Mistakes plague MSU baseball in 6-3 loss to Nebraska
EAST LANSING – The scoreboard read four errors Saturday afternoon, but it didn’t tally the other mistakes Michigan State made.
Forgotten backup assignments defensively. Weak swings offensively. Missed pitch locations from the mound.
None of those things show up in the stat book, but each of them compounded the miscues as the 24th-ranked Spartans opened a three-game series with a 6-3 loss to Nebraska.
“When you don’t execute,” MSU coach Jake Boss said, “good teams make plays on you. That’s a recipe for disaster on our side.”
The Spartans (30-12, 10-6 Big Ten) and Cornhuskers (29-16, 10-6) play Sunday and Monday at McLane Stadium, with both games scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Lefty Joe Mockbee will start for MSU on Sunday, with Monday’s starter still to be determined.
Dan Durkin homered and went 2-for-3 for the Spartans, but he also committed two errors — the last of which opened a three-run fifth inning.
Steven Reveles’ single into left scored a run when MSU third baseman Justin Hovis’ relay throw missed the mark, and a second runner scored with no one backing up catcher Matt Byars.
“All of a sudden, the merry-go-round starts,” Boss said. “If we execute and do things the right way, it’s probably a different ballgame. But we didn’t.”
MSU starting pitcher Ethan Landon took the loss, dropping to 6-2. He struggled with his command, allowing eight hits with two walks and two hit batters. Three of the six runs he allowed were unearned.
Durkin hit his fifth homer of the season to lead off the sixth.
“Obviously, I put us in the situation we were in with the two errors,” Durkin said. “As a leader, I was trying to do whatever I could to get back from that. I was honestly trying to get on base and just got ahold of one.”
The Spartans threatened again in the eighth by loading the bases with no outs. Nebraska coach Darin Erstad changed pitchers four times in the inning, bringing in Chad Luensmann with a 2-0 count on Zack McGuire. MSU’s designated hitter dribbled the first pitch for a double play, which allowed one run to score, then Luensmann got Marty Bechina to fly out two pitches later.
“It turned into a good move on their part. They know their pitching staff, obviously,” Boss said. “I don’t prefer to make changes mid-count. Based on what happened today, maybe I’ll change my thinking, too. I give them credit, the guy made a good pitch.
“At the same time, we knew what pitch was coming, we knew what the velocity was going to be, and we were still unable to put a good swing on that pitch. That’s what’s the most disappointing thing.”