Freshman outfielder Jordan Keur, center, and senior outfielder Eli Boike, right, celebrate with sophomore catcher Andy Johnson after Johnson hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning of the MSU’s 5-2 win against Bowling Green on Tuesday at McLane Baseball Stadium.
On his way to the ballpark Tuesday afternoon, sophomore catcher Andy Johnson didn’t expect to be in the MSU baseball team’s lineup.
Freshman catcher John Martinez was expected to start for MSU, but a shoulder injury Martinez suffered earlier in the week was acting up, forcing him to tell MSU head coach Jake Boss Jr. that he couldn’t play.
Minutes before the first pitch, Johnson was told he would be the starting catcher — a move that turned out to be golden for MSU.
From the No. 9 spot in the batting order, Johnson went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to help propel the Spartans past Bowling Green, 5-2, Tuesday at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field.
“Andy’s a guy that works extremely hard and hasn’t had a whole lot of success,” Boss said. “But today he really came up big. He was just outstanding back there today and I’m happy for him.”
Entering the game, Johnson had just started eight games for the Spartans, holding a meager .179 batting average. Last season, Johnson started just twice for MSU as a shoulder injury limited him for most of the season.
“I injured my shoulder and I was out eight months and I couldn’t play baseball,” Johnson said. “This fall I came back, and after missing pretty much all of last year, it feels great to play a game like today.”
Tornado warnings and heavy rainfall in the early afternoon had the entire team — not just Johnson — thinking they weren’t going to play.
Although the sky was gloomy and threatening all game, the rain held off and the Spartans were able to earn their 14th victory in the past 15 games.
“We were in class before the game and we had to all go into the basement but we knew we still had a game in three hours,” Johnson said. “We were a little shocked to play, but we got out here and the grounds crew did a great job.”
Bowling Green jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning and the Falcons tacked on another run in the fourth inning.
But the bottom of the Spartans’ order responded in the fourth inning.
First, freshman second baseman Ryan Jones led off with a base hit to left field. Then with one out, freshman third baseman Torsten Boss hit a double to the gap in right center. Aggressive base running, and a bad throw home, allowed Jones to make the score 2-1.
“We put some pressure on their middle infielders to make a good throw,” Boss Jr. said. “Fortunately for us, they threw the ball away at the plate because had they made a good throw, I would have looked pretty bad in that situation.”
Freshman left fielder Jordan Keur scored Boss with a liner to center, and Johnson followed with a two-run bomb over the left center field fence to give MSU a 4-2 lead.
It was Johnson’s first career home run.
“I was on base and I looked and I knew it was gone right when he hit it,” Keur said. “Whenever you have a guy like that come out and hit a bomb like he did, it’s awesome.”
On the mound, the MSU freshman pitching duo of Andrew Waszak and Tony Wieber didn’t allow a Bowling Green hit after the fourth inning
Waszak (3-0) threw six innings and struck out five batters to earn the win and Wieber pitched the final three innings, striking out four and not allowing a hit.
In the eighth inning, Johnson and Keur struck again for MSU.
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This time, Keur lined a single to center field then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Johnson came up to the plate and hit a deep double to right field to make the score 5-2 and close out the game’s scoring.
“For me personally, this game gives me a lot of confidence,” Johnson said. “And for the team, we are right back on another winning streak.”
