Friday, February 16
Shipyard Park | Charleston, S.C.
12 PM
Michigan State University
1-0
10
vs
3
Merrimack
0-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Michigan State
0
1
0
0
1
2
0
0
6
10
14
0
Merrimack
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
7
4
Photo by: Ben Clemens
Spartan Baseball Slugs Way To 10-3 Victory For MSU In Season-Opener Friday
2/16/2024 7:24:00 PM | Baseball
Michigan State smacks four home runs to rally from early 3-1 deficit.
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Michigan State baseball belted four home runs on the way to a 10-3 Victory for MSU over Merrimack in the Spartans' 2024 season-opener Friday afternoon in the first game of the 2024 Swig & Swine Classic at Shipyard Park in Charleston, S.C.Â
MSU was down 3-1 after three innings, but rallied for the win, plating one run in the fifth and two in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead, before erupting to hang six runs on the board in the top of the ninth to break the game open. Michigan State went back-to-back with home runs in the sixth and ninth innings. Meanwhile, on the mound, the Spartan pitching staff yielded all of Merrimack's in one inning, before settling down and stymieing the Warriors' bats.
"I'm really proud of our guys today. I thought it was a really consistent approach all day long," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "Our offense stayed the course and they were able to put up a big number in the ninth there to pull away, but I thought we really played well all around. We got solid starting pitching, and very solid pitching out of the bullpen, I thought the bullpen was outstanding today. We moved the ball well offensively with four home runs on the day and five stolen bases, so I'm really proud of our guys. That's a good win on opening day and we've got to get ready for a doubleheader tomorrow, so we'll be ready to go."
With the win, Michigan State improved to 13-3 in season-openers under Boss. The Spartans additionally moved to 6-1 when opening the season in South Carolina, including 2-0 in season lid-lifters at Shipyard Park, part of improving to 5-1 in their six games played at Shipyard Park. Â Â
Additionally, MSU's 10 runs against the Warriors Friday was the second-straight meeting with double-digit runs, winning the last meeting, 15-14 in 10 innings on a walk-off home run by Peter Ahn at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.
Four of the 13 Spartans to play on Friday were making their debuts for the Green & White, and all four had smashing debuts. Junior catcher Noah Bright was 2-for-5, with his first HR as a Spartan, while junior outfielder Nick Williams was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Both Bright and N. Williams singled in their first at bats as Spartans.
"It was really exciting and it's really a blessing to get this opportunity," Bright said about making his Spartan debut and getting a win in the season-opener. "It's a ton of fun to be with the guys and competing together on the field. It was just truly a blessing and a ton of fun."
Bright bashed his first home run as a Spartan in the sixth inning, smacking a solo shot to left field.
"It was pretty awesome, although it was all kind of a blur. I just blanked out for a sec there, but I remember adjusting to the curveball and just smacked it," Bright said about his first home run for the Green & White. "It was pretty fun to be mobbed by my teammates in the dugout, there was a lot of adrenaline rush in there, and it was a great feeling."
Meanwhile, on the mound, freshman pitcher Logan Pikur made his first appearance for MSU in the eighth inning and retired the side in order, book-ending the frame with a pair of strikeouts. Sophomore pitcher Tommy Szczepanski came on in the ninth and struck out the side to seal the Victory for MSU.
Pikur and Szczepanski came on in relief after senior reliever Harrison Cook went 2.0 IP of relief with two strikeouts only one hit and no runs. The Spartan bullpen combined for 4.0 IP with one hit, no runs and seven strikeouts.
They were in all in relief of sophomore starter Nolan Higgins, who went 6.0 innings, ringing up seven strikeouts while scattering six hits and yielding three runs in the third inning, but otherwise stymieing the Merrimack bats.
"Our pitching today was absolutely electric; that's the best words I can describe it," Bright said, who was behind the plate for all nine innings catching all four Spartan pitchers. "They were lights out and hammered the zone. You had newcomers like freshmen Logan Pikur stepping up, and new guy Tommy Szczepanski coming out of the pen to close it for the first time as a Spartan was awesome. Old reliable Harrison Cook was solid and Nolan Higgins gave us a solid five innings, so it was a great day by our pitching staff."
On the other side, the Spartan bats rapped out 13 hits, as Williams and Bright were joined in multi-hit days by senior outfielder Jack Frank going 2-for-5 with two runs scored, and junior infielder Sam Busch who went 2-for-5 with a home run.
Busch was the first of MSU's back-to-back homers in the ninth inning, smacking a home run to right field, as sophomore infielder Jacob Anderson followed him with a deep home run to left. Bright and sophomore outfielder Jake Dresselhouse started the back-to-back bunch with homers in the sixth inning, with Bright belting his first home run in the Green & White to left to tie the game at 4-all. Dresselhouse followed with his first career home run as a Spartan to put MSU ahead, 5-4, and the Spartans never looked back.
