Friday, April 7
Jackson Field | Lansing, Mich.
6:05 p.m.
Michigan State University
7
vs
1
Ohio State
Boss Earns 400th Victory For MSU In Spartans’ Win Friday
4/7/2023 10:04:00 PM | Baseball
Michigan State walks way to victory, earning nine free passes.
LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. earned his 400th Victory for MSU in the Spartans' 7-1 win over Ohio State Friday night at Jackson Field.
Boss becomes just the third Michigan State baseball coach to reach 400 Victories for MSU.
"It means a lot. We've had a lot of good players here. I've been here a while, and had a lot of good coaches, and I think this was the dream job for me a long time ago, so yeah, I think they all mean something and 400 is fantastic, and we'll be looking for 401 tomorrow," Boss said.
Boss joins John H. Kobs (576 wins; 1935-63) and Danny Litwhiler (489 wins; 1964-82) as the only Spartan baseball head coaches with 400 wins at Michigan State.
"That's so awesome," MSU junior infielder Trent Farquhar said about the 400 Victories for MSU for Coach Boss. "Coach Boss is working day in and day out. He deserves this, he earned this, and it's just awesome to play for a guy like Coach Boss. For him to get his 400th win, especially here in the city of Lansing, is just awesome."
MSU scored its seven runs on just five hits, taking advantage of nine walks, two hit batters and two balks. Farquhar led the Spartans at the plate going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one walk, while sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker was 1-for-2 with three RBI, knocking a two-run single in the first frame and drawing a bases-loaded RBI walk in the second stanza, as well as a hit-by-pitch.
With Friday's triumph, the Spartans won have six of their last seven and 12 of their last 14, improving to 17-9 overall and 5-2 in B1G play, marking MSU's best B1G record through seven games since 2016 when MSU won six of its first seven league games. Ohio State leveled its record at 14-14 overall and 1-6 in conference competition.
"It's a good start to the weekend, we know we've still got two big games to go, and just need to take it one game at a time, but this is a good start," Farquhar said.
Due to the Red Cedar River flooding at Old College Field, Michigan State's three-game Big Ten Conference series against Ohio State was moved to Jackson® Field™, home of the Lansing Lugnuts, and condensed to three games in two days, opening with Friday night's game before a doubleheader Saturday.
"We're very appreciative for the Lugnuts for everything they did to make this possible and allowing us to play down here," Boss said to media Friday.
MSU and OSU wrap up the condensed series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:05 p.m.
"Our guys are playing really well now, so it's been fun to watch, and they've done a pretty good job of separating one day from the next, so that's my job too," Boss said.
In Friday's game, along with Farquhar and Broecker, junior infielder Dillon Kark was 1-for-2 and drew a walk. Redshirt-freshman designated hitter Jacob Anderson knocked a double and scored a run in the second inning, before turning over DH duties to sophomore Sam Busch, who had two walks, with one RBI, giving way to pinch runner junior outfielder Greg Ziegler after walking in the eighth, and Ziegler scored a run. Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was walked twice and scored one run, while junior infielder Mitch Jebb and freshman outfielder Jake Dresselhouse also picked up a walk apiece. Senior outfielder Casey Mayes was hit by a pitch, stole one base and scored a run. Junior outfielder Jack Frank also swiped one base.
Freshman pitcher Joseph Dzierwa started on the mound and had 6.0 solid innings, yielding just three hits while allowing just one run, with four walks and four strikeouts to earn the win, improving to 4-1 on the season. The Spartan southpaw had a pair of three-up, three-down frames, working a non-conventional 1-2-3 opening inning, yielding a one-out single, before inducing a 5-4-3, two-outs, one-play to end the opening frame. Dzierwa then book-ended the fourth inning with strikeouts, sandwiched around a flyout to Dresselhouse in center, who made a nice running shoe-top catch.
Dzierwa gave way to senior Andrew Carson, who threw the final 3.0 IP to earn his first save of the season, ringing up four Ks and two walks without a hit or run.
"We needed a great effort on the mound tonight from both Joseph and Andrew," Boss said. "We had some chances offensively to kind of break it open and we weren't able to, so credit to Ohio State for making pitches in big spots when they had to. But at the same time, we put up seven runs and found different ways to score."
