“We didn’t show up at all,” he said. “It’s as bad a loss as I’ve had since I’ve been here. I’m embarrassed.”

The Spartans (15-6) scored 22 runs in the three-game series against U-M and were set to face Central Michigan pitcher Ryan Longstreth, who was 0-3 with a 5.59 earned-run average on the season.

But the Spartans got on base just once in their first 13 at-bats, and MSU had three hits heading into the ninth inning, when it finally got a rally that fell short.

“Their pitcher was throwing pretty well; he was spotting up, keeping us off balance,” senior outfielder Brandon Eckerle said. “But we’re a better team than that, to have three hits going into the last inning.

Eckerle went 2-for-4 in the game, scoring the lone Spartan run in the ninth inning. Eckerle came into the game with a .448 batting average, which led the Big Ten and was ninth in the nation. Not only did the Spartan bats struggle, but the team’s defense did as well.

With one out in the top of the fourth inning, junior shortstop Justin Scanlon’s wild throw to first base on an attempted double play scored a Central Michigan run to open the scoring.
The Spartans were able to get out of a jam with CMU (10-16) having the bases loaded with no outs. A double play at home plate and first base followed by a ground out was one of the few bright spots for the defense.

With one out in the top of the seventh, Central Michigan first baseman Brendan Emmett reached on a fielding error by MSU sophomore second baseman Ryan Jones. Emmett later scored on an infield single.

The defensive struggles negated a solid pitching performance from MSU.

Sophomore pitcher Andrew Waszak gave up seven hits over six innings and two runs, one of which was earned. Only one of CMU’s three runs for the game was earned.

Despite the defensive struggles, Waszak said it didn’t affect his confidence at all.

“I trust all my guys in the field 100 percent, every play every time,” Waszak said. “So I just made my pitch and knew they would make (the play) next time.”

MSU tried to rally in the ninth inning. After a leadoff double by Eckerle, he scored on a single by sophomore designated hitter Jared Hook. The next two batters struck out and flied out, respectively. After a single by Jones, Scanlon flew out to end the game.

The Spartans open up the Big Ten season this weekend at Iowa and will have to get their focus back, something Boss Jr. said was missing Wednesday.

“We’re a young ball club and we proved to ourselves today that we’re not good enough to just show up and assume we’re going to win,” he said.

“It’s on me, I didn’t have them ready to play and it’s an embarrassing loss. We didn’t play well at all, and our guys should be embarrassed about the way we played today.”