Friday, April 5
McLane Stadium at Kobs Field | East Lansing, Mich.
6:05 PM
Michigan State University
13-14
9
vs
0
Niagara
18-8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Niagara
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
1
Michigan State
0
0
0
2
4
0
3
0
X
9
11
1
Photo by: MSU Baseball Social Squad
MSU Blanks Niagara, 9-0, In Friday’s Series-Opener
4/5/2024 11:13:00 PM | Baseball
Lozier and Dzierwa’s career nights spark Spartans in posting first shutout since March 20, 2022.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Landen Lozier's career-high four RBI led Michigan State baseball's offense, while the Spartan pitching led by Joseph Dzierwa's career-high tying nine strikeouts stymied Niagara's bats to the tune of a 9-0 shutout Victory for MSU Friday night at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field.
MSU posted its first shutout win since March 20, 2022, when the Spartans blanked Houston Baptist, 1-0.
Overall, it was Michigan State's third win in a row, tying a season-high win streak for the third time this season, moving to 13-14 on the year. MSU's win snapped Niagara's eight-game winning streak, as the Purple Eagles are now 18-8. Michigan State and Niagara were meeting for the first time since 2018 in East Lansing for MSU's home opener, and the Spartans now lead the all-time series, 6-2.
The Green & White knocked 11 hits on the night, while the Spartan pitching led by sophomore southpaw starter Joseph Dzierwa's career-high tying nine strikeouts, along with solid defense kept Niagara's offense in check, yielding just five hits for the game.
"I thought we played very well today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I thought we played well defensively, offensively we put up a big number, which is always fun. I thought our pitching was outstanding. We probably pushed Joseph one more than we should have, but he made some big pitches in some big spots, which is what you need your Friday night guy to do. We saved the bull pen so it should be fresh for tomorrow. Really good outing by Joseph, Aaron did a good job in the eighth, and it's good to get a freshman in there who's been throwing pretty well recently, and with Garrett in the ninth. A lot of positives today."
Freshman outfielder Lozier was 2-for-4 with the career-high four RBI, including getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the second run of the night, coming in the fourth, before MSU broke the game open by hanging four runs on the board in the fifth and adding three more in the seventh.
Junior infielder Nick Williams was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while junior designated hitter Christian Williams was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Senior infielder Dillon Kark was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while junior outfielder Greg Ziegler was 1-for-2 with a ribbie and run scored, senior outfielder Jack Frank was 1-for-3 with a run, and senior catcher Sam Thompson was 1-for-4 with two runs scored. Both Frank and Ziegler drew two walks apiece. Freshman infielder Ryan McKay scored two runs while reaching base twice.
Lozier's four ribbies topped his previous best of two against Michigan on March 26. He added an RBI single in the fifth before a two-run single in the seventh.
"It felt good tonight, I got behind in some counts but at the end of the day our pitching was phenomenal which took a lot of pressure off me," Lozier said. "I can't get RBIs without my teammates on base for me and getting me good spots to hit. It was a good overall night for the team."
The Spartans had runners on bases in seven of the nine innings, including two of the first three frames without any runs, but then once the offense got rolling, it kept rolling. Ziegler got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded just before Lozier's RBI HBP, and that was a big spark.
"It was definitely a good energy tonight," Lozier said. "Those first few innings when we had no runs on the board were a little bit slow and we were trying to spark everybody, but Greg took that hit-by-pitch to get the first one across and then I got hit too and everything just started dropping for us. Slowly our energy kept climbing but getting that first hit-by-pitch from Greg was huge. The pitchers did phenomenal as well."
On the mound, Dzierwa tied a career-high with nine strikeouts for the third outing this season, also ringing up nine punchouts in his season-debut in MSU's second game of the year, Feb. 17 vs. Seton Hall, and also doing so on March 2 vs. Florida State. Dzierwa ended with 7.0 IP, scattering five hits, while yielding three walks. He retired 11-straight Niagara batters with six strikeouts in that span, covering the first through the fourth innings.
Senior Aaron Mishoulam pitched a hitless eighth, book-ending the frame with strikeouts for the first and third outs. Freshman reliever Garrett Brewer worked around a pair of walks in the ninth, ringing up a career-high three Ks, including a punchout for the final out to seal the Victory for MSU and spark the celebration.
The Spartan pitchers stymied the Niagara bats, as the Purple Eagles came into the weekend ranking No. 16 in the NCAA with a team average of .321, averaging over 11 hits and nine runs per game, and were held in check to five hits and no runs Friday night. Two Purple Eagles were in the top 15 in the nation in average, as Eric Rataczak was No. 13 at .446, while Nick Monile was hitting .438 coming into Friday. They were a combined 1-for-8 with a strikeout apiece, with Monile lacing a two-out single in the fourth for the lone hit between them. Rataczak had a season-long 13-game hitting streak snapped by going hitless for just the fourth time this season.
"It's huge," Boss said about keeping Rataczak and Minile's bats quiet. "Those guys can really hit. Watching batting practice, there are balls flying all over the yard, and it just looks and sounds a little bit different when the ball comes off their bat. That's the sign of a good hitter. These guys didn't swing and miss a whole lot, they may have taken a strike here and there, but there's some dangerous guys in that order. Again, I think it's a testament to what Joseph did. He threw really well and threw big pitches in big spots when we needed them."
