Rutgers baseball falls to Michigan in Big Ten Tournament championship game

Rutgers’ first Large Ten Event loss got here on the worst attainable time.

After profitable three consecutive video games to start out their first-ever Large Ten Event look, the Scarlet Knights suffered a 10-4 defeat to Michigan in Sunday night time’s championship recreation at Charles Schwab Subject in Omaha, Nebraska.

Rutgers comes simply in need of profitable this system’s first convention event title since 2007. The baseball program turns into the fourth Scarlet Knights crew to lose a Large Ten Event championship recreation this faculty 12 months alongside the lads’s lacrosse, girls’s lacrosse and ladies’s soccer groups. The sphere hockey program gained the varsity’s first and solely Large Ten Event title within the fall.

It is likely one of the few missteps in one of many best seasons in Rutgers baseball historical past, which featured a program-best second-place end within the Large Ten common season standings.

Rutgers already holds this system document for wins in a season (44) and is on tempo to succeed in the NCAA Event for the primary time since 2007 regardless of Sunday night time’s consequence. As of Sunday morning, its RPI ranked at a wholesome thirty seventh nationally and two distinguished school baseball retailers — D1Baseball and Baseball America — had the Scarlet Knights as a 3-seed.

However on Sunday, Rutgers by no means led the Wolverines, who took a two-run lead within the opening inning.

The Scarlet Knights tied the sport because of a solo dwelling run from freshman infielder Josh Kuroda-Grauer within the second inning and an RBI triple from Iona switch Tony Santa Maria within the third, however Michigan punched proper again. The Wolverines retook the lead with a squeeze play within the fourth, then added to it with an RBI single within the fifth and one other run within the sixth.

Rutgers had a golden alternative to climb again into the sport within the backside of the sixth inning, loading the bases with two outs, however Mike Nyisztor couldn’t money in, putting out trying.

Sophomore outfielder Ryan Lasko decreased the deficit within the seventh, scoring on a sacrifice fly, however Michigan punched again within the eighth with back-breaking 3-run dwelling run. The Wolverines stamped their win with a squeeze play that added one other two runs within the ninth.

Rutgers confronted a troublesome turnaround forward of the competition following Saturday night time’s semifinal with Indiana, which began simply earlier than midnight native time and ended simply after 3 within the morning, lower than 14 hours previous to the primary pitch of Sunday’s championship recreation. The Wolverines, whose semifinal win over Iowa ended lower than an hour earlier than the championship recreation started, had a equally troublesome turnaround.

The tight schedule was a results of the opening day of the event being rained out.

Rutgers will uncover its NCAA Event future throughout Monday’s choice present, which might be broadcast stay on ESPN2 at midday.

Thanks for counting on us to supply the journalism you possibly can belief.

Brian Fonseca could also be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.