Junior designated hitter Christian Williams was 1-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, senior infielder Dillon Kark was also 1-for-4 with an RBI, sophomore infielder Randy Seymour was 1-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, Anderson was 1-for-4 with two ribbies and a run score, and Dresselhouse finished 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
Michigan State also swiped five stolen bases on the day, including three by Frank, with one each by N. Williams and Seymour.
With the three swipes, Frank becomes the first Spartan with three stolen bases in one game since Danny Gleaves swiped a trio of bases on May 5, 2018 at Penn State.
Frank's three swipes give him 36 for his career, moving up to No. 11 on MSU's career stolen bases list, passing Marty Bechina (2016-19) for the No. 11 spot and just one behind Gleaves (2017-20) with 37.Â
The Spartans got on the board first with a run in the second inning on an RBI fielder's choice by Anderson, driving in Seymour, who led off the inning with a single up the middle.
Merrimack got all its runs in one inning, with all three coming in the third on two home runs, before Higgins slammed the door on a bigger Warrior rally by ringing up his second strikeout of the inning to end the stanza.
MSU loaded the bases in the fifth and Kark lofted a high fly ball down the line in right, that was caught for the RBI sac fly, plating Dresselhouse and pulling the Spartans within, 3-2.
Bright belted his home run with two house, and Dresselhouse followed to give the Spartans the lead at 4-3 and they didn't relinquish it.
Cook took over for Higgins to open the sixth and after yielding a leadoff single, rang up a strikeout then ended the inning with a pitcher's best friend, a 5-4-3, two-outs, one-play.
After Pikur chalked up a three-up, three-down frame in the eighth, the Spartan bats erupted in the top of the ninth.
Frank laced a one-out single to center, then stole center, before both Williams singled, with two errors coming on the play following C. Williams' infield single. Kark then followed with an infield single of his own, then Seymour reached on a fielder's choice, before Busch and Anderson blasted their home runs to conclude the scoring on MSU's six runs on six hits inning.
Szczpanski made his Spartan debut to open the bottom of the ninth and struck out the side to seal the Victory for MSU.
Michigan State continues Swig and Swine Classic action at Shipyard Park in Charleston, S.C. on Saturday, Feb. 17 with a twinbill against Seton Hall and Lehigh at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. MSU wraps up the opening weekend on Sunday, Feb. 18 battling Ball State at 9 a.m.
Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available for all four games during the extended weekend.
The Spartans' weekend schedule is subject to change, fans can visit msuspartans.com for complete schedule information and updates.
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MSU was down 3-1 after three innings, but rallied for the win, plating one run in the fifth and two in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead, before erupting to hang six runs on the board in the top of the ninth to break the game open. Michigan State went back-to-back with home runs in the sixth and ninth innings. Meanwhile, on the mound, the Spartan pitching staff yielded all of Merrimack's in one inning, before settling down and stymieing the Warriors' bats.
"I'm really proud of our guys today. I thought it was a really consistent approach all day long," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "Our offense stayed the course and they were able to put up a big number in the ninth there to pull away, but I thought we really played well all around. We got solid starting pitching, and very solid pitching out of the bullpen, I thought the bullpen was outstanding today. We moved the ball well offensively with four home runs on the day and five stolen bases, so I'm really proud of our guys. That's a good win on opening day and we've got to get ready for a doubleheader tomorrow, so we'll be ready to go."
With the win, Michigan State improved to 13-3 in season-openers under Boss. The Spartans additionally moved to 6-1 when opening the season in South Carolina, including 2-0 in season lid-lifters at Shipyard Park, part of improving to 5-1 in their six games played at Shipyard Park. Â Â
Additionally, MSU's 10 runs against the Warriors Friday was the second-straight meeting with double-digit runs, winning the last meeting, 15-14 in 10 innings on a walk-off home run by Peter Ahn at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.
Four of the 13 Spartans to play on Friday were making their debuts for the Green & White, and all four had smashing debuts. Junior catcher Noah Bright was 2-for-5, with his first HR as a Spartan, while junior outfielder Nick Williams was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Both Bright and N. Williams singled in their first at bats as Spartans.
"It was really exciting and it's really a blessing to get this opportunity," Bright said about making his Spartan debut and getting a win in the season-opener. "It's a ton of fun to be with the guys and competing together on the field. It was just truly a blessing and a ton of fun."
Bright bashed his first home run as a Spartan in the sixth inning, smacking a solo shot to left field.
"It was pretty awesome, although it was all kind of a blur. I just blanked out for a sec there, but I remember adjusting to the curveball and just smacked it," Bright said about his first home run for the Green & White. "It was pretty fun to be mobbed by my teammates in the dugout, there was a lot of adrenaline rush in there, and it was a great feeling."
Meanwhile, on the mound, freshman pitcher Logan Pikur made his first appearance for MSU in the eighth inning and retired the side in order, book-ending the frame with a pair of strikeouts. Sophomore pitcher Tommy Szczepanski came on in the ninth and struck out the side to seal the Victory for MSU.
Pikur and Szczepanski came on in relief after senior reliever Harrison Cook went 2.0 IP of relief with two strikeouts only one hit and no runs. The Spartan bullpen combined for 4.0 IP with one hit, no runs and seven strikeouts.
