Michigan didn’t have its best stuff in its mid-week loss to Western Michigan on Tuesday, but has the chance to get right this weekend when it heads out on the road for a series against Purdue:
After a disappointing weekend series where it lost two games, Michigan baseball put together a subpar performance in its midweek game against Western Michigan. The Wolverine bats failed to show up, while the pitching staff scuffled a bit as well.
Grant Bradley got the start for Michigan, and things were looking solid for him through the first two innings. After allowing the first two runners to reach base in the first, he induced a double play and a flyout to get out of the jam. That was followed up with a 1-2-3 inning in the second.
Western Michigan was able to take advantage of some sloppy play in the third inning. A baserunner was allowed to advance and eventually score courtesy of a Matt Spear throwing error, while another run would come in courtesy of a passed ball. Dylan Nevar also singled in a run before the inning was over, and all of a sudden the Broncos had a 3-0 lead.
The Wolverines were able to shore things up on defense and on the mound with three scoreless frames from Josh Kasner. Tate Carey was brought in for the seventh inning and quickly surrendered a run to make it 4-0. Nevar hit a two-run homer in the ninth to push the game to 6-0, which was the final score. It was a lifeless offensive performance by Michigan, which generated just two hits in the game.
Having now lost three of its last four games, Michigan is in need of a strong weekend. It’s going to be a tall task, as the Wolverines are heading on the road to face Purdue, which is currently riding a four-game winning streak and stands at 18-2 overall.
The plate has been where the Boilermakers have shined this year, as they have a team batting average of .322 and OPS of .973. Senior infielder Logan Sutter has been the best of the bunch so far with a .444 average and 1.382 OPS with six home runs. Brandon Anderson has also been very good with a 1.122 OPS and four homers. Sutter and Anderson are two of the five of Purdue regulars that have an OPS better than 1.000.
Purdue is also elite on the mound, with three starting pitchers that have thrown at least 23 innings so far this year. Carter Doorn has been the best so far, leading the way with a microscopic 0.36 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Cole Van Ansen and Easton Storey have been great as well with ERAs of 3.04 and 3.47, respectively. The Boilermakers boast a pair of bullpen arms that have been outstanding in Michael Vallone (1.45 ERA in 18.2 innings pitched) and Gavin Beuter (2.81 ERA in 16 innings).
Based on how things have gone for Purdue so far, the Wolverines are going to have to turn things up a notch to win this series. A bounce back for the offense could be in order after its subpar performance against WMU, but it will be difficult against this group of arms. Michigan’s pitching staff is going to need to come to play too in order to quiet Purdue’s high-powered offense.
All games this weekend will be played at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, and will be broadcast on BTN+. Here’s the full schedule: