The Michigan baseball team had been riding hot heading into a series against Washington at Ray Fisher Stadium in Ann Arbor over the weekend. Despite losing their mid-week game against Miami in extra innings, the Wolverines had won four straight series, including a sweep in their most recent against Northwestern. Here’s how the Wolverines handled business against the Huskies this weekend:
Game 1 – Friday
Although Michigan was entering the series hot, it was Washington that got off to the hot start on Friday night
in the series opener. The Huskies got to Michigan starter Kurt Barr in the second inning with a solo homer from Casen Taggart and then again in the third inning with a two-run homer from Jackson Hotchkiss to jump ahead 3-0.
Later in the game though, Michigan would start to chip away at the deficit. With two outs, Colby Turner reached base with a single and advanced to second base on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt by Washington’s Noah Kenney. Noah Miller would drive Turner in with a single to make it 3-1 shortly thereafter. In the bottom of the seventh, Michigan loaded the bases on three straight walks. Brayden Jefferis drove in two runs to tie the game with a single up the middle before Josh Campbell gave the Wolverines a 4-3 lead on a sacrifice fly.
Washington wouldn’t go away though, scoring four runs in the top of the eighth starting with an RBI single from Mic Paul. The Huskies would add another run with a bases-loaded walk and two more with an single up the middle from Hotchkiss. Now trailing 7-4, the Wolverines would need a Herculean effort to pull off the win.
Well, they were able to deliver in the bottom of the ninth. With two runners on, Evan Haeger doubled to right field to make it a 7-6 game. Joonsung Park would be the hero shortly thereafter driving a ball off the base of the left field wall to score two runs and walk it off for Michigan.
Game 2 – Saturday
Michigan’s offense heated up at the end of Friday’s game and carried the momentum into the bottom of the first inning on Saturday. Cooper Mullens reached base with a leadoff walk and stole second base before being driven in with a double to right field by Brayden Jefferis to go ahead 1-0.
Shane Brinham got the start on the mound for Michigan and he was excellent through the early innings of the game. Washington finally got to him in the top of the fourth inning with a leadoff homer from Blake Wilson to tie it at 1-1. The pitcher’s duel continued into the top of the eight, when Washington jumped ahead. After loading the bases with one out, Mic Paul doubled to left field to make it a 3-1 ball game late.
Fortunately for Michigan, their bats still had some magic in them after a walk-off the night before. Brenden Stressler and Matthew Ossenfort reached on back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Then, Joonsung Park came through in the clutch for the second straight night, driving in both runners with a double to tie the game 3-3. After back-to-back walks loaded the bases with one out, Cade Ladehoff played hero with a single to left field to win the game by a 4-3 final score – giving Michigan its second straight walk-off victory and clinching its fifth straight series win.
Game 3 – Sunday
Angling for the sweep, Michigan got on the board immediately in Sunday’s finale. Evan Haeger blasted a solo homer to right field to lead off the bottom of the first to grab a 1-0 lead. Washington didn’t wait too much longer to battle back though, scoring two runs in the top of the third courtesy of a two-run homer from Braeden Terry off Michigan starter David Lally.
Washington kept seeing Lally’s pitches well in the subsequent innings. Mic Paul hit a solo shot over the right field wall to give Washington a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth. The Huskies manufactured another run in the top of the fifth to go up 4-1, but Michigan would get another run of its own in the bottom of the frame courtesy of a wild pitch that allowed Matthew Ossenfort to cross the plate.
In the bottom of the sixth, Michigan would cut the deficit to one with an Ossenfort RBI double that scored Brenden Stressler from first base. Washington though would gain some separation in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of a single, a walk, and an error from the Wolverine defense to ultimately score three times in the frame to go up 7-3.
Michigan had been on another level in the ninth inning over the first two games of the series, and looked to be trending in that direction again for the final frame of Sunday’s game. The Wolverines were able to load the bases with no outs, after which Brayden Jefferis singled up the middle to bring in a run. Joonsung Park would ground into a double play though as the next man up, scoring a run to make it 7-5, but putting a damper on the momentum. Washington would close it out by inducing a fly out from Cooper Mullens.
By going 2-1 on the weekend, Michigan has moved itself into a respectable 27-17 record on the year, turning things around after their early-season slog. The Wolverines will have the chance to rest up during the week with no mid-week game on the schedule before heading out on the road to take on a struggling Maryland team.
