Michigan State baseball sweeps doubleheader, series against Houston Baptist
EAST LANSING, Mich. (BVM) – The Michigan State baseball team has been somewhat of a group of “comeback kids” this season.
The Spartans (10-7) used late-inning heroics in all three games against Houston Baptist (6-15) to sweep the series against the Huskies, with two of those wins coming in walk-off fashion.
After a walk-off home run from sophomore Dillon Kark on Friday, the Spartans and Huskies were rained out on Saturday. They played a doubleheader Sunday afternoon to make up for it.
The first game of the afternoon was not one for fans of offense, as both starting pitchers went deep into the game and shut down the opposing teams’ starting lineups. Michigan State’s Nick Powers went six and 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, no runs, and striking out five. For Houston Baptist, Jared Burch went seven strong, allowing just four hits, no runs, and six strikeouts. Both pitchers were given a no-decision.
“I thought Nick threw well, I think he’s thrown better by his own admission, but what I liked best about it was that he really competed,” head coach Jake Boss Jr. said about Powers’ performance. “I think he would admit, maybe he didn’t have his best stuff early on, but he grinded it out through some at-bats, made some big pitches when he needed to, which is what he’s done. I think it’s a good sign when you don’t have your best stuff, and you can still get a lot of guys out.”
It wasn’t until the bottom of the eighth inning that the game finally had a score, when second baseman Trent Farquhar belted a solo home run into right field, giving Michigan State a 1-0 lead. Farquhar finished with two hits on the day. This would turn out to be the final score, as Kyle Bischoff slammed the door on the Huskies in the top of the ninth.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Farquhar said about his game-deciding home run. “I love hitting balls into the Red Cedar [River], having it right there, that’s what it’s used for, putting balls in it. So it was a great feeling, just glad I could help my team win.”
The Spartans infield was sharp in the doubleheader, recording four double plays, throwing out two would-be base stealers, and making highlight plays look routine.
“I think they feel good,” Boss Jr. said. “Defensively, I thought we played really well all weekend, which is a big reason we were able to win all three games.”
Game two started just about a half hour after the conclusion of the former, and it featured much more offense than the previous game. The Huskies took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Parker Edwards sent a double into center field.
The Spartans would quickly strike back, however, scoring four runs in the bottom of the second. Kark hit a single into right field which allowed Zaid Walker to score, tying the game. Later, Christian Williams hit a single into shallow center, scoring two. They then added another run on a Farquhar single. Michigan State led 4-1 at the end of the second inning.
Williams, a freshman catcher in just his fourth start of his career, recorded three hits and two RBIs in the victory. He came into the day with just two hits on the entire season, but that didn’t stop him from feeling comfortable at the plate.
“I felt very comfortable in the box today,” Williams said. “It was all thanks to the coaches, they coached me up and helped me to get where I am. Only being the fourth start, a lot of people think you’d be nervous in there, but it’s all the practice reps, all the time spent in the fall and the winter preparing, it pays off, and now I feel comfortable.”
The Huskies would battle back in the fourth inning, adding two runs in the frame to cut into the Spartans’ lead.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, shortstop Mitch Jebb scored from first base on a sacrifice bunt from Farquhar. An error by first baseman Jake Miller allowed Farquhar to reach third. The Spartans added to their lead to make it a 5-3 ball game.
That lead was short lived, as Farquhar made a costly error at second base on what would have been a double play. Two runs scored, and the game was knotted at five runs apiece in the top of the eighth inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Williams hit a single into center field, followed by a Farquhar single. Left fielder Casey Mayes hit a ground ball to third, but another error by Miller allowed him to reach base safely and walk-off the Huskies for their second walk-off win in the series.
“These guys really do compete until the very last out,” Boss Jr. said about his team’s ability to win games in late innings. “Even in a couple of the games that we lost, we felt like we were right there, maybe a swing away, but that’s how baseball is sometimes. One of the staples of our program has always been that we’re going to fight, scratch, and claw until that last out is made, and these guys are doing it.”
The Spartans improve to 10-7 on the season. They will take on the IPFW Mastodons at home on March 23.
