Tuesday, April 25
McLane Stadium at Kobs Field | East Lansing, Mich.
6:05 p.m.
Michigan State University
25-13
12
vs
5
Notre Dame
23-16
1
2
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4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Notre Dame
3
0
0
0
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0
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5
9
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Michigan State
0
2
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3
0
6
1
X
12
11
1
Spartans Pull Away From Irish For 12-5 Victory For MSU
4/25/2023 10:50:00 PM | Baseball
Michigan State rallies from early 3-0 deficit, pulls away from 5-5 tie with six-run seventh.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball rallied from an early 3-0 deficit against Notre Dame and pulled away from a 5-5 tie after six innings with a six-run seventh inning and the Spartans pulled away for a 12-5 win over Notre Dame Tuesday night at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
MSU batted around in the seventh inning to post six runs on five hits, with four singles and a triple, to pull away for the win.
"Offensively, we've been really good this year from one through nine," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I think when you can get a balanced attack like that, first of all, you're going to score a lot of runs, but second of all, I think when guys are consistently lining up good at-bats, and it doesn't have to be one or two guys, our top three or four guys have been really, really good, but at the same time, I think they don't feel as much pressure knowing that the guys toward the bottom of the order are still very capable, too. So yeah, really good approach out of our guys today."
The Spartan win improved the Green & White to 25-13 overall, sweeping the season series with the Irish, marking the first time that MSU has beaten Notre Dame twice in a season since 2011, doing so in Florida (2/18/11) and South Bend (5/17/11). With Tuesday's win, the Spartans have now won three of the last four and four of the last six against the Irish, and now lead the all-time series, 83-59, including 41-25 in East Lansing.
Also with Tuesday's victory, MSU snapped Notre Dame's five-game win streak, which included a three-game weekend series sweep over No. 8 Virginia, sliding to 23-16 overall.
"That's a really good team over there, they were in the College World Series last year, and they're coming off of a sweep against the number eight team in the country and they compete their tails off," Boss said about Notre Dame. "It's a mature team. There's a lot of tough outs in that lineup, they've got some good talented arm. We won a really, really good game down at their place, and this one tonight could have gone either way, but we were able to pull away in the seventh. I think that's a team that's really tough, they're hard to play against, and they're going to compete for nine innings and you know you're going to get a good effort out of those guys. I'm just really proud of our guys for playing well, and I think we proved to ourselves when we play well, I think we can beat anybody in the country."
The big two-run triple in the seventh came from senior outfielder Casey Mayes and was his 13th career three-bagger, moving him up to tie for No. 2 on MSU's career triples list, tying Steve Marod (1982-85), and just one three-bag hit shy of tying Mike Davidson (1985-88) for the school record with 14 triples.
"It's always been cool to be in the record book," Mayes said. "At one point in time my dad was in the triples leaderboard here, so to pass him is pretty cool. I know he's really excited about it. I try not to think about it too much but it's very cool to see it play out."
Along with tying for No. 2 on the career list, Mayes also holds a share of the single-season triples record with seven three-baggers last season, as he not only led MSU, but was top in the Big Ten in triples in 2022.
"Casey is strong, he hits a lot of line drives and he obviously runs extremely well. He's a guy that loves Michigan State, his dad, played baseball here, his mom ran track here. He's been a Michigan State guy his whole life, even though he's from Kansas. To see somebody like that with such a history and such a love for Michigan State, set a record, a year ago with the single-season record and approaching the career record now, it's just awesome, and I think that's what it's all about."
Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, while redshirt-sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch knocked a three-run home run down the right field line and into the Red Cedar River in the fifth, finishing 1-for-3 with the three RBI and one run scored.
Junior outfielder Greg Ziegler was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Mayes finished 1-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Junior outfielder Jack Frank and sophomore infielder Bryan Broecker were both 1-for-3, with Frank knocking two crucial RBI on a single in the seventh, adding a run scored on Mayes' triple. Broecker had one run and swiped a base, the lone stolen base of the game, but also his first stolen base of the season and fourth of his career. Broecker also drew two walks, along with junior infielders Mitch Jebb and Trent Farquhar, part of the nine walks issued by Notre Dame pitchers. Jebb finished 1-for-3 with a double, along with an RBI and a run scored, while Farquhar had an RBI on a sac fly and scored a run. Senior catcher Sam Thompson was 1-for- with an RBI and junior designated hitter Dillon Kark was 1-for-2.
