Spartan baseball was turned inside out by No. 9 Clemson Wednesday night, a game where they lost 9-2. The loss is only their second of the year and the one time this season they failed to take advantage of their offensive firepower.

The Tigers were winning 3-0 when they really blew the game wide open in the fifth inning with a grand slam.

Michigan State had a good game, the score just doesn’t do them justice. The Spartans finished the night with one more hit than Clemson but ultimately failed to plate any runs with runners in scoring position. Eight Spartans had at least one hit but by night’s end they had left nine runners on base, which more often than not will result in tough losses.

Clemson Does What The Spartans Didn’t

Clemson deserves credit. They did what the Spartans didn’t, which is take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. MSU finished with eight hits, seven of them came against Tigers starting pitcher Tyler Jackson, who got out of every single jam that was thrown his way. If the Spartans had the beginnings of a rally, it stalled out.

The Tigers had seven hits on the night, but did something with every single one of them. Clemson scored three runs in the second inning, but the dagger came in the fifth when slugger Seth Beer crushed a grand slam.

Nine runs on seven hits and one error is exactly the type of production a ball club is looking for. Production that the Spartans couldn’t match

Spartans Staying The Course

Despite the the inability to score runs, the Spartans still managed to hit the ball, leading us nicely into our “staying the course” segment. Michigan State currently has six guys averaging better than .333 and nine players hitting above .300 which is phenomenal. The four names fans are used to seeing remain the same, with one new addition.

• Marty Bechina (3B): .395 (17-43), 3 2B, 9 RBIs, 4 HR
• Zach McGuire (1B): .391 (18-46), 7 2B, 13 RBIs, 2 HR
• Danny Gleaves (CF): .377 (20-53), 5 2B, 12 RBIs, 1 HR
• Dan Durkin (2B): .362 (17-47), 6 2B, 15 RBIs, 2 HR
• Chad Roskelly (C): .345 (10-26), 1 2B, 10 RBIs, 1 HR

Quick Takeaways

• Even though it was their second loss of the year, Michigan State was in the game all the way (even if the score shows otherwise). If the Spartans capitalize on those nine men left on base the game could have been very different.
• As mentioned before, a one game series favored Clemson and they took full advantage of it. If Michigan State had a full series scheduled against the Tigers they may have been able to take one or two of the rest.
• No time to hang their heads. South Carolina, another top ranked team, is right around the corner.

Next Series

The Spartans will travel a short ways to Columbia, South Carolina to face No. 10 South Carolina in a three game series. The series opener will be Friday, March 10th at 7 p.m.