Sunday’s victory over Oakland secured MSU’s second consecutive weekend sweep. Last weekend, the Spartans traveled to Notre Dame and won all three games in the series.

The team’s current winning streak is the longest since the 2004 season, when MSU rattled off 12 straight wins.

“Winning 10 straight games is a pretty impressive feat,” senior right fielder Eli Boike said. “It’s not easy to do. Anytime you have to play a team four times in a row it’s real hard to do. But we did very well this weekend.”

Despite rainy conditions throughout the majority of the game, the Spartans tallied 17 hits and only committed one defensive error.

“I’m very pleased with where we are at,” MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “When you pitch well and play good defense, you always have a chance.”

For the fifth straight game, the Spartans put runs on the board in the first inning.

A throwing error by Oakland shortstop D.J. Jarrad allowed the Spartans to score two runs in the first inning and jump out to an early lead.

The Golden Grizzlies responded in the top of the third inning, tallying three runs to make the score 3-2.
But in the bottom of the third, MSU tacked on three runs to retake the lead, 5-3.

The fifth inning featured three spectacular plays by the MSU defense. Sophomore catcher Andy Johnson picked off two runners trying to steal second base and junior shortstop Jonathan Roof made an outstanding over-the-shoulder catch deep in foul territory to keep the Golden Grizzles off the board.

“Those kinds of plays help out a lot,” said freshman pitcher Andrew Waszak (2-0), who earned the win for the Spartans.

“I didn’t have all my stuff (today), but knowing my defense is out there and has my back helps a ton.”
In the sixth inning, the Spartans batted through the order and tacked on four insurance runs, increasing the lead to 9-3. It was the 10th time the Spartans recorded multi-run innings in the series.

Boike, who went 3-for-4 from the plate, added the final run for the Spartans in the seventh inning when he crushed the ball to the centerfield fence, driving in a run and recording his fourth triple of the series.

The Spartans will look to continue their winning streak when they host Central Michigan in a midweek nonconference game at 3:05 p.m. Wednesday at Cooley Stadium in Lansing.

The game against the Chippewas will be the final tune-up before the Spartans open up the Big Ten season with a three-game home set against Iowa next weekend.

“We’ve had some success, but at the same time, we only have one more midweek game before the Big Ten season starts,” Boss said.