Unique pitching strategy proves costly for Michigan as it loses 20-6 to UMD

Towards a robust group, adjustments aren’t unusual.

After dropping in a heartbreak Friday night time, the Michigan baseball group got here out on Saturday with a distinct look. 

The Wolverines’ bullpen has struggled to maintain runners from scoring for a lot of the season, so Michigan coach Erik Bakich determined to go together with an opener to start out the sport as soon as once more. As a substitute of junior right-hander Cameron Weston that tends to start out Saturdays, freshman right-hander Jake Keaser began the sport in an uncommon function. 

After strolling the primary two batters, Keaser was faraway from the sport and changed by one other reduction pitcher — junior left-hander Jacob Denner. Sadly for Denner, a single and a double gave Maryland a lead, and it could lower Denner’s night time brief as effectively.  

The Wolverines (25-23 general, 10-10 Massive Ten) wouldn’t overcome the eighteenth-ranked Terrapins’ (40-10, 15-5) highly effective hitting as they misplaced 20-6. 

Bakich mentioned on Friday night time that he was seeking to change up the pitching rotation. 

“I made this resolution on Monday that we have been going to flip the script a bit of bit and use openers,” Bakich mentioned after Friday night time’s recreation towards Maryland. “We’re going to do the identical factor tomorrow too. We’ve listed tomorrow as a TBA however we’re (nonetheless) taking a look at Weston to return in in some unspecified time in the future within the recreation.”

Bakich caught along with his plan and began reduction pitchers Keaser and Denner earlier than he introduced Weston in to alleviate each of them. 

Woefully, Denner had given up 4 runs in his 1.2 innings of labor that already put Michigan at a deficit of 4-3 earlier than Weston noticed a batter. When Weston ultimately got here into the sport, he gave up a single to the primary batter he confronted that scored two for the Terrapins after which gave up a two-run opposite-field dwelling run that put the Wolverines in a 7-3 gap earlier than they obtained out of the second inning. 

Michigan did inch again within the third inning behind a two-run dwelling run by grad-transfer third baseman Matt Frey to chop the Maryland result in two runs. 

An error — and consequently — one other RBI single by the Terrapins, canceled the blast out, scoring two extra for Maryland and increasing its lead again to 4. In the end, Weston gave up six runs in his 4 innings of labor. 

Nevertheless it solely obtained worse for the Wolverines as their bullpen couldn’t forestall the bleeding. Graduate left-hander Angelo Smith got here in throughout a sticky scenario with two runners on and one out within the seventh inning. Regrettably, he walked the 2 batters he confronted to herald one other run for the Terrapins. 

Instantly following that, Maryland third baseman Matt Shaw hit his third dwelling run of the sport (Terrapins faculty report) — this day without work freshman right-hander Avery Goldensoph’s first pitch. This grand slam pushed the sport method out of attain for Michigan because the Wolverines discovered themselves down 15-6. 

Lamentably, Goldensoph was left within the recreation for the eighth inning. The Terrapins appeared to take the chance to take batting observe off of Goldensoph as they singled, doubled, and homered to attain one other 5 runs to spice up their stats much more. 

Whereas Bakich tried to restrict the variety of runs Michigan gave up within the latter a part of the sport, this technique appeared to backfire on Saturday.

Between 17 pitchers seeing the sphere within the final week and a continued struggling performances by the bullpen, the Wolverines lose one other recreation — and one other sequence — to a convention opponent.