In between innings Saturday at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field, MSU starting pitcher Tony Bucciferro was making occasional trips to the bathroom because he felt sick.
During the game, though, he looked healthy as could be, as the junior right-hander retired batter after batter against Minnesota on his way to a complete-game shutout and a 2-0 victory.
Head coach Jake Boss Jr. said his number two starter was dealing with an illness while pitching one of his best games with the Spartans (19-7 overall, 4-1 Big Ten), but Bucciferro said it was nothing more than some in-game jitters.
And despite being 6-1 now on the season and pitching well all year, Bucciferro said he had every right to be nervous in Saturday’s game against the Golden Gophers (10-11, 2-3).
“It’s Minnesota — the defending Big Ten champs and you’re expected to come out and go seven-plus innings,” Bucciferro said. “I’m nervous for every game. It wouldn’t be fun if I wasn’t nervous.”
Boss said he didn’t know Bucciferro was under the weather until he left the dugout for the bathroom in the middle of Saturday’s game. And even when he found out, Boss said it would have been tough to take him out of the game.
“We tried to monitor him and how he was feeling and how his arm was feeling,” Boss said. “His pitch count was so low … That allowed him to stay in the game.”
Regardless of nerves or sickness, Bucciferro, who threw just 89 pitches came through in the clutch Saturday in a game where scoring was at a premium.
Both teams had chances early in the game, beginning with Minnesota’s first two batters reaching base in the first inning. However, Bucciferro retired the next three batters to escape the inning without any damage.
Likewise, MSU outfielder Brandon Eckerle led off the bottom of the first with a double to left field, but the Spartans were unable to capitalize.
It wasn’t until the fourth inning that MSU finally was able to put a score on the board, thanks to a towering home run by senior first baseman Jeff Holm over the right field fence.
Holm, who was the leadoff batter in the fourth, tried to lay a bunt down on the first pitch. But after that didn’t work out, he said he didn’t want to try it again because the Golden Gophers would be expecting a bunt.
“I figured swing away,” Holm said. “And it worked out pretty well.”
While Holm’s home run proved to be the game winner, he said that without a doubt, the story of the day was Bucciferro’s performance on the mound.
“Tony pitched his but off today,” Holm said. “And thankfully, two runs was all that we needed because of him.”
In the next half inning following Holm’s deep shot, Bucciferro found himself in a jam with bases loaded and one out. Fortunately for Bucciferro, he was able to force Andy Henkemeyer into a double play to end the inning.
From that point on, it was easy sailing for Bucciferro, who finished the game by retiring 13 of the last 14 batters.
“After that, I felt like it was something special,” Bucciferro said.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Spartans added one more run when sophomore second baseman Ryan Jones drove home Eckerle with a double to left field.
Eckerle led MSU at the plate, going 3-for-3 on the day with a walk, while Bucciferro picked up the win giving up five hits and striking out two batters.
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MSU now has locked up its second series victory to start Big Ten play after beating the Golden Gophers on Friday as well. But, with one more game against Minnesota at 1:05 p.m. Sunday, Holm said the Spartans are not going to become complacent as they look for the sweep.
“Sweeps are really tough to come by,” Holm said. “So if we can do it at home, it would put us in a great position in the Big Ten.”
