yielding nine runs on seven hits. Junior Noah Matheny came on in relief and went 1.2 IP with three Ks, no hits and one run, before sophomore Ryan Szczepaniak took over. Szczepaniak fired a career-high eight strikeouts in 3.2 IP, allowing four hits, one run and two walks, while bettering his previous career-best of seven Ks on Feb. 19, 2022 at UNLV in his Spartan debut. Freshman Robert Klann pitched the top of the ninth, with one strikeout to go with no hits, one run and two walks.
Wofford jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings on a six-run second frame and added three more in the third.
Michigan State got on the board in the third as Frank, Vradenburg and Busch knocked three-straight singles, with Frank scoring the Spartans first run of the day.
After the Terriers scored a run in the top of the fifth, Vradenburg started the rally with a double off the top of the Green Monster at Fluor Field, just missing a home run by just over a foot. Busch then followed with his blast to right center for his first homer as a Spartan, pulling MSU to 10-3.
Wofford and MSU traded runs in the eighth, as Anderson smacked his first round-tripper in the Green & White, bouncing off a patio of the apartments beyond the Fluor Field left and left-center walls.
The Terriers tacked on a run in the top of the ninth for a 12-4 lead, but the Spartans did not go quietly into the South Carolina evening. Leadoff hitter Farquhar fulfilled his role and led off with a single, then Frank followed with a single of his own, and Vradenburg strode to the plate and belted his home run to right for a three-run round-tripper. Two batters later, junior infielder Dillon Kark drew a walk, then Mayes moved Kark over and reached on an infield single. Sophomore Bryan Broecker pinch-hit and grounded out, but moved Kark and Mayes up a base, and Anderson followed with a two-run single up the middle, before a flyout ended the Spartan rally and the game.
MSU remains Greenville, S.C. to play at Fluor Field, the Spartans' home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, the rest of the week, hosting the 2023 First Pitch Invitational, taking on Western Carolina and Kansas in a rotating schedule Friday-Sunday, March 10-12. Action gets going on Friday at 2 p.m. when Michigan State takes on Western Carolina, with Kansas vs. WCU following at 6 p.m. The Spartans play a twinbill Saturday, opening with Kansas at 2 p.m., and taking on WCU in the nightcap at 6 p.m. Action wraps up Sunday with MSU playing Kansas at Noon.
The Spartans' weekend schedule is subject to change.
Fans can follow the action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, where available.
Wednesday was Michigan State's fourth week since the mass shooting on the East Lansing campus on Monday, Feb. 13, when three MSU students were killed and five were hospitalized. Michigan State University canceled classes the rest of the week following the deaths of the three students – juniors Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner and sophomore Brian Fraser. Classes resumed on Monday, Feb. 20.
Fluor Field's Green Monster was adorned with a pair of large Spartan head decals with "Spartan Strong" underneath. MSU players again wore "Spartan Strong" stickers on their helmets in a tribute, and several players had personal tributes as well.
The Spartans, who debuted their new "Spartans" script white jerseys, were down 12-4 entering the ninth inning, but rallied with a five-run frame and had a runner on base with the rally and the game ended. Michigan State slid to 5-7 with the loss, while Wofford won its 12th straight game in improving to 12-1. Wednesday was only the second-ever meeting between the Spartans and Terriers, with the only other meeting coming in 2002.
"I'm proud of our guys for coming back, we won the middle third and we won the last third of the game, the first third of the game was the one that got us," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "(Assistant coaches) Coach Sikes, Coach VanAmeyde and Coach Stone did a great job putting a scouting report together. We felt like we had a pretty good idea of what they were going to do, and unfortunately in the second and third innings, we just didn't execute, so that was very disappointing."
Michigan State belted three home runs in Wednesday's game, including sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch and redshirt-freshman infielder Jacob Anderson hitting the first round-trippers of their collegiate career. Busch blasted a two-run shot to right center in the fifth that was 105 MPH off the bat and went 422 feet, while Anderson's solo home run to left center in the eighth was 101 MPH off the bat and traveled 391 feet. Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg belted a three-run home run to right in the ninth inning, that was his team-leading fourth of the season. While it was Vradenburg's first career three-run home run, it was also his ninth career home run, taking over sole possession of the number two spot on MSU's active players career HR list.
"I'm happy for guys like Brock Vradenburg, Sam Busch and Jacob Anderson, who all had really good days at the plate, with Sam and Jacob getting their first home runs of their college careers," Boss said. "But at the end of the day, we need to make a couple plays, eliminate some of the free base runners and put a stop to the big inning, and we'll be okay, but we didn't do that tonight. Credit Wofford they're really good. They executed their plan and that's why they're 12-1."
