Wednesday, May 11
Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field | Kalamazoo, Mich.
4:05 PM ET
Michigan State University
22-25
3
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Western Michigan
16-30
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9
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H
E
Michigan State
0
0
2
0
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1
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10
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Western Michigan
0
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5
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Photo by: Jack Behan
Spartans Corral Broncos Wednesday
5/11/2022 9:26:00 PM | Baseball
Pianto earns first win as a Spartan in first start for the Green & White as MSU wraps up hectic five games in four days in three states stretch.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Solid pitching, primarily from starter Dominic Pianto, propelled Michigan State baseball to a 3-1 Victory for MSU over Western Michigan Wednesday evening at WMU's Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field.
Wednesday wrapped up MSU's hectic stretch of five games in four days in four states.
Tuesday was Michigan State's fourth game in the last three days after playing a doubleheader on Sunday at Penn State, then a single game on Monday, before returning home and arriving back on campus after midnight. MSU then boarded a bus Tuesday afternoon for the trip to South Bend to play at No. 14 Notre Dame Tuesday night and returning home after the game. The Spartans then made the short trek to Kalamazoo on Wednesday afternoon for the battle with the Broncos.
"It was a really good win for our guys today. I'm really proud of them. We've played five games in four days here and this was kind of a character win today for us, guys are tired but they grinded one out today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We had a lot of good at bats, we played really well defensively and the pitching today was outstanding, so that was a recipe for a solid win against a very good club that put up a big number on us about a month ago, so it was good to come out and throw it the way we did."
Michigan State leveled the season series with WMU, with each visiting team winning after the Broncos beat the Spartans, 18-7, back on April 13 at East Lansing.
Additionally, Wednesday also was the homecoming for current MSU volunteer assistant Andrew Stone and Western Michigan alum (2015-19), and his father is Jeff Stone, Western Michigan's Senior Associate Athletic Director, overseeing academic and compliance services.Â
Stone was one of five coaching connections in the game, as current MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., WMU head coach Billy Gernon and MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde were together on the Spartans' staff from 2009-10, before Gernon left to become head coach at WMU. Furthermore, current WMU assistant coach Jordan Keur was on the Spartan staff for four seasons (2016-19) and also was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State (2010-13), playing in Gernon's final year on the Spartan staff.
Wednesday's game was also a partnership between Michigan State and Western Michigan baseball teams to host the "Day of Miracles" game to benefit Southwest Michigan Miracle League (SMML), and local Miracle League athletes joined the Spartans and Broncos on the field pre-game for a special ceremony, introductions and the National Anthem.
"Working with the Miracle League is something we take great pride in amongst our program, and we've had a long-standing relationship with the Mid-Michigan Miracle League. When Coach Gernon presented this opportunity to partner up with the Southwest Michigan Miracle League, it was something that we just jumped at," Boss said. "It's such a special organization. I say every year, that I don't know who gets more out of it when we go play with those kids, them or us. It warms your heart and also gives you chills when you watch those kids play and to see the pure joy on their face and to be a part of a day like that is something that's really special.
After the National Anthem, former MSU men's basketball associate head coach and newly named WMU head coach Dwayne Stephens threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
"DJ is an awesome guy. I'm really happy for him and the opportunity that he's got here at Western Michigan. He's gonna do great things here," Boss said. "He's just a first class guy, a hard worker, and a guy that always made time for us in our baseball program, whether it be sharing ideas or coming to basketball practice or whatever it was, even helping us with recruits and things of that nature. So I think it's a home run hire for Western and I'm excited to see what DJ is going to do here."
Once the game got underway, redshirt-freshman pitcher Dominic Pianto made the first start of his Spartan career, going a solid 4.0 IP, scattering three hits without a run, yielding four walks while ringing up three strikeouts to earn his first win.
Junior reliever Wyatt Rush went 3.0 IP with two hits, one run and one walk, before turning things over to fellow junior reliever Andrew Carson, who had back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to earn his second save of the season.Â
At the plate, MSU had 10 hits, as the Spartans posted double-digit hits for the third game in a row as part of the fifth occurrence in six games and six times in eight outings.Â
Sophomore infielder Dillon Kark was 2-for-4 with a run scored, and made several leather-flashing defensive plays at third base. Fellow sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was also 2-for-4 with an RBI, while graduate-senior outfielder Peter Ahn was 1-for-1 with a stolen base and a run scored. Junior outfielder Zaid Walker was 1-for-2 with a run scored, while redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams and sophomore infielder Brock Vradenburg were both 1-for-3, with Williams posting an RBI. Junior outfielder Casey Mayes was 1-for-4 and added a swiped bag. Sophomore infielder Trent Farquhar was 1-for-5, while redshirt-freshman designated hitter Bryan Broecker didn't register a hit, but drew a walk, along with Vradenburg and Walker.
MSU got on the board in the top of the third, as Ahn led off by laying down a beauty of bunt down the third base line. After Ahn stole second, Kark singled through the left side to move Ahn over to third, and Kark later took second on a wild pitch. Williams followed with a fly ball to left field that was deep enough for Ahn to dart home on the sac fly. That brought Jebb to the dish and he singled through the right side of the WMU infield to drive in Kark and give the Spartans a 2-0 lead.
