Michigan State University Athletics
Saturday, March 21
1:02 PM
Michigan State University
7-14, 3-5
15
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5
Iowa
13-8, 2-3
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2nd innning2
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5th innning5
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HitsH
ErrorsE
Iowa
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Michigan State
4
1
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Photo by: Erin Grady/MSU Athletic Communications
MSU Splits Twinbill With Iowa Saturday
3/21/2026 11:21:00 PM | Baseball
Spartans blast Hawkeyes, 15-5 in 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU for Coach Boss’ 500th Career Win; Iowa takes finale do deny MSU sweep.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State baseball captured its first Big Ten Conference series of the season and its second overall series of the season with a 15-5 8-inning run-rule Victory for MSU over Iowa in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium. The Hawkeyes won the finale, 8-3, to deny MSU the series sweep.
The Spartans and Hawkeyes played a doubleheader on Saturday due to inclement weather in the forecast for Sunday, after Michigan State won Friday night's series opener, 2-0.
Saturday's game one win of the doubleheader was MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr.'s 500th career win. Boss is in his 19th year as a collegiate head coach, with 475 wins in 18 seasons at MSU (2009-pres.) and 25 wins in his lone season at Eastern Michigan in 2008.Â
"Well, I had forgotten that it was 500, I guess. So, I'm very honored and humbled to be the head coach here. To get 500 wins is something that I would have never dreamed would have happened 20, 30 years ago. I've said it before, this has always been 'the' destination or landing spot, in my mind. I haven't looked for another job since July 2nd, 2008, which is when I was named head coach here. I never wanted to be anywhere else. I do consider it as one of the top honors of my lifetime to be the head coach here and to be able to be here to get my 500th win is something that's pretty special."
Saturday's split won the series for the Spartans, their first B1G series win of the season, after dropping their first two weekends on the road at Nebraska and Rutgers.Â
With Saturday's split, MSU is now 7-15 overall and 3-6 in B1G play, while Iowa is 14-8 overall and 3-3 in conference competition.Â
"I mean, it's tough to lose the second game of a doubleheader. I think if you split a doubleheader, you probably want to win the second one if you have your choice, you feel a little bit better," Boss said. "But, at the end of the day, we won a series against a very good team and I'm proud of our guys for doing that. They took care of business last night, played very well, and played very well again today in game one (of the doubleheader), really swung the bat well in game one today. We didn't play well in game two, which is disappointing, but at the same time, we won a series. So, trying to stay positive, if you look at the entire weekend."
The Spartans took a series from the Hawkeyes for the first time since 2019, dropping the previous four. It was the second-straight season that MSU and Iowa played a doubleheader in the series due to inclement weather. Last season in Iowa City, MSU won the opener, before Iowa came back to win games two and three to capture the series.
Michigan State now leads the all-time series with Iowa, 86-78-1, including 58-29 in East Lansing.
Game One: MSU 15, Iowa 5 (8 innings)
After winning Friday's game in a pitcher's duel, the Spartan bats came out swinging in game one, scoring four runs in the opening inning, adding one more in each of the second and third stanzas to open a 6-0 lead after three frames. Iowa got on the board with a run in the fourth, before MSU broke the game open by hanging a five-spot in the home half of the sixth for an 11-1 lead and were on the verge of a run-rule victory, before the Hawkeyes chased that possibility with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to close to 11-5. Redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski hit a "walk-off" grand slam in the bottom of the eighth for the 15-5 run-rule Victory for MSU.
Broski is pretty sure it was his first-ever grand slam of his baseball career.
"I don't think so, actually," Broski said when asked if he'd hit a grand slam before. "I was thinking about that during the second game. I don't think I have. Obviously, there's been three run shots, solo shots, and two run shots, but I don't think any grand slams."
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It was Broski's fourth home run of the season and his career, and came on the heels of getting robbed by Iowa center fielder Miles Risley in the first inning, as Risley leapt up and snagged Broski's shot just before it cleared the wall.
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"Oh, the grand slam feels good, especially the way the game started. I got robbed of a homer and then kind of struggled a little bit, so hitting that ball felt good," Broski said.
Meanwhile on the mound, Broski's battery mate, graduate pitcher Carter Monke kept the Iowa bats in check for most of the game, going 6.2 IP with a season-high five strikeouts, yielding five hits, three runs and two walks, but had a perfect going by not allowing a Hawkeye baserunner until one out in the fourth.Â
"Yeah, it felt really good to finally get the series win, getting game one and then game two (of the series)," Monke said. "That was a lot of fun, obviously so much fun whenever you can actually win the series. So, yeah, it helps the confidence and helps the team."
Monke is in his first year at MSU after transferring from Illinois State, but he has experience facing Iowa during his ISU tenure.Â
"Yeah, I don't know what it is, I think this is my fifth start against them, actually. I don't know what it is. I just go out there and try to attack and get some quick outs and just go out there and attack them," Monke said.Â
Monke attacked them throughout the game, before they finally connected with limited hits and runs, before Monke turned the ball over to freshman reliever Brady Chambers, who finished the final 1.1 IP.
Senior infielder Randy Seymour was 3-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored, hitting his team-leading seventh home run of the season with a three-run shot into the trees beyond the left field wall in the first inning. Seymour added RBI singles in the third and sixth innings.Â
Junior outfielder Trent Rice, sophomore infielder Dayton Murphy and senior outfielder Nick Williams all had two hits apiece and all scored two runs each. Sophomore outfielder Khamaree Thomas scored two runs and drove in another, while junior infielder Ryan McKay also tallied two RBI and scored one run, and freshman infielder CJ Deckinga had one hit and scored a run.
Game Two: Iowa 8, MSU 3
The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, for their first lead of the weekend, plating a pair of runs on two hits. Iowa added four more runs in the third frame, including hitting a two home runs, chasing Spartan freshman starting pitcher Kyle Rudolph, part of opening up a 6-0 advantage.
MSU countered with two runs in the home half of the third, as Deckinga sparked the rally with a leadoff single. Senior catcher Noah Bright followed with a double to left center. Rice then lofted a fly ball to right for a sac fly to drive in Deckinga. Bright later scored on an RBI ground out by Sturgess, to close to 6-2.
However, that would be the closest MSU would get, as Iowa added two more runs in the fifth, tallying two hits and taking advantage of a Spartan error, to open an 8-2 lead.
Michigan State got a run back in the home half of the fifth frame, as Bright led off with a solo home run over the wall in center, bouncing off the camera platform in straightaway center. The Spartans tried to rally in the eighth, getting back-to-back singles by Murphy and Sturgess, but a double play thwarted the threat.
The Spartans finished with eight hits, but left six runners on base. Bright finished the nightcap 3-for-4 with two runs scored and the RBI on the home run, his first of the season and fifth of his career.
Deckinga was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Thomas, Murphy and Sturgess all added singles, with Rice and Sturgess logging an RBI apiece.
The Hawkeyes had 12 hits, but MSU pitchers limited the damage, stranding 15 Hawkeye runners on base while striking out 12 Iowa batters. However, the Hawkeyes swiped 12 stolen bases in the game, for a new school record, including Kellen Strohmeyer tying an Iowa record with five swipes in the contest.
Rudolph was dealt the loss after yielding five runs on six hits, with no walks and two strikeouts. Junior reliever Logan Pikur posted 2.2 IP with three runs on five hits, chalking up a season-high tying four punchouts. Fellow junior reliever Gannon Grundman fired a season-high three Ks in 2.1 IP, allowing just one hit and one walk. Senior reliever Tommy Szczepanski threw the final 2.0 IP with three strikeouts and three walks, but not allowing a hit or run.
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Saturday's games were numbers three and four out of the Spartans' 10-straight games in the state of Michigan, as Michigan State will then play at Central Michigan next Tuesday, March 24.
MSU then returns home to host Purdue in a three-game B1G weekend series, Friday-Sunday, March 27-29. The Spartans then host Central Michigan on Tuesday, March 31.
MSU wraps up the 10-game in-state stretch and open April action with the 2026 Crosstown Showdown, taking on the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, on Wednesday, April 1 at  Jackson® Field™ in the annual exhibition contest.
The Spartans' schedule is subject to change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.
The Michigan State baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium, and also single game tickets, are available online, at msuspartans.evenue.net, by contacting the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information, or fans can visit the MSU Ticket Office in person, located in 1855 Place.
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The Spartans and Hawkeyes played a doubleheader on Saturday due to inclement weather in the forecast for Sunday, after Michigan State won Friday night's series opener, 2-0.
Saturday's game one win of the doubleheader was MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr.'s 500th career win. Boss is in his 19th year as a collegiate head coach, with 475 wins in 18 seasons at MSU (2009-pres.) and 25 wins in his lone season at Eastern Michigan in 2008.Â
"Well, I had forgotten that it was 500, I guess. So, I'm very honored and humbled to be the head coach here. To get 500 wins is something that I would have never dreamed would have happened 20, 30 years ago. I've said it before, this has always been 'the' destination or landing spot, in my mind. I haven't looked for another job since July 2nd, 2008, which is when I was named head coach here. I never wanted to be anywhere else. I do consider it as one of the top honors of my lifetime to be the head coach here and to be able to be here to get my 500th win is something that's pretty special."
Saturday's split won the series for the Spartans, their first B1G series win of the season, after dropping their first two weekends on the road at Nebraska and Rutgers.Â
With Saturday's split, MSU is now 7-15 overall and 3-6 in B1G play, while Iowa is 14-8 overall and 3-3 in conference competition.Â
"I mean, it's tough to lose the second game of a doubleheader. I think if you split a doubleheader, you probably want to win the second one if you have your choice, you feel a little bit better," Boss said. "But, at the end of the day, we won a series against a very good team and I'm proud of our guys for doing that. They took care of business last night, played very well, and played very well again today in game one (of the doubleheader), really swung the bat well in game one today. We didn't play well in game two, which is disappointing, but at the same time, we won a series. So, trying to stay positive, if you look at the entire weekend."
The Spartans took a series from the Hawkeyes for the first time since 2019, dropping the previous four. It was the second-straight season that MSU and Iowa played a doubleheader in the series due to inclement weather. Last season in Iowa City, MSU won the opener, before Iowa came back to win games two and three to capture the series.
Michigan State now leads the all-time series with Iowa, 86-78-1, including 58-29 in East Lansing.
Game One: MSU 15, Iowa 5 (8 innings)
After winning Friday's game in a pitcher's duel, the Spartan bats came out swinging in game one, scoring four runs in the opening inning, adding one more in each of the second and third stanzas to open a 6-0 lead after three frames. Iowa got on the board with a run in the fourth, before MSU broke the game open by hanging a five-spot in the home half of the sixth for an 11-1 lead and were on the verge of a run-rule victory, before the Hawkeyes chased that possibility with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to close to 11-5. Redshirt-sophomore catcher Adam Broski hit a "walk-off" grand slam in the bottom of the eighth for the 15-5 run-rule Victory for MSU.
Broski is pretty sure it was his first-ever grand slam of his baseball career.
"I don't think so, actually," Broski said when asked if he'd hit a grand slam before. "I was thinking about that during the second game. I don't think I have. Obviously, there's been three run shots, solo shots, and two run shots, but I don't think any grand slams."
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It was Broski's fourth home run of the season and his career, and came on the heels of getting robbed by Iowa center fielder Miles Risley in the first inning, as Risley leapt up and snagged Broski's shot just before it cleared the wall.
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"Oh, the grand slam feels good, especially the way the game started. I got robbed of a homer and then kind of struggled a little bit, so hitting that ball felt good," Broski said.
Meanwhile on the mound, Broski's battery mate, graduate pitcher Carter Monke kept the Iowa bats in check for most of the game, going 6.2 IP with a season-high five strikeouts, yielding five hits, three runs and two walks, but had a perfect going by not allowing a Hawkeye baserunner until one out in the fourth.Â
"Yeah, it felt really good to finally get the series win, getting game one and then game two (of the series)," Monke said. "That was a lot of fun, obviously so much fun whenever you can actually win the series. So, yeah, it helps the confidence and helps the team."
Monke is in his first year at MSU after transferring from Illinois State, but he has experience facing Iowa during his ISU tenure.Â
"Yeah, I don't know what it is, I think this is my fifth start against them, actually. I don't know what it is. I just go out there and try to attack and get some quick outs and just go out there and attack them," Monke said.Â
Monke attacked them throughout the game, before they finally connected with limited hits and runs, before Monke turned the ball over to freshman reliever Brady Chambers, who finished the final 1.1 IP.
Senior infielder Randy Seymour was 3-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored, hitting his team-leading seventh home run of the season with a three-run shot into the trees beyond the left field wall in the first inning. Seymour added RBI singles in the third and sixth innings.Â
Junior outfielder Trent Rice, sophomore infielder Dayton Murphy and senior outfielder Nick Williams all had two hits apiece and all scored two runs each. Sophomore outfielder Khamaree Thomas scored two runs and drove in another, while junior infielder Ryan McKay also tallied two RBI and scored one run, and freshman infielder CJ Deckinga had one hit and scored a run.
Game Two: Iowa 8, MSU 3
The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, for their first lead of the weekend, plating a pair of runs on two hits. Iowa added four more runs in the third frame, including hitting a two home runs, chasing Spartan freshman starting pitcher Kyle Rudolph, part of opening up a 6-0 advantage.
MSU countered with two runs in the home half of the third, as Deckinga sparked the rally with a leadoff single. Senior catcher Noah Bright followed with a double to left center. Rice then lofted a fly ball to right for a sac fly to drive in Deckinga. Bright later scored on an RBI ground out by Sturgess, to close to 6-2.
However, that would be the closest MSU would get, as Iowa added two more runs in the fifth, tallying two hits and taking advantage of a Spartan error, to open an 8-2 lead.
Michigan State got a run back in the home half of the fifth frame, as Bright led off with a solo home run over the wall in center, bouncing off the camera platform in straightaway center. The Spartans tried to rally in the eighth, getting back-to-back singles by Murphy and Sturgess, but a double play thwarted the threat.
The Spartans finished with eight hits, but left six runners on base. Bright finished the nightcap 3-for-4 with two runs scored and the RBI on the home run, his first of the season and fifth of his career.
Deckinga was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Thomas, Murphy and Sturgess all added singles, with Rice and Sturgess logging an RBI apiece.
The Hawkeyes had 12 hits, but MSU pitchers limited the damage, stranding 15 Hawkeye runners on base while striking out 12 Iowa batters. However, the Hawkeyes swiped 12 stolen bases in the game, for a new school record, including Kellen Strohmeyer tying an Iowa record with five swipes in the contest.
Rudolph was dealt the loss after yielding five runs on six hits, with no walks and two strikeouts. Junior reliever Logan Pikur posted 2.2 IP with three runs on five hits, chalking up a season-high tying four punchouts. Fellow junior reliever Gannon Grundman fired a season-high three Ks in 2.1 IP, allowing just one hit and one walk. Senior reliever Tommy Szczepanski threw the final 2.0 IP with three strikeouts and three walks, but not allowing a hit or run.
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Saturday's games were numbers three and four out of the Spartans' 10-straight games in the state of Michigan, as Michigan State will then play at Central Michigan next Tuesday, March 24.
MSU then returns home to host Purdue in a three-game B1G weekend series, Friday-Sunday, March 27-29. The Spartans then host Central Michigan on Tuesday, March 31.
MSU wraps up the 10-game in-state stretch and open April action with the 2026 Crosstown Showdown, taking on the Lansing Lugnuts, the High-A affiliate of the Oakland A's, on Wednesday, April 1 at  Jackson® Field™ in the annual exhibition contest.
The Spartans' schedule is subject to change, fans can stay tuned to MSUSpartans.com and @MSUBaseball on Twitter for schedule updates, along with follow action with "Watch Live," "Listen Live" and "Live Stats" links where available.
The Michigan State baseball season ticket package, which includes 24 home games at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium, and also single game tickets, are available online, at msuspartans.evenue.net, by contacting the Spartan Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or by email at tickets@msu.edu for questions or more information, or fans can visit the MSU Ticket Office in person, located in 1855 Place.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Monke, Carter (3-2)
L: Logan Runde (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Miles Risley 1 ; Kellen Strohmeyer 1
3B: Joey Nerat 1
HR: Matthew Delgado 1
RBI: Caleb Wulf 1 ; Joey Nerat 2 ; Matthew Delgado 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Miles Risley 1 ; Caleb Wulf 1 ; Mitch Wood 1 ; Kellen Strohmeyer 1 ; Matthew Delgado 1
HBP: Miles Risley 1 ; Caleb Wulf 1
Batting:
2B: Sturgess, Isaac 1 ; Williams, Nick 1
3B: Sturgess, Isaac 1
HR: Seymour, Randy 1 ; Broski, Adam 1
RBI: Thomas, Khamaree 1 ; Murphy, Dayton 1 ; Sturgess, Isaac 2 ; Seymour, Randy 5 ; McKay, Ryan 2 ; Broski, Adam 4
SH: Thomas, Khamaree 2
SF: McKay, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rice, Trent 2 ; Thomas, Khamaree 2 ; Murphy, Dayton 2 ; Sturgess, Isaac 2 ; Seymour, Randy 2 ; McKay, Ryan 1 ; Broski, Adam 1 ; Williams, Nick 2 ; Deckinga, CJ 1
SB: Deckinga, CJ 1
HBP: Rice, Trent 1 ; Seymour, Randy 2 ; McKay, Ryan 1 ; Deckinga, CJ 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
5
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
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