Purdue's bats exploded, including a crucial grand slam, as Michigan State faltered, struggling to maintain early leads and facing pitching woes.
After taking the first game of the series, Michigan State dropped Saturday’s shootout and followed it up with a tough loss on Sunday.
The Spartans fell 11-4 to Purdue after the Boilermakers erupted for a six-run third inning that featured the series’ fourth grand slam, three of which came from Purdue.
As has often been the case this season, Michigan State struck first. Early leads have become a recurring theme, but sustaining them has been an ongoing challenge for the Spartans.
Randy Seymour sent a rocket down the left-field line, scoring Dayton Murphy from second to give MSU an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. That, however, was about all the Spartans could muster. Purdue’s CJ Richmond homered in the top of the second inning to tie the game.
The Boilermakers then blew the game open in the top of the third. A two-run double put Purdue ahead 3-1, followed by a grand slam—Purdue’s third of the series and the fourth combined for both teams. That blast pushed the lead to 7-1 through just two and a half innings, leaving Michigan State unable to replicate the early-game magic that helped them overcome an 8-1 deficit the previous night.
The Spartans managed to chip away in the bottom of the third. Murphy hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Trent Rice, and a throwing error on a play at third allowed Khamaree Thomas to cross the plate, cutting the deficit to 7-3 after three innings.
Purdue added two more runs in the fourth and two in the seventh, while Michigan State scored once in the ninth. The game concluded with an 11-4 victory for the Boilermakers.
Once again, pitching proved to be the Spartans’ Achilles’ heel. Starter Brady Chambers lasted just two innings, giving up six earned runs on five hits. Tommy Szczepanski relieved Chambers but allowed three earned runs on five hits over three innings, leaving Michigan State with too steep a hole to climb out of.
The loss dropped Michigan State to 4-8 in Big Ten play and 9-17 overall.
So, how does the season look at this point? At first glance, not great. The immediate goal is simply to finish among the top 12 teams, securing a chance to sneak into the Big Ten Tournament at the end of May.
With 29 games remaining, MSU currently sits 11th in the Big Ten at 4-8. Three teams—Iowa, Michigan, and Penn State—are close behind at 3-6. The Spartans are 5-5 in their last ten games and are now on a two-game losing streak heading into their second matchup against Central Michigan in as many weeks. Unlike the first meeting in Mount Pleasant, this time the Chippewas will travel to East Lansing. MSU dominated the first outing 19-8.
Following the Tuesday matchup, Michigan State will face off in a cross-town showdown against the Toronto Blue Jays Single-A affiliate, the Lansing Lugnuts, on Wednesday, April 1. After that, the Spartans head to Illinois to take on the Northwestern Wildcats (9-13-1 overall, 3-5 in Big Ten), who currently sit 10th in the conference.
Michigan State will need to tighten up both pitching and defense if they hope to stay competitive in the Big Ten stretch run. While the early-season struggles have been frustrating, the Spartans have shown flashes of resilience, and with nearly half of the conference schedule still to play, opportunities to climb back into tournament contention remain.