Spartans Topped By Top-Ranked Bruins, 4-1, Friday Night In Series Opener

Friday, May 1

6:02 PM

Michigan State University

16-26, 10-15

No. 1 UCLA

41-4, 22-0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UCLA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	4	4	2
Michigan State	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	1

Photo by: Erin Grady/MSU Athletic Communications

Spartans Topped By Top-Ranked Bruins, 4-1, Friday Night In Series Opener

5/1/2026 11:59:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score UCLA 4, MSU 1 Box Score

MSU had 1-0 lead on No. 1 UCLA until eighth inning.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State baseball had No. 1 UCLA on the ropes in a Friday night fight, leading the Bruins, 1-0, until the eighth inning, before the visitors scored in the last two frames on the way to a 4-1 final at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium.

Friday's Big Ten Conference weekend series opening contest also marked what is believed to be the first time that Michigan State baseball has hosted a No. 1 team in East Lansing.

With Friday's results, the Spartans are now 16-26 overall and 10-15 in B1G action. The top-ranked Bruins improved to a 41-4 overall record and an unblemished, 22-0 B1G ledger.

Mother Nature was a rude host to the Spartans' visitors from Southern California, with game-time temperatures in the mid-40s, with real-feel in the mid-30s, and dipping by game's end with a freeze warning in effect overnight Friday into Saturday morning.

While the temps were chilly, both starting pitchers on Friday night were on fire, with Spartan graduate senior starter JD Greeley and Bruins starter Wylan Moss engaged in a pitcher's duel.

"We pitched well and played good defense early on," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "That's a good team over there, so you have to be able to execute on both ends of it in order to win. We had limited opportunities offensively, we had the one chance and we executed the sac bunt and got the barrel to the ball for a single and ended up scored. We played good defense throughout, but then unfortunately, in the eighth, we made an error that cost us, and then we walked the leadoff guy in the ninth. If we don't walk the leadoff guy in the ninth, I don't think they score in the ninth, and I think at that point we're still playing. So that's a tough one to swallow because we didn't execute our end of it, and I think if we would have, who knows? The outcome could have been better."

After each team only had one hit and no runs through the first three frames, Michigan State broke through in the fourth inning to take the 1-0 lead.

Thomas w/ the RBI puts the Spartans on top!!

Khamaree Thomas drives in Isaac Sturgess to give the Green & White the 1-0 lead!!#GoGreen | @mareest7 | @sturgess_isaac pic.twitter.com/7dUK0lCQG9
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 1, 2026

The Spartans held that advantage until the eighth inning, when UCLA tallied two runs on a two-run home run, which came after an MSU error. The Bruins added two more in the ninth after a leadoff walk.

MSU finished with two hits on the night, while UCLA had four hits. Moss went 6.2 IP with two hits, one run, three walks and eight strikeouts.

Greeley tied a season-high with four strikeouts and no runs in a season-long 5.0 IP, yielding just one hit to the high-powered UCLA offense, and only one walk.

"I thought JD was great today," Boss said. "He's an older guy with a lot of experience, he's had kind of an up and down year, but he filled up the strike zone today. He attacked with his fastball, flipped his breaking ball in for strikes, and was just really, really good. We needed that from him tonight, so I'm very pleased and proud of his effort tonight."

Junior reliever Ben Kochany (0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K), senior Tommy Szczepanski (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K), senior Nolan Higgins (1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) and junior Gannon Grundman (1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K) finished it out, keeping the Bruins' bats contained until the eighth.

UCLA came into Friday's game ranked third in the B1G and 28th in the NCAA in team batting average at .306, averaging 10.5 hits per game, but were stymied to only four hits by the Spartan pitching staff.

Sophomore outfielder Khamaree Thomas and sophomore infielder Dayton Murphy had MSU's two hits. Fellow sophomore outfielder Isaac Sturgess, junior infielder Ryan McKay and Murphy also each added a walk with McKay also drawing a HBP. Thomas tallied the lone RBI for the Green & White.

Extremely honored to honor the legacy of Norman "Turkey" Stearnes tonight, by having his daughters, Rosilyn Stearnes-Brown and Joyce Stearnes-Thompson, throw out ceremonial first pitches tonight! pic.twitter.com/NULJa48WlC
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 1, 2026

Stearnes played a critical role in breaking down racial barriers in baseball, paving the way for future generations of athletes ... His contributions to the sport and society continue to be celebrated!!

Thank you Stearnes family!! pic.twitter.com/qc3pnarkDH
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 1, 2026

The Spartans got on the board in the fourth frame, as Sturgess led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior designated hitter Noah Bright. Thomas then laced a single to right field and Sturgess scampered around to score, putting the home team ahead, 1-0. MSU's rallied continued in the inning, loading the bases with two outs, threatening to add more, but the rally came to a close without a run.

MSU maintained its 1-0 lead until the eighth, when Mulivai Levu hit a two-run home run to right field for a 2-1 UCLA advantage. The Bruins tacked on two more in the top of the ninth, on a leadoff walk, then an RBI double and later a sac fly, for the 4-1 margin, and the Spartans were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.

The Spartans and Bruins return to the diamond for game two of the series on Saturday at 3:32 p.m., before wrapping the series on Sunday at 12:02 p.m.

Michigan State then wraps up the nine-game homestand at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium by hosting Bowling Green and Western Michigan in a pair of non-conference midweek match-ups on Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6, respectively, both with 6:02 p.m. start times.

MSU's schedule is subject to change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.

The Michigan State baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium, and also single game tickets, are available online, at msuspartans.evenue.net, by contacting the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information, or fans can visit the MSU Ticket Office in person, located in 1855 Place.