MSU had 15 hits in the game, marking its second-straight double-digit hits outing and eighth of the season. The Spartans had at least one hit in eight of their nine at bats, including five in the ninth, along with three in the third and two in the fifth.
Vradenburg and Anderson both ended 3-for-4, and both logged three RBI, while Vradenburg scored two runs. Busch was 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored. Junior infielder Trent Farquhar and junior outfielder Jack Frank were both 2-for-5, with Frank scoring two runs and Farquhar touching the plate once. Senior outfielder Casey Mayes and junior outfielder Greg Ziegler were both 1-for-5.
On the mound, freshman Nolan Higgins made the first start of his Spartan career, going 2.2 IP, ringing up five Ks to tie his season-high for the second-straight outing, while yielding nine runs on seven hits. Junior Noah Matheny came on in relief and went 1.2 IP with three Ks, no hits and one run, before sophomore Ryan Szczepaniak took over. Szczepaniak fired a career-high eight strikeouts in 3.2 IP, allowing four hits, one run and two walks, while bettering his previous career-best of seven Ks on Feb. 19, 2022 at UNLV in his Spartan debut. Freshman Robert Klann pitched the top of the ninth, with one strikeout to go with no hits, one run and two walks.
Wofford jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings on a six-run second frame and added three more in the third.
Michigan State got on the board in the third as Frank, Vradenburg and Busch knocked three-straight singles, with Frank scoring the Spartans first run of the day.
After the Terriers scored a run in the top of the fifth, Vradenburg started the rally with a double off the top of the Green Monster at Fluor Field, just missing a home run by just over a foot. Busch then followed with his blast to right center for his first homer as a Spartan, pulling MSU to 10-3.
Wofford and MSU traded runs in the eighth, as Anderson smacked his first round-tripper in the Green & White, bouncing off a patio of the apartments beyond the Fluor Field left and left-center walls.
The Terriers tacked on a run in the top of the ninth for a 12-4 lead, but the Spartans did not go quietly into the South Carolina evening. Leadoff hitter Farquhar fulfilled his role and led off with a single, then Frank followed with a single of his own, and Vradenburg strode to the plate and belted his home run to right for a three-run round-tripper. Two batters later, junior infielder Dillon Kark drew a walk, then Mayes moved Kark over and reached on an infield single. Sophomore Bryan Broecker pinch-hit and grounded out, but moved Kark and Mayes up a base, and Anderson followed with a two-run single up the middle, before a flyout ended the Spartan rally and the game.
MSU remains Greenville, S.C. to play at Fluor Field, the Spartans' home-away-from-home, Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, the rest of the week, hosting the 2023 First Pitch Invitational, taking on Western Carolina and Kansas in a rotating schedule Friday-Sunday, March 10-12. Action gets going on Friday at 2 p.m. when Michigan State takes on Western Carolina, with Kansas vs. WCU following at 6 p.m. The Spartans play a twinbill Saturday, opening with Kansas at 2 p.m., and taking on WCU in the nightcap at 6 p.m. Action wraps up Sunday with MSU playing Kansas at Noon.
The Spartans' weekend schedule is subject to change.
Fans can follow the action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, where available.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Zac Cowan (3-0)
L: Higgins, Nolan (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Marshall Toole 1 ; Ryan Galanie 1
HR: Dixon Black 2
RBI: Marshall Toole 2 ; Ryan Galanie 1 ; Brice Martinez 2 ; Dixon Black 2 ; Cameron Gill 2
SH: Brice Martinez 1 ; Trey Yunger 1 ; Jack Renwick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marshall Toole 2 ; Dixon Black 2 ; Trey Yunger 1 ; Jack Renwick 1 ; David Wiley 1 ; Cameron Gill 3 ; Ben Schulte 1 ; Connor Larson 1
SB: Marshall Toole 1 ; Ryan Galanie 1 ; Brice Martinez 1 ; Dixon Black 1 ; Trey Yunger 1 ; David Wiley 1 ; Cameron Gill 1
HBP: Ben Schulte 1
PO: Marshall Toole 1
Batting:
2B: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 1
3B: Anderson, Jacob 1
HR: Vradenburg, Brock 1 ; Busch, Sam 1 ; Anderson, Jacob 1
RBI: Vradenburg, Brock 3 ; Busch, Sam 3 ; Anderson, Jacob 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Frank, Jack 2 ; Vradenburg, Brock 2 ; Busch, Sam 1 ; Kark, Dillon 1 ; Mayes, Casey 1 ; Anderson, Jacob 1
HBP: Anderson, Jacob 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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OF
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INF
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RHP
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RHP
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OF
/ Baseball
RHP
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OF
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