After allowing two singles to open the game, Dzierwa got out of the inning with a flyout, then back-to-back Ks. He opened the second with two more strikeouts in a row for four in a row, part of the 11-straight retired Purple Aces, until a single in the top of the fourth.
The game was scoreless up to that point, before the Spartans finally broke through in the bottom of the frame. N.Williams ignited the rally with a leadoff single, but was erased from the basepaths on a fielder's choice off the bat of McKay. C.Williams followed with a single, and two batters later, Thompson drew a walk to load the bases for Ziegler, preempting his RBI hit-by-pitch. Lozier followed with his RBI HBP to give MSU the 2-0 lead.
Frank walked to open the fifth, advancing to second on a wild pitch and N.Williams laced a double to the gap in right center to drive him in. McKay was up next and he walked, before C.Williams laid down a sac bunt to move the runners up a base, and both N.Williams and McKay scored on a wild pitch to the back stop. Thompson reached on an NU error, before Ziegler singled, then Lozier looped an RBI Texas Leaguer single to center for MSU's fourth run of the frame and a 6-0 advantage.
C.Williams led off the seventh by getting hit by a pitch, and Thompson later knocked a single, preceding a Ziegler walk to laod the bases. Lozier laced a single up the middle to drive in C.Williams and Thompson. That brought Kark to the plate and he knocked an RBI single to right to drive in Ziegler with the third run of the frame and complete the Spartans' scoring on the night.
MSU and Niagara return to the diamond on Saturday at 3:35 p.m. for game two of the weekend series, before the finale on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Tickets," "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
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For the first time ever, Michigan State baseball fans have the ability to purchase season tickets.
Season tickets packages are on sale through the Spartan Ticket Office. The MSU baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, is available for $50.
All ticket levels for seniors, adults and children are the same price. Admission remains free for all Michigan State students by showing their MSU ID at the entry gate.
The 2024 Spartan baseball season includes Big Ten match-ups against Rutgers, Penn State and Nebraska, along with regional clashes with Central Michigan, Oakland and Notre Dame, in addition to giving fans admission to all three home games of baseball Rivalry Week against Michigan.
Individual game tickets are also on sale through the Spartan Ticket Office.
Fans can contact the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information. A direct link to purchase season tickets is here.
MSU posted its first shutout win since March 20, 2022, when the Spartans blanked Houston Baptist, 1-0.
Overall, it was Michigan State's third win in a row, tying a season-high win streak for the third time this season, moving to 13-14 on the year. MSU's win snapped Niagara's eight-game winning streak, as the Purple Eagles are now 18-8. Michigan State and Niagara were meeting for the first time since 2018 in East Lansing for MSU's home opener, and the Spartans now lead the all-time series, 6-2.
The Green & White knocked 11 hits on the night, while the Spartan pitching led by sophomore southpaw starter Joseph Dzierwa's career-high tying nine strikeouts, along with solid defense kept Niagara's offense in check, yielding just five hits for the game.
"I thought we played very well today," MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. "I thought we played well defensively, offensively we put up a big number, which is always fun. I thought our pitching was outstanding. We probably pushed Joseph one more than we should have, but he made some big pitches in some big spots, which is what you need your Friday night guy to do. We saved the bull pen so it should be fresh for tomorrow. Really good outing by Joseph, Aaron did a good job in the eighth, and it's good to get a freshman in there who's been throwing pretty well recently, and with Garrett in the ninth. A lot of positives today."
Freshman outfielder Lozier was 2-for-4 with the career-high four RBI, including getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the second run of the night, coming in the fourth, before MSU broke the game open by hanging four runs on the board in the fifth and adding three more in the seventh.
Junior infielder Nick Williams was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while junior designated hitter Christian Williams was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Senior infielder Dillon Kark was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while junior outfielder Greg Ziegler was 1-for-2 with a ribbie and run scored, senior outfielder Jack Frank was 1-for-3 with a run, and senior catcher Sam Thompson was 1-for-4 with two runs scored. Both Frank and Ziegler drew two walks apiece. Freshman infielder Ryan McKay scored two runs while reaching base twice.
Lozier's four ribbies topped his previous best of two against Michigan on March 26. He added an RBI single in the fifth before a two-run single in the seventh.
"It felt good tonight, I got behind in some counts but at the end of the day our pitching was phenomenal which took a lot of pressure off me," Lozier said. "I can't get RBIs without my teammates on base for me and getting me good spots to hit. It was a good overall night for the team."
The Spartans had runners on bases in seven of the nine innings, including two of the first three frames without any runs, but then once the offense got rolling, it kept rolling. Ziegler got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded just before Lozier's RBI HBP, and that was a big spark.
"It was definitely a good energy tonight," Lozier said. "Those first few innings when we had no runs on the board were a little bit slow and we were trying to spark everybody, but Greg took that hit-by-pitch to get the first one across and then I got hit too and everything just started dropping for us. Slowly our energy kept climbing but getting that first hit-by-pitch from Greg was huge. The pitchers did phenomenal as well."