They were in all in relief of sophomore starter Nolan Higgins, who went 6.0 innings, ringing up seven strikeouts while scattering six hits and yielding three runs in the third inning, but otherwise stymieing the Merrimack bats.
"Our pitching today was absolutely electric; that's the best words I can describe it," Bright said, who was behind the plate for all nine innings catching all four Spartan pitchers. "They were lights out and hammered the zone. You had newcomers like freshmen Logan Pikur stepping up, and new guy Tommy Szczepanski coming out of the pen to close it for the first time as a Spartan was awesome. Old reliable Harrison Cook was solid and Nolan Higgins gave us a solid five innings, so it was a great day by our pitching staff."
On the other side, the Spartan bats rapped out 13 hits, as Williams and Bright were joined in multi-hit days by senior outfielder Jack Frank going 2-for-5 with two runs scored, and junior infielder Sam Busch who went 2-for-5 with a home run.
Busch was the first of MSU's back-to-back homers in the ninth inning, smacking a home run to right field, as sophomore infielder Jacob Anderson followed him with a deep home run to left. Bright and sophomore outfielder Jake Dresselhouse started the back-to-back bunch with homers in the sixth inning, with Bright belting his first home run in the Green & White to left to tie the game at 4-all. Dresselhouse followed with his first career home run as a Spartan to put MSU ahead, 5-4, and the Spartans never looked back.
Junior designated hitter Christian Williams was 1-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, senior infielder Dillon Kark was also 1-for-4 with an RBI, sophomore infielder Randy Seymour was 1-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, Anderson was 1-for-4 with two ribbies and a run score, and Dresselhouse finished 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
Michigan State also swiped five stolen bases on the day, including three by Frank, with one each by N. Williams and Seymour.
With the three swipes, Frank becomes the first Spartan with three stolen bases in one game since Danny Gleaves swiped a trio of bases on May 5, 2018 at Penn State.
Frank's three swipes give him 36 for his career, moving up to No. 11 on MSU's career stolen bases list, passing Marty Bechina (2016-19) for the No. 11 spot and just one behind Gleaves (2017-20) with 37.Â
The Spartans got on the board first with a run in the second inning on an RBI fielder's choice by Anderson, driving in Seymour, who led off the inning with a single up the middle.
Merrimack got all its runs in one inning, with all three coming in the third on two home runs, before Higgins slammed the door on a bigger Warrior rally by ringing up his second strikeout of the inning to end the stanza.
MSU loaded the bases in the fifth and Kark lofted a high fly ball down the line in right, that was caught for the RBI sac fly, plating Dresselhouse and pulling the Spartans within, 3-2.
Bright belted his home run with two house, and Dresselhouse followed to give the Spartans the lead at 4-3 and they didn't relinquish it.
Cook took over for Higgins to open the sixth and after yielding a leadoff single, rang up a strikeout then ended the inning with a pitcher's best friend, a 5-4-3, two-outs, one-play.
After Pikur chalked up a three-up, three-down frame in the eighth, the Spartan bats erupted in the top of the ninth.
Frank laced a one-out single to center, then stole center, before both Williams singled, with two errors coming on the play following C. Williams' infield single. Kark then followed with an infield single of his own, then Seymour reached on a fielder's choice, before Busch and Anderson blasted their home runs to conclude the scoring on MSU's six runs on six hits inning.
Szczpanski made his Spartan debut to open the bottom of the ninth and struck out the side to seal the Victory for MSU.
Michigan State continues Swig and Swine Classic action at Shipyard Park in Charleston, S.C. on Saturday, Feb. 17 with a twinbill against Seton Hall and Lehigh at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. MSU wraps up the opening weekend on Sunday, Feb. 18 battling Ball State at 9 a.m.
Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com, with video streaming available for all four games during the extended weekend.
The Spartans' weekend schedule is subject to change, fans can visit msuspartans.com for complete schedule information and updates.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Higgins, Nolan (1-0)
L: LOGIE (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Busch, Sam 1 ; Anderson, Jacob 1 ; Bright, Noah 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
RBI: Williams, Christian 1 ; Kark, Dillon 1 ; Seymour, Randy 1 ; Busch, Sam 1 ; Anderson, Jacob 2 ; Bright, Noah 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
SF: Kark, Dillon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Frank, Jack 2 ; Williams, Nick 1 ; Williams, Christian 1 ; Seymour, Randy 2 ; Busch, Sam 1 ; Anderson, Jacob 1 ; Bright, Noah 1 ; Dresselhouse, Jake 1
SB: Frank, Jack 3 ; Williams, Nick 1 ; Seymour, Randy 1
HBP: Williams, Christian 1
Batting:
HR: SCANLON 1 ; DOLBASHIAN 1
RBI: SCANLON 2 ; DOLBASHIAN 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BRADY 1 ; SCANLON 1 ; DOLBASHIAN 1
CS: GEMELLI 1
HBP: CHATELLE 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF/C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballOF
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Tuesday, March 11