Michigan
27-9, 7-2
Iowa
17-18, 6-7
No. 18 Michigan Outlasts Iowa in Friday Night Thriller
4/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 23, 2016
» Sophomore Drew Lugbauer blasted his fourth home run of the season with a two-run blast in the ninth.
» Michigan saw six pitchers take the mound in the victory, as the pitching staff allowed just six hits on 10 strikeouts.
» The victory marks Michigan's sixth straight and extends the Wolverines' Big Ten Conference win streak to four.
Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Duane Banks Field)
Score: #18 Michigan 8, Iowa 4
Records: U-M (27-9, 7-2 Big Ten), Iowa (17-18, 6-7 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 23 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 1 p.m. CDT
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Three Wolverines had multi-hit outings, and six recorded RBI as the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan baseball team picked up an 8-4 victory in the first game of a Big Ten Conference series at Iowa on Friday night (April 22) at Duane Banks Field. The Michigan defense stranded 11 Iowa base runners on the night, including three in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the Wolverines' sixth straight win.
Right out of the gate, Michigan threatened offensively. In the top of the first inning, a two-out walk to junior Carmen Benedetti and a double off the left-field wall from junior Harrison Wenson gave Michigan two base runners, but a hard groundout ended the inning.
After two scoreless innings, Michigan got on the scoreboard in the top of the third for a three-run lead. Freshman Ako Thomas led off the inning with a single to the left-centerfield gap, and a bunt single from sophomore Jake Bivens gave Michigan two runners on with no outs. Senior Matt Ramsay then loaded up the bases with a bunt that resulted in an Iowa error, and it was Benedetti who picked up the first RBI of the contest with a single to right field that scored Thomas. With bases loaded and no outs, Wenson sent an RBI single through the left side to score Bivens and force a two-run lead. A fielder's choice then resulted in a force out at home, but the following fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore Drew Lugbauer scored Benedetti for the final run of the inning.
Despite a three-run cushion, the Wolverines tacked on another run in the top of the fourth inning to go ahead, 4-0. Freshman Jonathan Engelmann reached base on a leadoff hit-by-pitch, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt from Thomas. One out later, a full-count two-out RBI single from Ramsay allowed Engelmann to score from second, giving Michigan a four-run lead.
Michigan added another insurance run in the following at-bat, as junior Michael Brdar got into scoring position on one swing with a two-out double to left field. The momentum then continued as Engelmann sent an RBI single up the middle that scored Brdar from second, forcing a 5-0 Michigan lead.
The five-run lead proved to be essential in the bottom of the sixth, as Iowa plated four runs on two hits, two Michigan errors and four walks. Despite the push, the Wolverine defense stood strong, stranding two base runners to end the inning with a 5-4 lead.
In spite of a four-run rally by the Hawkeyes, the Wolverines responded in the top of the seventh with a run of their own to force a two-run lead. Wenson and Bruder led off the inning with consecutive walks, and a sacrifice bunt from Lugbauer pushed both runners into scoring position. It was Brdar who then came up with the clutch RBI single through the left side, scoring Wenson for the two-run cushion.
The Wolverines refused to let up offensively, adding two more runs in the top of the ninth to extend their lead to 8-4. Senior Cody Bruder got the momentum going with a single to left field, extending his hit-streak to 16 straight games and forcing Iowa to make a pitching change. With a new Hawkeye pitcher on the mound, Lugbauer then stepped to the plate and sent the first pitch of his at-bat screaming over the right-centerfield wall. The blast signaled his fourth homer of the year and pushed Michigan up, 8-4.
Junior lefty Brett Adcock tossed 5.1 innings in the Friday night start, allowing four runs on just four hits and recording six strikeouts. With 103 pitches thrown, the lefty earned the victory in the outing, improving to 5-3 on the season.
Once Adcock left the game, juniors Mac Lozer and Benedetti combined to finish out the sixth inning, while sophomore Bryan Pall, freshman William Tribucher and junior Jackson Lamb tossed an inning apiece to close out the game. As a whole, the Wolverine relievers allowed just two hits on four walks, striking out an additional four.
In total, Michigan tallied 12 hits on the day, as Benedetti, Wenson and Brdar had multi-hit outings.
THAT'S THE GAME!
MICHIGAN WINS 8-4! #goblue pic.twitter.com/L4RP38Jtdd-- Michigan Baseball (@umichbaseball) April 23, 2016
With one game of the series under its belt, No. 18 Michigan and Iowa will return to action on Saturday (April 23) with another Big Ten Conference game. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. CDT at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City, Iowa.
Communications Contact: Katie Gwinn Hewitt
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Adcock, Brett (5-3)
L: Eldred, C.J. (2-5)
Batting:
2B: Wenson, Harrison 1 ; Brdar, Michael 1
HR: Lugbauer, Drew 1
RBI: Ramsay, Matt 1 ; Benedetti, Carmen 1 ; Wenson, Harrison 1 ; Lugbauer, Drew 3 ; Brdar, Michael 1 ; Engelmann, Jonathan 1
SH: Ramsay, Matt 1 ; Lugbauer, Drew 1 ; Thomas, Ako 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bivens, Jake 1 ; Benedetti, Carmen 1 ; Wenson, Harrison 1 ; Bruder, Cody 1 ; Lugbauer, Drew 1 ; Brdar, Michael 1 ; Engelmann, Jonathan 1 ; Thomas, Ako 1
HBP: Engelmann, Jonathan 1
Batting:
2B: Booker, Joel 1
RBI: Guzzo, Austin 1 ; Schenck-Joblinske, E 1 ; Daniels, Zach 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Roscetti, Nick 1 ; Frankos, Jimmy 1 ; McCoy, Mason 1 ; Neustrom, Robert 1
CS: McCoy, Mason 1
HBP: Peyton, Tyler 1