Freshman pitcher Robert Klann made his first collegiate start, scattering three Irish runs, just one earned, on two hits, before turning the ball over to junior Harrison Cook, who went 4.1 with two hits and no runs, with two walks and one strikeout. Freshman Gavin Sitarz (0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K) and senior Andrew Carson (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K) bridged the gap until senior Wyatt Rush took over in the seventh and pitched 3.0 IP of scoreless ball, scattering just three hits to earn the win, moving to 3-0.
The Irish jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on just two hits and taking advantage of one MSU error, chasing starter Klann early in his first collegiate start. Cook came on and closed the door on the ND rally, getting a lineout to Broecker at third to end the frame with the bases loaded, but MSU trailing 3-0.
Michigan State closed to 3-2 in the second stanza, as Ziegler led off with a single to right center, then Mayes drew a walk. A Thompson groundout moved both runners up a base, and Farquhar followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Ziegler and Jebb laced a double down the left-field line to bring home Mayes.
MSU's offense got going in the fifth, as Farquhar sparked the rally with a walk, and later advanced to second and to third on a pair of wild pitches. Vradenburg drew a walk to bring Busch to the plate, and he belted a no-doubter three-run home run down the right-field line and into the Red Cedar River beyond the wall in right for a 5-3 lead. It was Busch's sixth homer of the season, including third into the Red Cedar River. It was also Busch's first career three-run homer.
The Irish knotted the game at 5-5 in the top of the sixth on a pair of runs on a triple and later a sacrifice fly.
In the top of the seventh, Notre Dame threatened to take the lead, getting the first two batters on after back-to-back walks, and MSU made a pitching change, bringing Rush on and he induced a bunt popup, foulout and flyout to end the frame unscathed and keeping the game tied at 5-all with the bases full of ND baserunners.
After stretching and singing at the ol' ballgame, Jebb led off with a walk, followed by a Vradenburg single. Broecker later walked as well to load the bases with Spartans. Jebb scored on a wild pitch, and Frank singled through the left side of a Notre Dame drawn-in infield to drive in Broecker and Vradenburg. Next up, Ziegler also laced a single through the left side, and Mayes roped his triple down the right field line and into the corner, driving in Frank and Ziegler. Thompson then singled to right to plate Mayes for MSU's sixth run of the frame.
Vradenburg led off the eighth with a double down the line in right, and Kark singled to left, and was replaced by freshman pinch runner Jake Dresselhouse. After Broecker reached on a fielder's choice to erase Dresselhouse from the basepaths, Frank was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ziegler knocked a chopper to third, and Notre Dame nearly turned a 5-3 double play, but Ziegler was ruled safe after a review and Vradenburg scored the final run of the night for the 12-5 score.
Rush yielded a leadoff single in the top of the ninth, but then induced a pitcher's best friend with a double play. He then rang up a popup that Farquhar snared in shallow left center field for the final out to spark the Victory for MSU celebration and flashing light show of the home stadium.
Michigan State continues its four-game homestand this week at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field hosting Northwestern in a three-game B1G weekend series, Friday-Sunday, April 28-30. The series between the Spartans and Wildcats opens on Friday at 6:05 p.m., followed by Saturday's middle game of the series at 3:35 p.m., before Sunday's series finale at 1:05 p.m.
Saturday is MSU Baseball Alumni Day and any Spartan baseball alum wishing to attend should contact MSU Baseball Director of Operations Ryan Krokos for more information at krokos@ath.msu.edu or call 517-355-4486.
Fans can follow the MSU baseball action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
MSU batted around in the seventh inning to post six runs on five hits, with four singles and a triple, to pull away for the win.
"Offensively, we've been really good this year from one through nine," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I think when you can get a balanced attack like that, first of all, you're going to score a lot of runs, but second of all, I think when guys are consistently lining up good at-bats, and it doesn't have to be one or two guys, our top three or four guys have been really, really good, but at the same time, I think they don't feel as much pressure knowing that the guys toward the bottom of the order are still very capable, too. So yeah, really good approach out of our guys today."
The Spartan win improved the Green & White to 25-13 overall, sweeping the season series with the Irish, marking the first time that MSU has beaten Notre Dame twice in a season since 2011, doing so in Florida (2/18/11) and South Bend (5/17/11). With Tuesday's win, the Spartans have now won three of the last four and four of the last six against the Irish, and now lead the all-time series, 83-59, including 41-25 in East Lansing.
Also with Tuesday's victory, MSU snapped Notre Dame's five-game win streak, which included a three-game weekend series sweep over No. 8 Virginia, sliding to 23-16 overall.
"That's a really good team over there, they were in the College World Series last year, and they're coming off of a sweep against the number eight team in the country and they compete their tails off," Boss said about Notre Dame. "It's a mature team. There's a lot of tough outs in that lineup, they've got some good talented arm. We won a really, really good game down at their place, and this one tonight could have gone either way, but we were able to pull away in the seventh. I think that's a team that's really tough, they're hard to play against, and they're going to compete for nine innings and you know you're going to get a good effort out of those guys. I'm just really proud of our guys for playing well, and I think we proved to ourselves when we play well, I think we can beat anybody in the country."
The big two-run triple in the seventh came from senior outfielder Casey Mayes and was his 13th career three-bagger, moving him up to tie for No. 2 on MSU's career triples list, tying Steve Marod (1982-85), and just one three-bag hit shy of tying Mike Davidson (1985-88) for the school record with 14 triples.
"It's always been cool to be in the record book," Mayes said. "At one point in time my dad was in the triples leaderboard here, so to pass him is pretty cool. I know he's really excited about it. I try not to think about it too much but it's very cool to see it play out."
Along with tying for No. 2 on the career list, Mayes also holds a share of the single-season triples record with seven three-baggers last season, as he not only led MSU, but was top in the Big Ten in triples in 2022.
"Casey is strong, he hits a lot of line drives and he obviously runs extremely well. He's a guy that loves Michigan State, his dad, played baseball here, his mom ran track here. He's been a Michigan State guy his whole life, even though he's from Kansas. To see somebody like that with such a history and such a love for Michigan State, set a record, a year ago with the single-season record and approaching the career record now, it's just awesome, and I think that's what it's all about."
End 7th |
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 26, 2023
MSU 11
ND 5
Six runs on five hits, including this Casey Mayes triple gives MSU a big lead in the 7th!
With his triple, @caseymayes3 is now tied for second all-time at MSU with 13!#GoGreen | #SpartanStrong pic.twitter.com/HZGfyrjfX9
Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, while redshirt-sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch knocked a three-run home run down the right field line and into the Red Cedar River in the fifth, finishing 1-for-3 with the three RBI and one run scored.
Junior outfielder Greg Ziegler was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Mayes finished 1-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Junior outfielder Jack Frank and sophomore infielder Bryan Broecker were both 1-for-3, with Frank knocking two crucial RBI on a single in the seventh, adding a run scored on Mayes' triple. Broecker had one run and swiped a base, the lone stolen base of the game, but also his first stolen base of the season and fourth of his career. Broecker also drew two walks, along with junior infielders Mitch Jebb and Trent Farquhar, part of the nine walks issued by Notre Dame pitchers. Jebb finished 1-for-3 with a double, along with an RBI and a run scored, while Farquhar had an RBI on a sac fly and scored a run. Senior catcher Sam Thompson was 1-for- with an RBI and junior designated hitter Dillon Kark was 1-for-2.
Freshman pitcher Robert Klann made his first collegiate start, scattering three Irish runs, just one earned, on two hits, before turning the ball over to junior Harrison Cook, who went 4.1 with two hits and no runs, with two walks and one strikeout. Freshman Gavin Sitarz (0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K) and senior Andrew Carson (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K) bridged the gap until senior Wyatt Rush took over in the seventh and pitched 3.0 IP of scoreless ball, scattering just three hits to earn the win, moving to 3-0.
The Irish jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on just two hits and taking advantage of one MSU error, chasing starter Klann early in his first collegiate start. Cook came on and closed the door on the ND rally, getting a lineout to Broecker at third to end the frame with the bases loaded, but MSU trailing 3-0.
Michigan State closed to 3-2 in the second stanza, as Ziegler led off with a single to right center, then Mayes drew a walk. A Thompson groundout moved both runners up a base, and Farquhar followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Ziegler and Jebb laced a double down the left-field line to bring home Mayes.
MSU's offense got going in the fifth, as Farquhar sparked the rally with a walk, and later advanced to second and to third on a pair of wild pitches. Vradenburg drew a walk to bring Busch to the plate, and he belted a no-doubter three-run home run down the right-field line and into the Red Cedar River beyond the wall in right for a 5-3 lead. It was Busch's sixth homer of the season, including third into the Red Cedar River. It was also Busch's first career three-run homer.
End 7th |
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 26, 2023
MSU 11
ND 5
Six runs on five hits, including this Casey Mayes triple gives MSU a big lead in the 7th!
With his triple, @caseymayes3 is now tied for second all-time at MSU with 13!#GoGreen | #SpartanStrong pic.twitter.com/HZGfyrjfX9
The Irish knotted the game at 5-5 in the top of the sixth on a pair of runs on a triple and later a sacrifice fly.
In the top of the seventh, Notre Dame threatened to take the lead, getting the first two batters on after back-to-back walks, and MSU made a pitching change, bringing Rush on and he induced a bunt popup, foulout and flyout to end the frame unscathed and keeping the game tied at 5-all with the bases full of ND baserunners.
After stretching and singing at the ol' ballgame, Jebb led off with a walk, followed by a Vradenburg single. Broecker later walked as well to load the bases with Spartans. Jebb scored on a wild pitch, and Frank singled through the left side of a Notre Dame drawn-in infield to drive in Broecker and Vradenburg. Next up, Ziegler also laced a single through the left side, and Mayes roped his triple down the right field line and into the corner, driving in Frank and Ziegler. Thompson then singled to right to plate Mayes for MSU's sixth run of the frame.
Vradenburg led off the eighth with a double down the line in right, and Kark singled to left, and was replaced by freshman pinch runner Jake Dresselhouse. After Broecker reached on a fielder's choice to erase Dresselhouse from the basepaths, Frank was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ziegler knocked a chopper to third, and Notre Dame nearly turned a 5-3 double play, but Ziegler was ruled safe after a review and Vradenburg scored the final run of the night for the 12-5 score.
Rush yielded a leadoff single in the top of the ninth, but then induced a pitcher's best friend with a double play. He then rang up a popup that Farquhar snared in shallow left center field for the final out to spark the Victory for MSU celebration and flashing light show of the home stadium.
FINAL: MSU 12, ND 5
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) April 26, 2023
That's a VICTORY FOR MSU!#GoGreen | #V4MSU pic.twitter.com/1iJAqVXbE5
Michigan State continues its four-game homestand this week at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field hosting Northwestern in a three-game B1G weekend series, Friday-Sunday, April 28-30. The series between the Spartans and Wildcats opens on Friday at 6:05 p.m., followed by Saturday's middle game of the series at 3:35 p.m., before Sunday's series finale at 1:05 p.m.
Saturday is MSU Baseball Alumni Day and any Spartan baseball alum wishing to attend should contact MSU Baseball Director of Operations Ryan Krokos for more information at krokos@ath.msu.edu or call 517-355-4486.
Fans can follow the MSU baseball action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rush, Wyatt (3-0)
L: Matt Bedford (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Carter Putz 1
3B: DM Jefferson 1
RBI: Carter Putz 1 ; DM Jefferson 1 ; Estevan Moreno 1 ; Brady Gumpf 1
SF: Brady Gumpf 1
Base Running:
RUNS: TJ Williams 1 ; Carter Putz 1 ; Jack Penney 1 ; Vinny Martinez 1 ; DM Jefferson 1
Batting:
2B: Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 1
3B: Mayes, Casey 1
HR: Busch, Sam 1
RBI: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Busch, Sam 3 ; Frank, Jack 2 ; Ziegler, Greg 1 ; Mayes, Casey 2 ; Thompson, Sam 1
SF: Farquhar, Trent 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Farquhar, Trent 1 ; Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Vradenburg, Brock 3 ; Busch, Sam 1 ; Broecker, Bryan 1 ; Frank, Jack 1 ; Ziegler, Greg 2 ; Mayes, Casey 2
SB: Broecker, Bryan 1
CS: Frank, Jack 1
HBP: Frank, Jack 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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OF
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INF
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RHP
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OF
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RHP
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LHP
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/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
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