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Michigan baseball roundup: Wolverines win one, drop two at Louisville

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•03/13/22•

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(Photo by Michigan Athletics)

Michigan Wolverines baseball went south to get out of the winter weather, but didn’t avoid it when playing at Louisville. The Wolverines got one win in a game that was suspended due to snow Friday and picked back up Sunday, but dropped the opener and the finale to lose two of three to the Cardinals.

Here’s a look at the weekend that was for Michigan baseball, with commentary and highlights, and what’s next for the Wolverines.

Game 1 — Louisville 5, Michigan 3

The Maize and Blue dropped the opener by a score of 5-3 Friday. Junior outfielder Jimmy Obertop homered to give Michigan a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but Louisville answered by building a 4-1 edge through six innings.

The Wolverines battled, with junior right fielder Clark Elliott starting a mini rally with an RBI double to center field, before center fielder Joe Stewart drove in a run on a groundout to make it 4-3. Louisville responded again, though, with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning, serving as the go-ahead run.

Michigan had opportunities at the plate, but didn’t capitalize. They went 2-for-18 batting with runners on base and 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Junior right-handed Cameron Weston went six innings, with four earned runs, six hits allowed and three strikeouts, taking the loss to fall to 1-1 on the season.

Game 2 — Michigan 16, Louisville 7

Sophomore lefty Connor O’Halloran allowed five hits and two earned runs. The Wolverines had a 2-1 advantage heading into the third inning, thanks to a two-run homer by Obertop, when they exploded offensively to take over the game. Michigan registered 10 runs on five hits against three different Louisville pitchers to make it 12-1.

Michigan led, 13-4, when play was suspended due to snow Friday evening.

Junior left fielder Tito Flores homered to give Michigan a 13-1 edge in the fifth inning after play resumed Sunday, before Louisville answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Obertop had a sacrifice fly to drive in one run in the seventh, and redshirt junior designated hitter Jordon Rogers had a solo home run in the eighth to give Michigan a 16-7 lead and some insurance.

Sophomore lefty Jordan Wood yielded six hits and three earned runs in the fifth through eighth innings, before sophomore right hander Ahmad Harajli slammed the door in the ninth, retiring three-straight Louisville batters.

Game 3 — Louisville 13, Michigan 1

Louisville controlled this one from the jump, scoring three first-inning runs with two outs to take an early lead. Junior lefty starter Jacob Denner was shelled to the tune of eight hits and six earned runs in 2.1 innings of work. The Cardinals held onto the lead, with Michigan’s only run coming on a safety squeeze from senior Riley Bertram to score Obertop in the second inning. It was 3-1 at that point, but the Cardinals scored 10 unanswered runs to win going away. Michigan recorded just four hits to Louisville’s 15.

Where U-M Stands And What’s Next

At 8-7, Michigan has had an up-and-down start to the season. The March 4 win over No. 21 Maryland, the Terrapins’ first loss of the campaign, was huge, but the Wolverines followed that up with losses to East Carolina and Indiana State March 5 and 6, respectively. Louisville is 11-4 and won six straight entering this weekend, but Sunday’s lopsided loss takes away some of the good vibes from the win Michigan grabbed.

The Wolverines have a quick turnaround before facing Vanderbilt Tuesday night in Nashville. The two teams have a history, of course, with that having been the matchup in the 2019 College World Series Final. Bakich was also an assistant coach with the Commodores from 2003-09 and has immense respect for the program.

Michigan hosts Dayton for a three-game set March 18-20 in the home-opening series.

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