Michigan baseball roundup: Wolverines win weekend series at preseason Big Ten favorite Nebraska
Michigan Wolverines baseball won two out of three to win a weekend series at Nebraska to improve to 13-10 on the season. The Maize and Blue bats were hot all weekend along — with 23 total runs — while the pitching cost them in Friday’s loss.
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: Nebraska 13, Michigan 9 (Friday)
Nebraska held a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning, until the Michigan bats came alive. The Wolverines set a Big Ten record with four straight home runs with two outs in the inning, with sixth-year senior third-baseman Matt Frey, junior catcher Jimmy Obertop, junior infielder Ted Burton and junior left fielder Tito Flores all hitting solo shots to put the Maize and Blue up 6-3. Obertop had gotten the scoring going with an RBI double to left center in the first inning.
Nebraska had an answer, though. The Cornhuskers chased sophomore left-handed starter Connor O’Halloran from the game in the bottom of the frame and grabbed a lead with a six-run inning. In the sixth, Michigan gave up four more two-out runs on three walks, three hit batters and an error to give Nebraska a 13-6 advantage.
Michigan scored one run in the eighth and two in the ninth, but the Huskers were able to cling to their lead and hang on, winning 13-9.
O’Hallahorn yielded five hits and six earned runs on the evening, while relievers junior Noah Rennard and senior Willie Weiss gave up a combined seven runs (five earned) after the starter was pulled. All told, Michigan walked 11 batters, hit four more and had two defensive errors in the sloppy game.
Game 2: Michigan 8, Nebraska 6 (Saturday)
Obertop picked up where he left off Saturday, with a two-run, ninth-inning double that served as the game-winner after the game was tied at 6-6.
It was a back-and-forth affair before that, but Michigan never tailed. The Wolverines were carried by two sixth-inning home runs — a solo shot by Frey and a two-run bomb from Flores — that made it 5-2.
Junior right-handed starter Cameron Weston went six innings, giving up three earned runs, five hits and three walks against 25 batters. Sophomore righty reliever Chase Allen earned his third win of the season (he’s now 3-0) with three innings of work that included three earned runs and four hits against 14 batters. Allen slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth frame after Obertop’s two-run double.
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Game 3: Michigan 6, Nebraska 1 (Sunday)
Michigan controlled Sunday’s clash from the start. Senior shortstop Riley Bertram hit an RBI double down the right-field line to score Obertop and advance Burton to third, before redshirt junior designated hitter Jordon Rogers scored Burton on a groundout to make it 2-0. Frey homered to right center to push Michigan’s edge to 3-0 in the top of the third.
Nebraska answered with a homer of its own in the bottom half of that frame, but Michigan’s pitching staff was otherwise lights out. Lefty starter Jacob Denner went 5.2 innings and gave up just three hits and one earned runs against 25 batters. Rennard entered the game in the sixth and yielded just three hits and no runs to close things out.
In the seventh inning, Frey padded the lead with an RBI on a groundout, before junior right fielder Clark Elliott scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-1. Frey singled through the right side of the infield to score Elliott in the ninth, marking Michigan’s fifth ninth-inning run of the series.
What It Means, Where U-M Stands And What’s Next
Outside of some rough stretches of pitching Friday, Michigan thoroughly outplayed Nebraska — the preseason Big Ten favorite — at the Cornhuskers’ ballpark.
Michigan had won just one of six games from March 5 to March 15, but the Wolverines are now winners of five out of seven clashes after this weekend and sit at 2-1 in conference play. That’s some solid momentum as Michigan will start playing more and more home games and the Big Ten season heats up.
Next up for Michigan is a Wednesday home game against Oakland, before the Wolverines host Iowa for a three-game weekend set. They’ll play the next eight contests at Ray Fisher Stadium, an opportunity to get on a nice win streak.
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