The Spartans scored in their first at bat, as Farquhar fulfilled his leadoff role with a single through the right side for MSU's first hit of the night in its first change. Two batters later, Vradenburg drew a walk. After Farquhar and Vradenburg both moved up a base on a wild pitch, Broecker knocked a single to drive them both in for a 2-0 Spartan advantage after one frame.
Michigan State doubled its lead in the bottom of the second with a two-out rally, ignited by an Anderson double to the wall in left-center. He moved to third on a balk, and Farquhar followed with a walk to put Spartans on the corners. A wild pitch allowed Anderson to scamper home.
After an Ohio State pitching change due to an injury to starter Isaiah Coupet, the Buckeyes brought in George Eisenhardt. Jebb and Vradenburg drew back-to-back walks to fill the bases full of Spartans. Broecker than earned his RBI walk to bring Farquhar in, MSU's fourth score of the game for a 4-0 lead.
Broecker led off the MSU fifth by getting hit by a pitch, moved to second on a fielder's choice, and to third on a Kark sac bunt. Dresselhouse drew a walk, bringing Mayes to bat, and he knocked a fielder's choice, erasing Broecker from the basepaths at home. Busch was up next and he drew an RBI walk to score Frank and a 5-1 Spartan advantage.
OSU scored its lone run of the night in the sixth, as Caden Kasier walked and Matthew Graveline doubled to left center for a two-out Buckeye rally, before Dzierwa induced a foulout to Broecker behind the plate to end both the sixth stanza, but also Dzierwa's night.
Mayes started things off in the eighth just like Broecker did in the sixth by getting hit by a pitch, and he then stole second and went to third on a throwing error on the play. That preceded a walk by Busch, and Mayes scored on a balk, also moving Busch to second. Farquhar then singled through he left side to move Busch to third. With Spartans occupying first and third, Farquhar was caught in a rundown and tagged out between first and second, allowing Busch to scamper home for the second run of the inning, the seventh and final score of the night.
Carson worked a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth, chalking up a strikeout to seal the Victory for MSU and spark the celebration for the win and the 400th Michigan State triumph for Coach Boss.
Michigan State and Ohio State wrap up their three-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:05 p.m. at Jackson Field.
MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
Boss becomes just the third Michigan State baseball coach to reach 400 Victories for MSU.
"It means a lot. We've had a lot of good players here. I've been here a while, and had a lot of good coaches, and I think this was the dream job for me a long time ago, so yeah, I think they all mean something and 400 is fantastic, and we'll be looking for 401 tomorrow," Boss said.
Boss joins John H. Kobs (576 wins; 1935-63) and Danny Litwhiler (489 wins; 1964-82) as the only Spartan baseball head coaches with 400 wins at Michigan State.
"That's so awesome," MSU junior infielder Trent Farquhar said about the 400 Victories for MSU for Coach Boss. "Coach Boss is working day in and day out. He deserves this, he earned this, and it's just awesome to play for a guy like Coach Boss. For him to get his 400th win, especially here in the city of Lansing, is just awesome."
MSU scored its seven runs on just five hits, taking advantage of nine walks, two hit batters and two balks. Farquhar led the Spartans at the plate going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one walk, while sophomore catcher Bryan Broecker was 1-for-2 with three RBI, knocking a two-run single in the first frame and drawing a bases-loaded RBI walk in the second stanza, as well as a hit-by-pitch.
With Friday's triumph, the Spartans won have six of their last seven and 12 of their last 14, improving to 17-9 overall and 5-2 in B1G play, marking MSU's best B1G record through seven games since 2016 when MSU won six of its first seven league games. Ohio State leveled its record at 14-14 overall and 1-6 in conference competition.
"It's a good start to the weekend, we know we've still got two big games to go, and just need to take it one game at a time, but this is a good start," Farquhar said.
Due to the Red Cedar River flooding at Old College Field, Michigan State's three-game Big Ten Conference series against Ohio State was moved to Jackson® Field™, home of the Lansing Lugnuts, and condensed to three games in two days, opening with Friday night's game before a doubleheader Saturday.