WMU cut the gap in half with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.
The Spartans rallied in the top of the seventh, loading the bases as Walker, Kark and Jebb reached, on a fielder's choice and a pair of singles, respectively, and Walker scored MSU's insurance run on a balk by the WMU pitcher.
WMU threatened after the fans stretched and sang, with a leadoff single and later a one-out walk, but Rush induced a 5-3 double play on a chopper to Kark and he stepped on third and then fired across the infield to Vradenburg at first for the double play.
Michigan State tried to pad its lead in the top of the eighth, again loading the bases after Mayes singled and stole second, Vradenburg walked and Walker later also drew a two-out walk, but a fielder's choice ended the frame.
Carson took the mound in the eighth and registered a three-up, three-down frame, chalking up the first two outs on strikeouts.Â
Williams led off the ninth with a single and moved up on a sac bunt, but MSU's rally fizzled.
Carson chalked up another 1-2-3 inning to close out the game and seal the Victory for MSU.
With its hectic stretch complete, Michigan State has an off day Thursday, before hosting Iowa, Friday-Sunday, May 13-15 in the final home games of the 2022 season at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field. Saturday is MSU's Alumni Day and Sunday will be the Spartans' Senior Day, honoring their three senior players, Peter Ahn, Kyle Bischoff and Zach Iverson, along with two managers, Aaron Boise and Tommy Merlo.
The Spartans and Hawkeyes open the series on Friday evening at 6:35 p.m., before Saturday's Alumni Day 4:05 p.m. first pitch and the series finale on Spartan Senior Day with a 1:05 p.m. start time.
Â
The Spartans' schedule is subject to change based on weather.
Along with any further schedule updates, fans can find "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links when available at MSUSpartans.com to follow along with the upcoming action.
Â
Wednesday wrapped up MSU's hectic stretch of five games in four days in four states.
Tuesday was Michigan State's fourth game in the last three days after playing a doubleheader on Sunday at Penn State, then a single game on Monday, before returning home and arriving back on campus after midnight. MSU then boarded a bus Tuesday afternoon for the trip to South Bend to play at No. 14 Notre Dame Tuesday night and returning home after the game. The Spartans then made the short trek to Kalamazoo on Wednesday afternoon for the battle with the Broncos.
"It was a really good win for our guys today. I'm really proud of them. We've played five games in four days here and this was kind of a character win today for us, guys are tired but they grinded one out today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "We had a lot of good at bats, we played really well defensively and the pitching today was outstanding, so that was a recipe for a solid win against a very good club that put up a big number on us about a month ago, so it was good to come out and throw it the way we did."
Michigan State leveled the season series with WMU, with each visiting team winning after the Broncos beat the Spartans, 18-7, back on April 13 at East Lansing.
Additionally, Wednesday also was the homecoming for current MSU volunteer assistant Andrew Stone and Western Michigan alum (2015-19), and his father is Jeff Stone, Western Michigan's Senior Associate Athletic Director, overseeing academic and compliance services.Â
Stone was one of five coaching connections in the game, as current MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr., WMU head coach Billy Gernon and MSU assistant coach/pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde were together on the Spartans' staff from 2009-10, before Gernon left to become head coach at WMU. Furthermore, current WMU assistant coach Jordan Keur was on the Spartan staff for four seasons (2016-19) and also was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State (2010-13), playing in Gernon's final year on the Spartan staff.
Wednesday's game was also a partnership between Michigan State and Western Michigan baseball teams to host the "Day of Miracles" game to benefit Southwest Michigan Miracle League (SMML), and local Miracle League athletes joined the Spartans and Broncos on the field pre-game for a special ceremony, introductions and the National Anthem.
Had some fun with #MiracleLeague Day of Miracles pre-game activities!! #GoGreen | @BryanBroecker | @bischoff_k pic.twitter.com/01Uqo3u6Kb
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 11, 2022
"Working with the Miracle League is something we take great pride in amongst our program, and we've had a long-standing relationship with the Mid-Michigan Miracle League. When Coach Gernon presented this opportunity to partner up with the Southwest Michigan Miracle League, it was something that we just jumped at," Boss said. "It's such a special organization. I say every year, that I don't know who gets more out of it when we go play with those kids, them or us. It warms your heart and also gives you chills when you watch those kids play and to see the pure joy on their face and to be a part of a day like that is something that's really special.
(1/2) We had a great time last night - what an event with special guests @MiracleSwmi before the game!!
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 12, 2022
We're excited to continue our partnership with @WMUBaseball for a "Day of Miracles" next year!! #MiracleLeague pic.twitter.com/1bU7KScf3H
After the National Anthem, former MSU men's basketball associate head coach and newly named WMU head coach Dwayne Stephens threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Former @MSU_Basketball associate head coach and new WMU MBB head coach @DjStephens31 threw out today's first pitch!! #GoGreen | #OnceASpartanAlwaysASpartan pic.twitter.com/tdVaG7lu2h
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 11, 2022
"DJ is an awesome guy. I'm really happy for him and the opportunity that he's got here at Western Michigan. He's gonna do great things here," Boss said. "He's just a first class guy, a hard worker, and a guy that always made time for us in our baseball program, whether it be sharing ideas or coming to basketball practice or whatever it was, even helping us with recruits and things of that nature. So I think it's a home run hire for Western and I'm excited to see what DJ is going to do here."
