No. 16 Michigan Outlasts Purdue to Win B1G Series

Saturday, May 13

West Lafayette, Ind.

6:00 PM

Michigan

38-12, 13-7

Purdue

26-23, 10-10

Michigan

Purdue

5/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 13, 2017

» Johnny Slater tied his career high with four hits in the contest and led Michigan with three RBI.
» Relief pitcher Ryan Nutof tossed 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball to earn the victory and improve to 6-2 on the season.
» The series victory is Michigan's eighth of the season.

• Box Score

Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Alexander Field)
Score: #16 Michigan 9, Purdue 4
Records: U-M (38-12, 13-7 B1G), PUR (26-23, 10-10 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 14 -- at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), 3 p.m.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Timely hitting and outstanding defense were the defining factors on Saturday night (May 13) as the No. 16-ranked University of Michigan baseball team defeated Purdue by a 9-4 score to clinch the three-game series at Alexander Field.

Much like Friday night (May 12), the Wolverines got on the board quickly in the top of the first for an early lead. Junior Jake Bivens led off the outing with a full-count walk and quickly stole second base to give Michigan a runner in scoring position. From there, senior Johnny Slater executed a perfect hit-and-run play with an RBI single to short right field that allowed Bivens to score from second for a 1-0 lead. With no outs yet recorded, Slater took second base on the following groundout and then stole third base but advanced home on a throwing error by the Purdue catcher to put the Wolverines up by two.

With a 2-0 lead in hand, Michigan starting pitcher Alec Rennard toed the rubber in the bottom of the first inning and shut the Boilermakers down in order on just nine pitches.

Rennard retired the first 10 batters of the day before surrendering a free base on a hit batter in the bottom of the fourth. From there, Purdue rallied for its first hits of the afternoon with a double and a single to plate two runs and tie the game.

In the bottom of the fifth, however, Purdue threatened with two outs and the bases loaded, and Michigan made a call to the bullpen. Righty Ryan Nutof took the mound in relief and threw just one pitch for a groundout to end the inning and prevent the Boilermakers from taking a lead.

Michigan carried that momentum into the top of the sixth, as Bivens led off the inning with a double to left center field. Slater again came up with the RBI single, sending a base hit to right center field to score Bivens and put the Wolverines back on top, 3-2. Slater then took second on a wild pitch and picked up his second stolen base by snagging third, before a walk to junior Drew Lugbauer gave Michigan runners on the corners. With just one out on the board, sophomore Miles Lewis stepped to the plate and laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt that allowed Slater to score easily for a 4-2 Michigan lead.

Following a scoreless seventh, Michigan added two runs in the top of the eighth to extend its lead to four. Slater got things started with a triple to straight-away center field, and a sacrifice fly out by senior Michael Brdar quickly sent him home for a 5-2 Michigan lead. One out later, Lewis sent a ball scorching to center field for the Wolverines' second triple of the inning and later scored on a Purdue error to push Michigan up, 6-4.

The Wolverines tacked on three more runs in the top of the ninth to force a 9-2 lead, though two of the runs were unearned. Sophomore Jimmy Kerr and sophomore Jonathan Engelmann led off the inning by reaching on infield errors, and Kerr scored as senior Harrison Wenson sent an RBI single up the middle, which allowed Engelmann to take third. With two men still in scoring position, Bivens roped an RBI single to right center field to score Engelmann, and Slater followed with his fourth hit of the day to score Wenson for a seven-run Michigan lead.

Purdue rallied for two runs on four hits in the bottom of the ninth, but Michigan took home the win by a 9-4 score for the Wolverines' eighth series win of the season.

Overall, Michigan recorded nine hits on the day, and Slater led the effort as he tied his career-high with four. He also led the team with three RBI.

Rennard tossed 4.2 innings in the no-decision outing, which marked his ninth start of the season. The righty starter allowed just four hits with one walk on the afternoon and struck out four.

With 3.1 innings of work out of the bullpen, Nutof earned the win to improve to 6-2 on the season. He did not record a strikeout in the appearance but surrendered just three hits as he let the defense work.

Freshman lefty Tommy Henry and sophomore righty Jack Bredeson combined to close out the bottom of the ninth for Michigan on the mound. The pair allowed two runs.

Tweet of the Day

Ballgame! #Team151 wins game two to take the series! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/QWhhwkMxhu

-- Michigan Baseball (@umichbaseball) May 14, 2017

The No. 16-ranked Michigan will wrap up its Big Ten Conference series at Purdue on Sunday (May 14) with a single game. First pitch for Sunday's contest is set for 3 p.m. at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, Indiana. Fans can watch the game live on the Big Ten Network.

Communications Contact: Katie Gwinn Hewitt