Michigan Baseball dropped a close game against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, but has the chance to get back in the win column with three games at home against Penn State this weekend:
So far this season, Michigan Baseball has done just enough to stay above the .500 mark. An impressive weekend that featured two wins over a great Purdue team was followed up by a loss, albeit a close one, to a middling Eastern Michigan squad. The loss continues a trend of inconsistency the team will look to buck for a midseason run.
On Tuesday, Michigan welcomed in Eastern Michigan and was immediately barraged for three runs in the top of the first inning, ultimately chasing pitcher Wyatt Novara from the game before he could record an out. Fortunately, Michigan’s bats came to play and scored three runs in the bottom of the first, driven in by a Mitch Voit single and a Cole Caruso double.
Through the middle innings, Eastern Michigan stayed on the attack offensively. Harrison Travis hit a solo homer in the second to make it 4-3, while the Eagles got two more runs in the fourth to make it 6-3.
In the sixth, Eastern Michigan brought in Andrew Derksherer to pitch, which led to the Wolverines finding some offensive success. After Caruso led off the inning with a double, Derksherer hit four consecutive Michigan batters to drive in a run and load the bases. Emmett Gillies was brought in thereafter, and the Wolverines scored three more times thanks to hits from Brayden Jeffries and Colby Turner. Heading into the seventh, Michigan held a 7-6 lead.
The teams would swap runs in the seventh and eighth innings, with Michigan holding an 8-7 advantage heading into the ninth inning. With Will Rogers looking to close things down, the Eagles got two runs courtesy of a double and some subsequent wild pitching. Michigan was unable to mount anything offensively in the ninth, ultimately losing, 9-8.
Michigan is now 13-11 overall, but the Wolverines have a chance to get right this weekend in a three-game home series against Penn State. The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 16-8 record but have lost two games in a row.
The offense appears to be the strength of Penn State’s team this year. Its lineup is led by Paxton Kling, who enters the weekend with a .362 batting average and a 1.157 OPS. He leads the team in hits (38) and homers (10), and also has seven stolen bases. Jack Porter has been almost as good as Kling, holding a .341 average and 1.019 OPS.
There are plenty of power threats on Penn State’s team, as seven players have four homers or more. Ryan Weingartner will also be a threat on the bases, as he’s a perfect 19-of-19 on stolen base attempts.
Penn State is pretty strong on the mound as well. Its best starter so far has been Ryan DeSanto, who leads the team in innings pitched with 25.2 and is currently sporting a 3.16 ERA. Right behind him in innings pitched is Mason Horwat, with 22.2 innings over five starts. He enters the weekend with a 4.76 ERA and 1.53 WHIP though, suggesting the Wolverines could generate some traffic against him. Anthony Steele has been the best bullpen piece for the Nittany Lions with a 2.81 ERA in 16.0 innings pitched.
All three games will be played at Ray Fisher Stadium in Ann Arbor and can be found on BTN+. Here’s the full schedule for the weekend: