“I think as a team, to be honest, it was a little bit disappointing,” Boss said. “Because we did have a chance to win three games and came away with one. Three years ago, we might have looked at it differently. But I think our guys have reached a point where we expect to beat teams that are pretty good and in the top-25, not just compete.”

All three games were played in Florida as part of the Big East/Big Ten Baseball Challenge.

In game one, Tony Bucciferro took the mound for the first time as MSU’s permanent Friday starter and delivered a gem against the Red Storm. Giving up one hit and no runs while striking out six, Bucciferro went six innings and Boss said it might have been the best he’s ever seen his senior right-hander throw.

Perhaps more impressive, though, was the Spartans’ offensive explosion, especially considering their opponent. Kyle Hansen — a 6-foot-8, 215-pound preseason All-American — got the Start for St. John’s. Boss said earlier in the week Hansen could be a first-round pick in the MLB Draft.

MSU wasn’t intimidated, as the Spartans collected two hits and two runs against Hansen, running him from the game after just four innings.

“I think our approach at the plate was outstanding,” Boss said. “I think we really took what we were given. We were able to get to him a little bit, get him deep into counts, and his pitch count got a little high.”

Junior center fielder Torsten Boss led MSU at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, including a solo shot off of Hansen in the first inning. Seven Spartans earned a hit and six batted in a run.

However, for as happy as Jake Boss was with his team’s offensive performance Friday, he was more upset with how the next two days played out.

In the 2-1 loss to South Florida, Jake Boss said the Spartans didn’t take advantage of numerous opportunities and fell behind in too many counts, a theme that carried over into Sunday’s loss.

“I told the team, ‘It’s a shame because we really didn’t allow ourselves to be successful,” Jake Boss said. “We let the opposition get the upper hand on us. … We let the pitchers take command and dictate the at-bat. That’s not how we do things. That’s not how we teach them.”

MSU held a 1-0 lead heading into the eighth inning of Saturday’s game. But the Bulls scored one run in each of the final two innings, including Andrew Longley’s game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Junior right-hander Andrew Waszak threw a seven inning shutout against South Florida, but the Spartans’ offensive ineptitude made his performance all for naught.

On Sunday, MSU took a 5-2 lead into the middle of the third inning, but the Cardinals outscored the Spartans 5-1 the rest of the way, including three runs in the bottom of the third.

“They made four errors, and we weren’t able to capitalize,” Jake Boss said. “We put up four in one inning, but we still had bases loaded and no outs and didn’t score anymore runs. We kind of let them back in the ball game in the bottom half of the inning, and the momentum kind of shifted.”

The Spartans are on the road again next weekend for four games in Greenville, S.C., starting with Miami (Ohio) at 1 p.m. Friday.