Michigan State University
Bethune Cookman
Spartan Baseball Rally Falls Short
3/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 8, 2009
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Johnny Lee and Eli Boike each homered and the Spartans scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings but it wasn't enough as Bethune-Cookman downed the Spartans, 5-4, Sunday (March 8) afternoon in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The Wildcats pushed across solo runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 5-2 lead heading into the eighth. In the Spartan half of the eighth, Eli Boike got his second hit of the afternoon, a double to left field that just dropped inside the left field line. Chris Roberts then drove him in with a single to right that cut the lead to 5-3.
Bethune-Cookman (8-5) closer Justin Dahl came on in the ninth and hit Jeff Holm and then walked Bo Felt with two outs to put the tying runs on base. Brandon Eckerle's single scored Holm and moved the potential tying run at third but Dahl got Boike to strikeout to end the game.
The Spartans started the scoring in the second when Johnny Lee belted a Felix Machado delivery over the left-field wall for his second homer of the season in the season to give MSU 1-0 lead. Bethune-Cookman knotted the game with a two-out RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the frame.
Despite Spartan starter Tony Bucciferro retiring the first two hitters in the bottom of the fourth, the Wildcats used three consecutive singles to take a 2-1 lead. Bethune-Cookman scored another solo run in the fifth to go ahead 3-1.
After the Lee home run, Machado retired 11 of the next 12 batters before Boike hit his second home run of the weekend and team-leading third of the season to get MSU within one, 3-2.
In his first-career start, Bucciferro surrendered 10 hits but just three runs in 4.2 innings. He also struck out two while issuing no walks.
The Spartans (1-9) will take a day off before returning to action at No. 19 Clemson at 4 p.m. on Tuesday (March 10).
