Sunday, May 7
Illinois Field | Champaign, Ill.
12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT
Michigan State University
3
at
10
Illinois
Photo by: MSU Baseball Social Squad
Spartans Downed By Illini Sunday In Series Finale
5/7/2023 5:55:00 PM | Baseball
MSU topped despite Vradenburg’s three hits.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Michigan State was defeated by Illinois on Sunday at Illinois Field in the series finale of the three-game Big Ten Conference weekend series with a final score of 10-3.
Sunday's start time was moved up to an 11 a.m. CT first pitch due to inclement weather in the forecast for the Champaign area for mid and late afternoon, and the Illini bats showed little lag in the early start time, bashing six home runs in Sunday's game.
After having its five-game win streak halted with a loss in Friday's series opener, MSU dropped just its second Big Ten series of the year, and was swept in a three-game series of any kind for the first time this season and also lost three games in a row away from home for just the first time since early March, sliding to 28-16 overall and 10-8 in B1G action.
Illinois entered the weekend having lost four of its last five, after winning its previous three in a row. The Illini have now won seven of their last 11 in leveling their overall record at 22-22 and moving to 11-10 in conference competition.
The sweep by Illinois was the first sweep by either team in the all-time series between the Spartans and Illini since 2017, when MSU took all three games in Champaign.
"We just weren't good enough today. I thought we had some pitches that we missed offensively and we had some locations that we missed on the mound. They made us pay for them and we did not make them pay for their mistakes. So just an overall tough day for us," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We've got to be able to locate better and we've got to miss in the right place, and we've got to be able to hit mistake pitches when they make them, and we just weren't able to do that today."
Michigan State knocked out eight hits in scoring its three runs. Illinois posted its 10 run on 11 hits, with six home runs, including two by Drake Westcott, giving him five in two games after three in Saturday's game. Overall, Illinois bashed 14 home runs in the three-game weekend series.
Spartan junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was 3-for-4 with two RBI on Sunday, while senior outfielder Casey Mayes was 2-for-3 and scored a run. Junior infielder Trent Farquhar was 1-for-2 with a run and drew a pair of walks, fellow junior infielder Mitch Jebb was 1-for-3 with a run scored and also scored a run, and sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch was 1-for-4. Junior outfielder Jack Frank drove in one.
Junior starting pitcher Nick Powers went 4.0 IP, yielding four runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in being dealt his first loss of the season, sliding to 5-1 on the year. Senior relievers Andrew Carson (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K) and Wyatt Rush (2.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 1 K) finished it out.
For the first time in the weekend, the Spartans scored in their first at bat, as Jebb knocked a one-out single, moved to third on a Vradenburg single, and Frank grounded out to plate Jebb for MSU's first run of the day and an early 1-0 advantage.
MSU's lead didn't last long as Illinois plated a pair of runs in its first at bat on back-to-back home runs by Westcott and Jacob Schroeder for a 2-1 lead.
The Illini added a run in the second on an RBI double, and another run in the third on a solo home run by Westcott to take a 4-1 advantage.
MSU got two runs back as Mayes sparked the Spartan spurt in the fifth on a bunt single, moved to second on a Ziegler groundout. That preceded Farquhar and Jebb drawing walks to fill the bases full of Spartans and bring up the B1G leading hitter in Vradenburg. The Spartan first baseman laced a single to left center to plate Mayes and Farquhar to pull the Spartans within 4-3.
That would be the closest Michigan State would get as Illinois added a solo home run in the sixth, and then plated five runs in the eighth, including two more home runs, for the 10-3 final scoring.
Michigan State returns home to host Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, May 10 at 6:05 p.m. at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field. EMU's head coach is Eric Roof, who is in his eighth season overall at EMU and sixth as head coach, after serving as a volunteer assistant under Coach Boss at MSU for two seasons (2013-14), and was a three-year letterwinner at Michigan State (2007-09), playing under Coach Boss. Eagles' assistant coach Jonathan Roof was a three-year letterwinner at MSU (2008-10), earning All-Big Ten accolades in 2010.
MSU then hits the road for the final time in the regular-season, heading to Iowa City, Iowa for a three-game B1G weekend series at Iowa, Friday-Sunday, May 12-14. The series between the Spartans and Hawkeyes opens on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET / 6:05 p.m. CT, before Saturday's middle game of the series at 3:05 p.m. ET / 2:05 p.m. CT and wrapping up on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET / 1:05 p.m. CT.