On the mound, Dzierwa tied a career-high with nine strikeouts for the third outing this season, also ringing up nine punchouts in his season-debut in MSU's second game of the year, Feb. 17 vs. Seton Hall, and also doing so on March 2 vs. Florida State. Dzierwa ended with 7.0 IP, scattering five hits, while yielding three walks. He retired 11-straight Niagara batters with six strikeouts in that span, covering the first through the fourth innings.
Senior Aaron Mishoulam pitched a hitless eighth, book-ending the frame with strikeouts for the first and third outs. Freshman reliever Garrett Brewer worked around a pair of walks in the ninth, ringing up a career-high three Ks, including a punchout for the final out to seal the Victory for MSU and spark the celebration.
The Spartan pitchers stymied the Niagara bats, as the Purple Eagles came into the weekend ranking No. 16 in the NCAA with a team average of .321, averaging over 11 hits and nine runs per game, and were held in check to five hits and no runs Friday night. Two Purple Eagles were in the top 15 in the nation in average, as Eric Rataczak was No. 13 at .446, while Nick Monile was hitting .438 coming into Friday. They were a combined 1-for-8 with a strikeout apiece, with Monile lacing a two-out single in the fourth for the lone hit between them. Rataczak had a season-long 13-game hitting streak snapped by going hitless for just the fourth time this season.
"It's huge," Boss said about keeping Rataczak and Minile's bats quiet. "Those guys can really hit. Watching batting practice, there are balls flying all over the yard, and it just looks and sounds a little bit different when the ball comes off their bat. That's the sign of a good hitter. These guys didn't swing and miss a whole lot, they may have taken a strike here and there, but there's some dangerous guys in that order. Again, I think it's a testament to what Joseph did. He threw really well and threw big pitches in big spots when we needed them."
After allowing two singles to open the game, Dzierwa got out of the inning with a flyout, then back-to-back Ks. He opened the second with two more strikeouts in a row for four in a row, part of the 11-straight retired Purple Aces, until a single in the top of the fourth.
The game was scoreless up to that point, before the Spartans finally broke through in the bottom of the frame. N.Williams ignited the rally with a leadoff single, but was erased from the basepaths on a fielder's choice off the bat of McKay. C.Williams followed with a single, and two batters later, Thompson drew a walk to load the bases for Ziegler, preempting his RBI hit-by-pitch. Lozier followed with his RBI HBP to give MSU the 2-0 lead.
Frank walked to open the fifth, advancing to second on a wild pitch and N.Williams laced a double to the gap in right center to drive him in. McKay was up next and he walked, before C.Williams laid down a sac bunt to move the runners up a base, and both N.Williams and McKay scored on a wild pitch to the back stop. Thompson reached on an NU error, before Ziegler singled, then Lozier looped an RBI Texas Leaguer single to center for MSU's fourth run of the frame and a 6-0 advantage.
C.Williams led off the seventh by getting hit by a pitch, and Thompson later knocked a single, preceding a Ziegler walk to laod the bases. Lozier laced a single up the middle to drive in C.Williams and Thompson. That brought Kark to the plate and he knocked an RBI single to right to drive in Ziegler with the third run of the frame and complete the Spartans' scoring on the night.
MSU and Niagara return to the diamond on Saturday at 3:35 p.m. for game two of the weekend series, before the finale on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
Fans can follow this weekend's action with "Tickets," "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links at MSUSpartans.com.
Michigan State's schedule is subject to change, stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates.
---------
For the first time ever, Michigan State baseball fans have the ability to purchase season tickets.
Season tickets packages are on sale through the Spartan Ticket Office. The MSU baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field, is available for $50.
All ticket levels for seniors, adults and children are the same price. Admission remains free for all Michigan State students by showing their MSU ID at the entry gate.
The 2024 Spartan baseball season includes Big Ten match-ups against Rutgers, Penn State and Nebraska, along with regional clashes with Central Michigan, Oakland and Notre Dame, in addition to giving fans admission to all three home games of baseball Rivalry Week against Michigan.
Individual game tickets are also on sale through the Spartan Ticket Office.
Fans can contact the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information. A direct link to purchase season tickets is here.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dzierwa, Joseph (3-1)
L: Ramirez, Maximilian (3-3)
Base Running:
HBP: Rataczak, Eric 1
Batting:
2B: Williams, Nick 1 ; Williams, Christian 1
RBI: Lozier, Landen 4 ; Kark, Dillon 1 ; Williams, Nick 1 ; Ziegler, Greg 1
SH: Williams, Christian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Frank, Jack 1 ; Williams, Nick 1 ; McKay, Ryan 2 ; Williams, Christian 2 ; Thompson, Sam 2 ; Ziegler, Greg 1
SB: Ziegler, Greg 1
CS: Frank, Jack 1
HBP: Lozier, Landen 1 ; Williams, Christian 1 ; Ziegler, Greg 1
PO: Ziegler, Greg 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballPursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
Monday, May 19
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
Tuesday, March 25
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 11 2025
Tuesday, March 11