Lansing — Chants of "Let's get some hits" filled the air at Oldsmobile Park on Sunday as MSU battled Northwestern in the final game of a weekend series. Going into the ninth inning with the game tied at three, freshman outfielder Chris Roberts stepped up to the plate and did just that.
It's not time to hit the panic button yet, but the MSU baseball team has drastically shrunk its margin for error the last two weeks. Since a heartbreaking final-inning defeat to Penn State on April 15, the Spartans (15-18 overall, 6-9 Big Ten) have lost seven straight games, including a four-game sweep at the hands of Minnesota last weekend.
The MSU baseball team will look to end a six-game losing streak when it hosts Central Michigan at 5:05 p.m.
This was going to be the turning point, the rally that made all the pain from Sunday's heart-wrenching, final-inning loss disappear.
David Grewe sat at the end of the MSU bench, alone. The dugout was empty, except for a few pieces of equipment and some discarded sunflower seeds on the ground.
Because of inclement weather, the baseball series against Penn State has been postponed. Originally scheduled to begin at 3:05 p.m.
Dennis Jones is fast. You can tell that much just by watching him patrol center field for the MSU baseball team. But it's hard to gauge just how fast he is unless you look at some of his cheetah-like statistics. Jones runs the 60-yard dash in 6.3 seconds — about the same pace as the MSU track team's all-time record holder in the 60-meter dash. He's stolen a team-high 10 bases in 11 attempts this season — only three players in the conference have stolen that many bases with better efficiency. Baseball scouts rate foot speed on a scale of 20 to 80.
Lansing — Some people have to wait years to get redemption for their mistakes. Brandon Doherty only needed a few pitches. Moments after making a throwing error in the ninth inning that brought the go-ahead run to the plate, Doherty made a lunging grab on a line drive to preserve the MSU baseball team's 6-5 win against Western Michigan on Tuesday at Oldsmobile Park. "If that error cost us the game," a smiling Doherty said afterward, "I'm not going to be happy the rest of the night, that's for sure." The Broncos (8-16), who entered their final at-bat down two, had a runner on second with two outs when Chris Lewis grounded weakly to Doherty, a junior shortstop. "I kind of looked away right there because I thought it was an automatic," MSU head coach David Grewe said. But Doherty's throw was wild, allowing the runner from second to score and Lewis, the tying run, to move into scoring position. The next hitter roped one to Doherty's right, and for a moment, it appeared his error on the previous play would prove extremely costly.
Two runs. That's all that separates the MSU baseball team from a perfect start to conference play. The Spartans dropped the opener of Monday's doubleheader against Purdue, 1-0 — their second one-run loss in the conference — then blanked the Boilermakers, 3-0, in the back end to take the series at Kobs Field and improve to 13-10 overall, 5-2 in the Big Ten. Only once in the last decade have the Spartans gotten off to a better conference start — 2004, when they won their first six games. "The crazy thing is we're that close to being undefeated in the Big Ten," head coach David Grewe said, holding his fingers an inch apart.
How cold was it on Sunday at Kobs Field? So cold that junior second baseman Steve Gerstenberger wore four layers of Under Armour under his jersey to fight the game-time wind chill of 23 degrees. "I can hardly move," he said, "but at least I'm warm." So cold that despite the grounds crew's attempts to clear the field before the game with leaf blowers, snow was still piled along the fences — something home-plate umpire Bruce Doane said he has never seen in 35 years. So cold that Purdue rented a microwave from the hotel it was staying at and used it to heat chicken soup in its dugout. But not cold enough to cool down senior pitcher Craig Brookes, who threw seven innings and allowed two runs — one earned — to lead the MSU baseball team to a 3-2 win against the Boilermakers. "Good old Brookesy," MSU head coach David Grewe said of his ace, who kept his conference-leading ERA at 1.29 on an afternoon that felt more like Christmas Eve than Easter Sunday. What was supposed to be the finale of a four-game weekend set ended up being the series opener because of the weather.
Craig Brookes' statistical profile is the kind of thing that keeps opposing hitters awake at night. He leads the Big Ten with a paper-thin 1.29 ERA.
Senior John Dwan was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on Monday for his near-perfect performance in Sunday's win against Indiana. Dwan threw seven scoreless innings in MSU's 6-1 win, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out three.
That Opening Day loss for the Detroit Tigers leave a bad taste in your mouth? Tonight offers a new opportunity to savor America's pastime. The MSU baseball team will face the Lansing Lugnuts, a Class-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, at 6:05 p.m.
Head coach David Grewe and the MSU baseball team took three of four games from Indiana and outscored the Hoosiers, 25-11, in a Big Ten-opening road trip this weekend. The Spartans (11-9 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) dropped only the opener, in which they outhit the Hoosiers, 15-5, but managed only one run in a 2-1 defeat.
The MSU baseball team won its home opener against Concordia on Saturday, but was denied the chance for a sweep when Sunday's game was called because of bad weather. Junior center fielder Dennis Jones went 2-for-4 in Saturday's win, including a two-run single in the seventh that put MSU up for good.
The MSU baseball team earned its first win of the season with a 4-2 victory over Jacksonville on Sunday at the Coca-Cola Classic in Mobile, Ala. Senior pitcher John Dwan got the win, recording four strikeouts while only allowing three hits and one run. The Spartans broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning by scoring three runs.
The MSU baseball team will host its second annual First Pitch Dinner at 1 p.m. Sunday in Spartan Stadium's LaSalle Bank Club. Tickets for the event are $25 for children and students, $30 for MSU baseball alumni and $50 for the general public.
Offense Bishop: The Tigers have been nearly unstoppable lately. They have lit up some great pitchers during the playoffs.
One small trip for the MSU baseball team, one giant leap for Spartankind. MSU and Western Michigan's game at 5:30 p.m.
Last season, the MSU baseball team's defense was offensive. The Spartans' .944 fielding percentage was the worst in the Big Ten.