Behind a strong start from junior right-hander Nolan Higgins and timely hitting in the sixth inning, MSU secured a 3-1 win to take the series and bounce back in Big Ten play.

“I’m really proud of our guys. I think after playing as poorly as we did on Friday, for them to come back and win the series, speaks a lot to their character,” Boss said. “We've been talking about consistency from day one, and I thought the approach today was consistent from the first inning to the last.”

The win pushes Michigan State to 18-15 overall and 6-9 in conference play, now tied with Rutgers for the final Big Ten Tournament spot at 11th in the standings.

After a confidence-boosting 10-0 win on Saturday, the Spartans carried their momentum into Sunday’s series finale. Higgins turned in his best outing of the year, scattering four hits and one earned run over six innings, walking two and striking out a pair.

“(Higgins’) stuff is really, really good. There was a little bit of traffic in the first two innings on the bases, but he settled into it,” Boss said. “These hitters are going to get themselves out more often than not. So, if we can just stay around the strike zone and make our pitches when we need to, we'll be fine.”

Just like Saturday, MSU’s bats were quiet early — with only two hits through the first five innings. But in the sixth, center fielder JT Sokolove jump-started the offense with a double to left center. Sophomore second baseman Ryan McKay followed with a double of his own, tying the game at 1-1.

In a season defined by his growth at the plate, McKay has emerged as one of MSU’s most consistent hitters. The 5-foot-10 sophomore leads the team in batting average, walks and on-base percentage. After struggling with plate discipline last year, McKay now ranks sixth in the Big Ten in walks.

“He didn't walk a whole lot last year, and so we kind of challenged him at the end of last year,” Boss said. “And you know moving forward from that, his bat to ball skills are really good. He got himself out a lot a year ago. He's really worked hard on it, and he's done a nice job.”

First baseman Sam Busch, who had singled earlier in the game, doubled off the right field foul pole for his team-leading 17th extra-base hit. Then, after an infield single from Nick Williams, freshman Park Picot delivered an RBI single to left — pushing MSU’s lead to 3-1.

From there, sophomore left-hander Garrett Brewer handled the rest.

In his longest outing since March 12, Brewer pitched the final three innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out one to earn the save.

“He filled up the strike zone. He filled up the strike zone with his fastball, he filled up the strike zone with his breaking ball and he made big pitches.” Boss said. “We knew the ball was going to be in play, and if that's the case, you better be able to locate, Garrett was able to do that. He made big pitches when he needed to absolutely.”

Busch capped a stellar weekend by going 6-for-12 across the three-game series. The senior captain now has hits in six of his last eight games.

“Baseball is one of those things where you're hot and cold, and right now, I'm just little bit hotter than cold,” Busch said. “I’m seeing the ball well and trying to be aggressive early in counts.”

The Spartans will look to stay consistent heading into Tuesday’s non-conference matchup against Western Michigan. The Broncos are 10-22 overall and 6-9 in the MAC. First pitch is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus.