Coming off its first-ever three-game sweep of Minnesota, the Spartans only were able to split a double header against Oakland on Tuesday at Cooley Law School Stadium.

The Spartans (21-8) won the first game, 7-1, and lost the second game, 9-7.

“Coming off a big weekend like we had last weekend and to come out tonight playing how we did is pretty disappointing,” senior outfielder Brandon Eckerle said. “Our goal is a Big Ten championship this year, and that’s not going to get done if we come out and play like that each night.”

After the second game, players left the clubhouse silent without smiles. There weren’t any specifics as to the discussions afterward, but it was clear a message had been sent.

“It’s not acceptable if we want to take the program to a different level and contend for an NCAA Tournament berth,” head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “It’s a learning day for us, and it’s not going to be a fun practice (Wednesday) for the boys — I told them that.”

In the first game, Oakland (7-16) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning before MSU tied the game in the second on a groundout from junior catcher Andy Johnson.

MSU sophomore pitcher Andrew Waszak faced 10 batters in the first two innings but was able to get out of jams. He settled down after that, facing 16 batters in his final four innings of work and not allowing any more runs.

After taking a 2-1 lead in the third inning, the Spartans’ and Golden Grizzlies’ bats were silent until MSU broke the game open with four runs in the seventh inning en route to the win.

Eckerle, who came into the game with a .429 batting average, was 3-for-4 in the first game with two stolen bases, a walk and two runs scored.

Waszak was pulled after six innings after giving up five hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
In the second game, sophomore pitcher Trevor Cousineau made his MSU pitching debut, but it was one he probably would like to forget. Cousineau pitched two innings and gave up five runs on four hits and four walks. However, he did strike out four batters.

After Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame, MSU answered with three in the bottom half. But Oakland would score four runs in the second and one more in the third to open a 6-3 lead.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Spartans trailed, 9-6. After a popout, three consecutive Spartans reached base, and the deficit was cut to 9-7. But senior first baseman Jeff Holm was caught between second and third base on a pickoff attempt, and the game ended two batters later as the Spartans lost.

Sophomore second baseman Ryan Jones led the Spartans at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored, while sophomore infielder Torsten Boss went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and one run scored.

Although it is likely the only Big Ten team to make the NCAA Tournament will be the one who wins the Big Ten Tournament, it was clear after the game that the Spartans know they have to turn things around quickly so it doesn’t spill over into conference play.

“The first game, we got away with a couple mistakes, and losing the second one is definitely a message that we need to pick ourselves back up and play well again,” Jones said.