It was both senior day and Mother’s Day which made the stakes even higher for the Spartans who already looking for a much needed win.
Justin Alleman took the mound for Michigan State and he looked to give MSU a good outing and a chance to even up the series.
However, it was the Nebraska Cornhuskers that came out on top, 4-1.
Michigan State rocketed back after a weekend sweep, with a win over Toledo Tuesday.
The Spartans suffered an embarrassing weekend sweep at the hands of Indiana, and they were back on the field Tuesday afternoon with some vengeance. The Toledo Rockets were their prey. Michigan State was able to regain their stride against the Rockets as they pulled out a 4-2 win.
The Spartans looked to come back from a disappointing loss on Friday in extra innings. Michigan State took on Purdue in a doubleheader Saturday, looking to improve its Big Ten record to above .500.
Michigan State began its first Big Ten home series against the Purdue Boilermakers with its ace on the mound whom in his last outing flirted with perfection through five innings. In Friday’s outing however, he flirted with disaster.
Mick VanVossen gave up two early runs in the game, and the Spartans never really seemed to be able to recover. They made multiple mental mistakes and could not come through in the clutch with runners in scoring position.
The Spartans continued their momentum from Saturday’s doubleheader by completing a sweep of the Siena Saints in a three-game series, giving them their seventh win in a row.
“It’s hard to sweep,” head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “I think we got a good ball club, but it’s not easy to win three in a row.”
The pitching show that took place Saturday at McLane Stadium was full of firsts.
For starters, it marked the first meeting between the Michigan State Spartans and Siena Saints. It was also the first time starting pitcher Mick VanVossen tossed 10 strikeouts in one game. He also pitched his first complete game of the season.
After a tough loss in the exhibition matchup against the Lansing Lugnuts in the Crosstown Showdown, the Spartans look to bounce back against Siena College this weekend in a three game series at McLane Stadium.
This series will mark the first time ever that Michigan State and Siena take the field against each other. Siena plays out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and is 5-20 this season. Their pitching staff has a combined ERA of 7.79 and an opponent batting average of .348.
Michigan State took on its crosstown rival in Lansing in the Crosstown Showdown for an eighth consecutive year. The Spartans geared up ready for the game despite the elements. The temperature at first pitch was 39 degrees.
“Most of the guys were pretty impressed with the crowd,” MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “I think especially it being a cold night, a lot of people came out still.”
Michigan State baseball opened up their home season against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Wednesday.
“It’s good to finally be home,” MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “We love playing here.”
Redshirt senior Chase Rihtarchik was on the mound for the Spartans. The righty looked to improve on his 0-2 record against the Golden Grizzlies.
