EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State baseball spent a full Saturday at the ballpark, hosting a doubleheader against Iowa in anticipation of rain on Sunday.
The Spartans secured their first Big Ten series win of the year with an emphatic 15-5 victory to start the doubleheader, since MSU took a 2-0 win in Friday’s series opener. The Hawkeyes quickly turned the page though, splitting the day with an 8-3 Iowa win in the finale.
MSU’s game-one victory was head coach Jake Boss Jr.’s 500th career win, which includes 475 victories with the Spartans.
“I’m just very honored and humbled to be the head coach here, so to get 500 wins here, something that I would have never dreamed to have happened 20 years ago,” Boss Jr. said, adding that East Lansing has always been his dream job. He hasn’t looked for another position since 2008.
Game 1
Starting graduate right-handed pitcher Carter Monke (2.67 ERA) carried over Friday’s pitching success by sitting his first three batters. This gave the Spartan attack a prime opportunity to jump the Hawkeyes early.
Junior designated hitter Trent Rice got clipped by right-handed pitcher Logan Runde on his second pitch of the game. Five Spartan batters were eventually hit by Hawkeye pitchers, allowing two straight bunts, loaded bases and no outs for the Spartans.
Sophomore right fielder Isaac Sturgess drove home a run with a productive groundout, and senior first baseman Randy Seymour broke open the flood gates.
Seymour mashed an off-speed pitch deep over the left fence and Iowa could only watch it fly for the three-run jack. Seymour, the home run leader for MSU, recorded his seventh of the season and put the Spartans ahead 4-0.
“It feels good, our guys have been working hard, you know it’s been a tough schedule and it’s been a lot. I thought two weeks ago we showed a little bit of improvement,” Boss Jr. said. “There’re pieces of it that are coming so there’s certainly a lot to build off of. I think guys can start to see some of the results of their hard work.”
Runde couldn’t muster a response for the Spartans and gave up two more runs. Sophomore center-fielder Khamaree Thomas executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to score a run in the second. Runde was retired in the third after Sturgess tripled to deep right-center and Seymour cashed it in with a base hit to right.
Runde’s start concluded with six hits and six runs, including five earned. MSU ran through seven total Hawkeye pitchers.
“It’s awesome whenever the offense comes out and swings it, and then you can have quick innings and get your guys back in so they can keep swinging,” Monke said.
Unlike Runde, Monke was effective on the mound for MSU. The Illinois State transfer retired his first 10 batters before center fielder Miles Risley got Iowa’s first hit for a double. First baseman Caleb Wulf then notched his 21st RBI of the season on a hit to right.
The Spartans evaded trouble in the fourth when Iowa stranded two runners in scoring position. Freshman third baseman CJ Deckinga snagged a hard hit ball between second and third, bailing out both Monke and the team.
The fourth inning was Monke’s only high leverage situation of the afternoon. He allowed three runs on five hits, going 6.2 innings, and earned five strikeouts and only two walks on a strong outing.
“I think I was speeding myself up a little bit, I lost a little bit of command there for a second,” Monke said. “But coach (Mark Van) Ameyde came out there and calmed me down a little bit and I was able to execute a couple pitches, get two outs, and get us back in the dugout.”
On the other end, the Hawkeye pitching staff imploded in the sixth inning. Right-handed pitcher Brady Ferguson threw two scoreless frames but came out after loading the bases with two singles and a HBP.
The Spartans came across home plate five more times on a wild pitch, catcher’s interference after a walk, an RBI walk, infield single for Seymour and a sacrifice fly for junior second baseman Ryan McKay.
The late onslaught from MSU almost drew a run-rule in the seventh, but catcher Matthew Delgado came off the bench with a two-run home run to keep Iowa alive. The two-run blast cut the lead to 11-3 and extended the day’s opener. Left fielder Joey Nerat added a two-RBI triple in the eighth.
The early ending arrived all the same though. Sophomore catcher Adam Broski delivered a walk-off grand slam to left field for his fourth home run of the season, rounding out the victory and the series win.
Game 2
MSU lacked the same energy in the rubber match, and the Hawkeyes took momentum. Iowa’s Risley and Wulf reached scoring position, and catcher Carter Geffre stepped to the plate for his first collegiate at-bat.
The freshman’s debut started with a bang. He belted a double to the hill in right-center field, bringing in two runs off freshman right-handed pitcher Kyle Rudolph.
Geffre added to his stellar debut when the top of the Hawkeye order returned in the third inning. Following a rocketed solo shot from Risley and a Wulf single, Geffre launched a high fly ball way past the scoreboard in left field.
Geffre finished the day 4-for-6 at the plate and put Iowa up 5-0, as Rudolph was chased off the mound. He allowed Risley’s first home run of the season, Geffre’s career first homer and six total hits.
The Hawkeyes pushed one more across in the third and the Spartans felt the early pressure.
Starting right-handed pitcher Kyle Alivo ran into some trouble against a suddenly desperate MSU offense. He loaded the bases after a sacrifice fly RBI from Rice but calmly limited the damage. Sturgess brought in a run on a productive ground out, but Seymour struckout in the next at-bat. Alivo held control through four innings with just three hits against and three strikeouts.
Senior catcher Noah Bright, the first batter after Alivo’s exit, capitalized with his first home run of the season, out to left field. He became a solid yet uncharacteristic weapon at the plate for MSU, going 2-4 while also recording his first extra base hit of the year.
However, the potent Hawkeye offense continued to layer it on and finally broke through on a frustrating weekend for its hitters. Iowa ran wild with 12 stolen bases, a program record, and capped the series with a win, although MSU took the three-game set.
“Tough to lose the second game of a doubleheader,” Boss Jr. said. “At the end of the day we won a series against a very good team, and proud of our guys for doing that.”
MSU improves to 7-15 overall and 3-6 in Big Ten play. The Spartans hope to stay hot for a one-off game against Central Michigan next week. MSU will make the trip to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, on Tuesday, March 24, with first pitch set for 3 p.m.