(2/2)... then former @MSU_Basketball assoc HC/new @WMUMBB HC @DjStephens31 threw out the ceremonial first pitch!!#GoGreen | #OnceASpartanAlwaysASpartan pic.twitter.com/72qC5xzmx1
— Michigan State Baseball (@MSUBaseball) May 12, 2022
Once the game got underway, redshirt-freshman pitcher Dominic Pianto made the first start of his Spartan career, going a solid 4.0 IP, scattering three hits without a run, yielding four walks while ringing up three strikeouts to earn his first win.
Junior reliever Wyatt Rush went 3.0 IP with two hits, one run and one walk, before turning things over to fellow junior reliever Andrew Carson, who had back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to earn his second save of the season.Â
At the plate, MSU had 10 hits, as the Spartans posted double-digit hits for the third game in a row as part of the fifth occurrence in six games and six times in eight outings.Â
Sophomore infielder Dillon Kark was 2-for-4 with a run scored, and made several leather-flashing defensive plays at third base. Fellow sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb was also 2-for-4 with an RBI, while graduate-senior outfielder Peter Ahn was 1-for-1 with a stolen base and a run scored. Junior outfielder Zaid Walker was 1-for-2 with a run scored, while redshirt-freshman catcher Christian Williams and sophomore infielder Brock Vradenburg were both 1-for-3, with Williams posting an RBI. Junior outfielder Casey Mayes was 1-for-4 and added a swiped bag. Sophomore infielder Trent Farquhar was 1-for-5, while redshirt-freshman designated hitter Bryan Broecker didn't register a hit, but drew a walk, along with Vradenburg and Walker.
MSU got on the board in the top of the third, as Ahn led off by laying down a beauty of bunt down the third base line. After Ahn stole second, Kark singled through the left side to move Ahn over to third, and Kark later took second on a wild pitch. Williams followed with a fly ball to left field that was deep enough for Ahn to dart home on the sac fly. That brought Jebb to the dish and he singled through the right side of the WMU infield to drive in Kark and give the Spartans a 2-0 lead.
WMU cut the gap in half with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.
The Spartans rallied in the top of the seventh, loading the bases as Walker, Kark and Jebb reached, on a fielder's choice and a pair of singles, respectively, and Walker scored MSU's insurance run on a balk by the WMU pitcher.
WMU threatened after the fans stretched and sang, with a leadoff single and later a one-out walk, but Rush induced a 5-3 double play on a chopper to Kark and he stepped on third and then fired across the infield to Vradenburg at first for the double play.
Michigan State tried to pad its lead in the top of the eighth, again loading the bases after Mayes singled and stole second, Vradenburg walked and Walker later also drew a two-out walk, but a fielder's choice ended the frame.
Carson took the mound in the eighth and registered a three-up, three-down frame, chalking up the first two outs on strikeouts.Â
Williams led off the ninth with a single and moved up on a sac bunt, but MSU's rally fizzled.
Carson chalked up another 1-2-3 inning to close out the game and seal the Victory for MSU.
With its hectic stretch complete, Michigan State has an off day Thursday, before hosting Iowa, Friday-Sunday, May 13-15 in the final home games of the 2022 season at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field. Saturday is MSU's Alumni Day and Sunday will be the Spartans' Senior Day, honoring their three senior players, Peter Ahn, Kyle Bischoff and Zach Iverson, along with two managers, Aaron Boise and Tommy Merlo.
The Spartans and Hawkeyes open the series on Friday evening at 6:35 p.m., before Saturday's Alumni Day 4:05 p.m. first pitch and the series finale on Spartan Senior Day with a 1:05 p.m. start time.
Â
The Spartans' schedule is subject to change based on weather.
Along with any further schedule updates, fans can find "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links when available at MSUSpartans.com to follow along with the upcoming action.
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Pianto, Dominic (1-0)
L: HOUGHTALING, Ethan (1-2)
S: Carson, Andrew (2)
Batting:
RBI: Jebb, Mitch 1 ; Williams, Christian 1
SH: Jebb, Mitch 1
SF: Williams, Christian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ahn, Peter 1 ; Walker, Zaid 1 ; Kark, Dillon 1
SB: Mayes, Casey 1 ; Ahn, Peter 1
CS: Jebb, Mitch 1
HBP: Frank, Jack 1
.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
Batting:
2B: ALLEN, Jimmy 1 ; McINTYRE, Justin 1
HR: SULLIVAN, Cade 1
RBI: SULLIVAN, Cade 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SULLIVAN, Cade 1
HBP: SWINEHART, Josh 1
Game Leaders
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AB
4
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H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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