The Spartans then host its final non-conference contest, welcoming Central Michigan to East Lansing and McLane Stadium at Kobs File on Tuesday, May 16, before the regular-season finale, hosting Indiana, Thursday-Saturday, May 18-20. MSU's Senior Day is Saturday, May 20.
MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
Sunday's start time was moved up to an 11 a.m. CT first pitch due to inclement weather in the forecast for the Champaign area for mid and late afternoon, and the Illini bats showed little lag in the early start time, bashing six home runs in Sunday's game.
After having its five-game win streak halted with a loss in Friday's series opener, MSU dropped just its second Big Ten series of the year, and was swept in a three-game series of any kind for the first time this season and also lost three games in a row away from home for just the first time since early March, sliding to 28-16 overall and 10-8 in B1G action.
Illinois entered the weekend having lost four of its last five, after winning its previous three in a row. The Illini have now won seven of their last 11 in leveling their overall record at 22-22 and moving to 11-10 in conference competition.
The sweep by Illinois was the first sweep by either team in the all-time series between the Spartans and Illini since 2017, when MSU took all three games in Champaign.
"We just weren't good enough today. I thought we had some pitches that we missed offensively and we had some locations that we missed on the mound. They made us pay for them and we did not make them pay for their mistakes. So just an overall tough day for us," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We've got to be able to locate better and we've got to miss in the right place, and we've got to be able to hit mistake pitches when they make them, and we just weren't able to do that today."
Michigan State knocked out eight hits in scoring its three runs. Illinois posted its 10 run on 11 hits, with six home runs, including two by Drake Westcott, giving him five in two games after three in Saturday's game. Overall, Illinois bashed 14 home runs in the three-game weekend series.
Spartan junior infielder Brock Vradenburg was 3-for-4 with two RBI on Sunday, while senior outfielder Casey Mayes was 2-for-3 and scored a run. Junior infielder Trent Farquhar was 1-for-2 with a run and drew a pair of walks, fellow junior infielder Mitch Jebb was 1-for-3 with a run scored and also scored a run, and sophomore designated hitter Sam Busch was 1-for-4. Junior outfielder Jack Frank drove in one.
Junior starting pitcher Nick Powers went 4.0 IP, yielding four runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in being dealt his first loss of the season, sliding to 5-1 on the year. Senior relievers Andrew Carson (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K) and Wyatt Rush (2.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 1 K) finished it out.
For the first time in the weekend, the Spartans scored in their first at bat, as Jebb knocked a one-out single, moved to third on a Vradenburg single, and Frank grounded out to plate Jebb for MSU's first run of the day and an early 1-0 advantage.
MSU's lead didn't last long as Illinois plated a pair of runs in its first at bat on back-to-back home runs by Westcott and Jacob Schroeder for a 2-1 lead.
The Illini added a run in the second on an RBI double, and another run in the third on a solo home run by Westcott to take a 4-1 advantage.
MSU got two runs back as Mayes sparked the Spartan spurt in the fifth on a bunt single, moved to second on a Ziegler groundout. That preceded Farquhar and Jebb drawing walks to fill the bases full of Spartans and bring up the B1G leading hitter in Vradenburg. The Spartan first baseman laced a single to left center to plate Mayes and Farquhar to pull the Spartans within 4-3.
That would be the closest Michigan State would get as Illinois added a solo home run in the sixth, and then plated five runs in the eighth, including two more home runs, for the 10-3 final scoring.
Michigan State returns home to host Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, May 10 at 6:05 p.m. at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field. EMU's head coach is Eric Roof, who is in his eighth season overall at EMU and sixth as head coach, after serving as a volunteer assistant under Coach Boss at MSU for two seasons (2013-14), and was a three-year letterwinner at Michigan State (2007-09), playing under Coach Boss. Eagles' assistant coach Jonathan Roof was a three-year letterwinner at MSU (2008-10), earning All-Big Ten accolades in 2010.
MSU then hits the road for the final time in the regular-season, heading to Iowa City, Iowa for a three-game B1G weekend series at Iowa, Friday-Sunday, May 12-14. The series between the Spartans and Hawkeyes opens on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET / 6:05 p.m. CT, before Saturday's middle game of the series at 3:05 p.m. ET / 2:05 p.m. CT and wrapping up on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET / 1:05 p.m. CT.
The Spartans then host its final non-conference contest, welcoming Central Michigan to East Lansing and McLane Stadium at Kobs File on Tuesday, May 16, before the regular-season finale, hosting Indiana, Thursday-Saturday, May 18-20. MSU's Senior Day is Saturday, May 20.
MSU's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
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/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
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