Michigan State University
Indiana
Indiana Spoils Baseball's Bid for Series Sweep
5/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 16, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. - In its final home game of the year, the Michigan State baseball team fell, 10-7, to Indiana in game three of a three-game series on Sunday at McLane Baseball Stadium. After winning the first two games, Sunday's loss foiled the Spartans' (32-17, 10-11) bid for a series sweep of the Hoosiers. The Spartans finished their 2010 home slate with a 15-5 record.
"It was an okay weekend, but a disappointing way to end it, for sure," said MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. "You would like to send your seniors out on a high note and sweep the series. But, at the same time, we won the series and got ourselves back in the conference hunt. We'll need to play well next weekend."
A day after becoming the first player since 1992 to hit for the cycle, Ryan Jones was again impressive as he went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Jeff Holm also went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs.
Indiana batted around in the top of the first and got out to a 4-0 lead off four hits and one Spartan error.
With the help of two IU errors, the Spartans responded to tie the game in the bottom of the first. Carrying over from yesterday's 5-for-5 performance, Jones led off the inning with a single. A pair if Indiana errors and a fielder's choice loaded the bases and Holm cut the deficit to 4-2 with a two-RBI double. Eli Boike and Brandon Eckerle later came through with RBI singles to make the score 4-4 at the end of one.
A wild pitch strikeout to Hoosier leadoff hitter Micah Johnson led to a 5-4 IU lead in the top of the second, and then Josh Lyon made it 8-4 with a one-out, three-run homer in the top of the fifth.
The Spartans loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and with two outs, the hot-hitting Jones laced a two-RBI single into left field, cutting the deficit to 8-6. MSU could do more damage, however, as it ended the inning with two runners left on base.
MSU staring pitcher Tony Bucciferro issued walks to two of the first three IU hitters in the top of the seventh before being replaced by Kurtis Frymier. The first batter Frymier faced, Brian Lambert, doubled in both runners to make the score 10-6.
Frymier retired the final two batters in the top of the seventh and Holm got one run back in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run to right field, making the score 10-7.
IU reliever Chris Squires, who struggled against the Spartan hitters in the first two games of the series, threw the final 3.1 innings and allowed just one run off three hits to earn his ninth save of the season.
Bucciferro, who allowed seven earned runs off eight hits, took the loss and fell to 7-5. IU starting pitcher Matt Carr allowed six runs, two earned, to improve to 2-1.
The Spartans return to action on Tuesday at Mt. Pleasant when they meet Central Michigan in their final non-conference game of the year. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m.
Notes: Chris Roberts moved into a tie with Rich Juday for fourth place on MSU's all time hit list with 227 hits ... Prior to Sunday's game, MSU honored its six seniors: Boike, Frymier, Roberts, Kyle Corcoran, Bo Felt, and Ben Vrobel.
