Michigan Baseball starts Big Ten play with series win over Illinois

Michigan Baseball began Big Ten play over the weekend with three games against Illinois, and the Wolverines started conference season off with a bang:

The Michigan Wolverines baseball team had a busy week last week , starting things out in California before ending in Vero Beach, Florida to begin Big Ten play over the weekend.

The Wolverines went down to the Sunshine State for a three-game series against Illinois and came away with two victories in the process.

Game 1: Michigan wins thanks to late-game surge

The offense didn’t wake up until the later innings of this game, but once it got going, it couldn’t be stopped. Illinois was feeling good after four innings with a 3-0 lead, but Michigan was able to get on the board in the fifth on a sac-fly. Then, Benjamin Casillas hit an RBI double to make it 3-2.

Michigan really broke things open in the sixth inning, putting up five runs on the Fighting Illini. Will Rogers, Robert Hamchuk and Casillas all came up with big RBI hits, and Casillas scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-3.

The Fighting Illini didn’t go down without a fight, as they got back in it with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. They made it a one-run game in the seventh, but Casillas came up with the biggest hit of the day in the eighth — a huge three-run double — to put Illinois away for good. Mitch Voit drove in a run as well, and Michigan led 11-6 when the ninth rolled around.

Both teams added a run in the ninth, and the Wolverines took Game 1, 12-7.

Tate Carey got the win on the mound for Michigan, and Rogers got the save.

Game 2: Wolverines clinch the series win with strong 9th inning

The Wolverines got a pair of runs to start the gam, but Illinois cut the deficit in half in the third to make it 2-1. Cole Caruso then knocked in a run to put Michigan back up by two in the fifth.

The sixth inning was a big one for Illinois, as it put four runs on the board to completely change the game. The Fighting Illini remained in control until the ninth inning, and it looked like they were going to even the series.

Michigan came into the ninth down 5-3, but the bats picked a good inning to get hot. Joe Longo got the party started with a solo shot to cut the deficit to one. Noah Miller then tied the game with an RBI double, and Jonathan Kim gave the Wolverines the lead as he scored Benjamin Casillas on a single.

Illinois had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the ninth, but Cade Connolly shut the door. He pitched the final two innings and earned the win.

Game 3: Michigan falls short in series finale as Illinois avoids sweep

Michigan once again got out to a 2-0 lead in the third game of the series. Cole Caruso got the scoring started with a solo shot in the second, and AJ Rausch made it 2-0 with an RBI single in the fourth.

Things were looking good for the Wolverines, but it was all downhill from there. Illinois tied the game in the fourth inning, and no runs were scored again until the eighth inning. The Fighting Illini had a couple big hits and ended up taking a 6-2 lead.

Michigan didn’t have any answers in the late stages this time around. The Fighting Illini avoided the sweep with a 6-2 victory. Dylan Vigue got the loss on the rubber.

Looking ahead

The Wolverines will continue Big Ten play this weekend, as they will host USC for a three-game series. But before that, they have midweek games against Toledo and Michigan State .

Michigan’s home opener is Tuesday against Toledo. The Rockets are struggling so far this season with a 5-9 record to start the season. If you can’t make it to Ray Fisher Stadium on Tuesday, the game will be streaming on B1G+ at 4 p.m.

The Wolverines will then hit the road Wednesday to take on Michigan State in East Lansing. Even though it’s a game against two Big Ten opponents, this game will not count toward their conference records. The Spartans are off to a hot 12-3 start this year, so this should be a good battle. First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. from McLane Stadium, and this game will also be streaming on B1G+.