"We're very appreciative for the Lugnuts for everything they did to make this possible and allowing us to play down here," Boss said to media Friday.
MSU and OSU wrap up the condensed series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:05 p.m.
"Our guys are playing really well now, so it's been fun to watch, and they've done a pretty good job of separating one day from the next, so that's my job too," Boss said.
In Friday's game, along with Farquhar and Broecker, junior infielder Dillon Kark was 1-for-2 and drew a walk. Redshirt-freshman designated hitter Jacob Anderson knocked a double and scored a run in the second inning, before turning over DH duties to sophomore Sam Busch, who had two walks, with one RBI, giving way to pinch runner junior outfielder Greg Ziegler after walking in the eighth, and Ziegler scored a run. Junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was walked twice and scored one run, while junior infielder Mitch Jebb and freshman outfielder Jake Dresselhouse also picked up a walk apiece. Senior outfielder Casey Mayes was hit by a pitch, stole one base and scored a run. Junior outfielder Jack Frank also swiped one base.
Freshman pitcher Joseph Dzierwa started on the mound and had 6.0 solid innings, yielding just three hits while allowing just one run, with four walks and four strikeouts to earn the win, improving to 4-1 on the season. The Spartan southpaw had a pair of three-up, three-down frames, working a non-conventional 1-2-3 opening inning, yielding a one-out single, before inducing a 5-4-3, two-outs, one-play to end the opening frame. Dzierwa then book-ended the fourth inning with strikeouts, sandwiched around a flyout to Dresselhouse in center, who made a nice running shoe-top catch.
Dzierwa gave way to senior Andrew Carson, who threw the final 3.0 IP to earn his first save of the season, ringing up four Ks and two walks without a hit or run.
"We needed a great effort on the mound tonight from both Joseph and Andrew," Boss said. "We had some chances offensively to kind of break it open and we weren't able to, so credit to Ohio State for making pitches in big spots when they had to. But at the same time, we put up seven runs and found different ways to score."
The Spartans scored in their first at bat, as Farquhar fulfilled his leadoff role with a single through the right side for MSU's first hit of the night in its first change. Two batters later, Vradenburg drew a walk. After Farquhar and Vradenburg both moved up a base on a wild pitch, Broecker knocked a single to drive them both in for a 2-0 Spartan advantage after one frame.
Michigan State doubled its lead in the bottom of the second with a two-out rally, ignited by an Anderson double to the wall in left-center. He moved to third on a balk, and Farquhar followed with a walk to put Spartans on the corners. A wild pitch allowed Anderson to scamper home.
After an Ohio State pitching change due to an injury to starter Isaiah Coupet, the Buckeyes brought in George Eisenhardt. Jebb and Vradenburg drew back-to-back walks to fill the bases full of Spartans. Broecker than earned his RBI walk to bring Farquhar in, MSU's fourth score of the game for a 4-0 lead.
Broecker led off the MSU fifth by getting hit by a pitch, moved to second on a fielder's choice, and to third on a Kark sac bunt. Dresselhouse drew a walk, bringing Mayes to bat, and he knocked a fielder's choice, erasing Broecker from the basepaths at home. Busch was up next and he drew an RBI walk to score Frank and a 5-1 Spartan advantage.
OSU scored its lone run of the night in the sixth, as Caden Kasier walked and Matthew Graveline doubled to left center for a two-out Buckeye rally, before Dzierwa induced a foulout to Broecker behind the plate to end both the sixth stanza, but also Dzierwa's night.
Mayes started things off in the eighth just like Broecker did in the sixth by getting hit by a pitch, and he then stole second and went to third on a throwing error on the play. That preceded a walk by Busch, and Mayes scored on a balk, also moving Busch to second. Farquhar then singled through he left side to move Busch to third. With Spartans occupying first and third, Farquhar was caught in a rundown and tagged out between first and second, allowing Busch to scamper home for the second run of the inning, the seventh and final score of the night.
Carson worked a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth, chalking up a strikeout to seal the Victory for MSU and spark the celebration for the win and the 400th Michigan State triumph for Coach Boss.
Michigan State and Ohio State wrap up their three-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:05 p.m. at Jackson Field.
MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
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