Even in understanding the nature of the game, Jordan Keur has grown tired of hearing about the faults of the MSU baseball team on offense. At some point, something had to give.
After stranding 34 runners on base in the weekend series with Michigan, the junior left fielder and the Spartans’ (20-10 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) bats overcame frigid weather and an offensive slump to beat Notre Dame 8-2 on Tuesday at McLane Baseball Stadium at Old College Field.
“I thought we made some strides today with some guys,” head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “The approach was pretty good. Like I said, tough day to hit. There’s a lot of outside factors that could really get into your head a little bit, and they were able to block all of that out.”
Keur added two of MSU’s 10 hits on the day and contributed much of the win in the team’s ability to battle through the cold weather and recent hitting deficiencies.
Amid light flurries of snow descending on the field, the Spartans got the scoring going in the bottom of the first after Keur and junior second baseman Ryan Jones led off the inning with a pair of singles, which ultimately resulted in MSU’s first two runs.
The lead opened up for the Spartans in the bottom half of the fifth inning, due in part to a bases-clearing triple by junior third baseman Torsten Boss. Freshman center fielder Anthony Cheky led off the inning with a bloop double down the left field line followed by a fielder’s choice, allowing Keur to reach base, and a walk to Jones to load the bases, setting up for Boss.
After a strikeout by Krill, Boss later came around to score himself on a single by Scanlon to give the Spartans a six-run lead and much of the momentum in the game.
In the seventh inning, the Fighting Irish battled back and picked up a pair of runs on RBIs by way of a sacrifice fly by shortstop Phil Mosey and a single by second baseman Frank DeSico to shrink the deficit.
The seventh also saw the day end for freshman pitcher Mick VanVossen, who had another strong outing for the Spartans.
VanVossen went 6.3 innings, surrendering six hits and one earned run to pick up his first career collegiate victory.
“It’s a reliever just getting out there every time,” VanVossen said. “My first start, the nerves were bad, but it’s getting easier and easier every time I get on the mound.”
The Spartans got the runs back with a pair of their own in the bottom of the eighth to seal the deal and pick up the 8-2 victory against Notre Dame.
“We got some quality at-bats,” Jake Boss said. “We got some balls that we hit hard. A couple big at-bats late, a couple big RBIs late and that was good to see.”
The Spartans have a quick turnaround, as they prepare to face Eastern Michigan at 3:05 p.m. on Wednesday at McLane Baseball Stadium.
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