Heading into the MSU baseball team’s series with Northwestern last weekend, head coach Jake Boss Jr. said his team knew exactly what was at stake.
When Saturday’s series finale rolled around, the scenario was even clearer.
MSU baseball's season ends on Northwestern home run
Win and move on to the Big Ten Tournament. Lose and pack it up until next season.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, the latter became reality as they lost to the Wildcats, 8-6, on Saturday on a walk-off three-run home run at Rocky Miller Park in Evanston, Ill.
“Obviously we’re extremely disappointed,” Boss said. “For all that we’ve accomplished this year, to not be a part of the Big Ten Tournament is a shame.”
After the first two days of play in the Big Ten on Thursday and Friday, MSU (34-19 overall, 11-13 Big Ten) needed a win over Northwestern (24-30, 13-11) to make the top six in the Big Ten standings and advance unless Illinois could beat Indiana.
The Hoosiers clobbered the Fighting Illini, 16-6, making a victory for the Spartans necessary if they wanted to keep playing.
MSU held a 6-3 lead in the eighth inning of Saturday’s game — despite misfiring on multiple scoring opportunities and leaving eight runners on base throughout the day.
Senior pitcher Kurtis Frymier relieved sophomore starter Tony Bucciferro in the eighth and immediately gave up two quick runs before surrendering the three-run walk-off that ended the Spartans’ season.
“He just didn’t have it (Saturday,) and it was certainly disappointing,” Boss said of Frymier. “But it doesn’t all fall on him. We wasted some opportunities.”
The first game of the series went to Northwestern by a score of 2-1 on Thursday.
Junior pitcher A.J. Achter pitched well enough to win, giving up just seven hits and two runs in eight innings. However, leaving runners in scoring position doomed MSU and contributed to the loss Thursday.
In each of the first two innings, the Spartans advanced runners to third with one out, only to hit into two inning-ending double plays.
“We left some opportunities out there,” Boss said of the series. “We didn’t execute in a few situations when all we had to do was put the ball in play and we would have scored.”
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On Friday, MSU earned its lone win of the series, 2-1, behind another strong pitching performance, this time from junior pitcher Kurt Wunderlich. The Wildcats only got to Wunderlich for one run on just four hits.
In 16 innings, the Spartans’ first two starting pitchers allowed just 11 hits and three runs while walking only four batters.
Frymier, who entered the game in relief of Wunderlich, also was dominant Friday with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close the game and get the save.
“A.J. Achter and Kurt Wunderlich threw as well as they’ve thrown all year,” Boss said. “And Kurtis Frymier came in in game two and was absolutely electric.”
Friday’s game also came down to the wire, as it took until the eighth inning for MSU to score on a bunt single by freshman second baseman Ryan Jones, which tied the game at one.
Senior designated hitter Chris Roberts walked in the second at-bat of the ninth inning before senior outfielder Eli Boike brought Roberts home with a double to left field. The one-run lead proved to be all Frymier needed to finish Northwestern.
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Although losing two out of three to the Wildcats wasn’t what Boss had envisioned for the weekend, he said he was proud of the way his team fought.
“I thought our guys competed extremely well,” Boss said. “They didn’t quit, they didn’t give up and they competed until the very
last pitch.”
