Once in each game, the Michigan dugout celebrated with glee as Collin Priest made his home run jog around the bases. But while the freshman designated hitter had little trouble finding his stride, the rest of his teammates can’t say the same.
The Wolverines (30-26 overall, 14-10 Big Ten) this season have continuously depended on their power hitters to start their offense. However, power did only so much damage before Michigan was overwhelmed at the plate. Indiana (30-22-1 overall, 15-9 Big Ten) recovered quickly from each of those home runs and ran away with the 2-1 series win over the Wolverines..
Michigan’s sole win of the series was an anomaly. The Wolverines fought from a deficit from the moment play kicked off after sophomore right-hander Kurt Barr let up a home run on the first batter he faced of the day. Michigan continued with no response until the fourth inning.
And junior catcher Will Rogers broke that silence.
Rogers launched a ball for a double, but more importantly allowed enough time for two runners to get home to take the lead, 2-1. That double, while showcasing Rogers’ power at the plate, doesn’t provide a strong impact if the batters due up don’t follow through. Indiana responded immediately with their own RBI single to tie the game. Two scoreless innings followed until Priest stepped up to the plate in the eighth inning.
One swing later with the ball sent over the fence and Michigan walked into the ninth inning with the game in its hands. While the home run was the extra flare the Wolverines needed to clinch the win, the backbone of the victory is credited to the synergy of the fourth inning.
“We’ve talked all year, (Priest) has tremendous power and is still coming into his own as a hitter,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said Friday. “(Priest’s) developing, we’re starting to see flashes and glimpses of what he has the potential to be, which is a dominant force in the conference.”
And as Priest continued his dominant showing in the second game of a doubleheader, the Hoosiers joined in on the hitting festivities. And in fact, they outshined the Wolverines. The first three innings of the game were non-stop contact for Indiana. Senior right-hander Chase Allen started his outing with a walk and hit by pitch, giving the Hoosiers an open opportunity to convert. And they did just that.
Four consecutive Indiana batters brought a run in, and it was only the beginning. By the fourth inning, Michigan retained a zero on the scoreboard while the Hoosiers held a 10-run advantage.
The only two runs in the game for the Wolverines came at the hands of none other than a Priest home run. And despite the loss, Priest showed that he could put Michigan on the board with one swing.
As the Wolverines entered the third game in a tied series, they had to find production at the plate to combat Indiana’s relentless offense. However, even though Michigan acquired quality at-bats, the reliance on power hitting, specifically from Priest, became its fault.
The Hoosiers started similarly as the night before, obtaining quick success at the plate. The Wolverines rallied a quick run off an Indiana error to push the score to 3-1 in the third inning. But the Hoosiers’ foot stayed on the gas, adding three more runs before Michigan contributed a two-run home run off the bat of graduate shortstop Kyle Dernedde in the fifth inning.
The omnipotence of the home run only lasted so long, as Indiana swiftly brought home two more runs. The eighth inning arrived and five runs down, the Wolverines began to utilize their available roster to create any momentum. But the only person to step up was Priest, gifting his third home run of the weekend, which ended the game 8-3.
“A good weekend for (Priest) with the consistency of power,” Smith said. “But the idea is to win games so we didn’t do that this weekend.”
Michigan proved it has the players to produce impactful moments, but relying solely upon Priest puts it in the position of trying to play catch up. Priest and the other big hitters of the Wolverines offer support, but without the supplementary hits, it’s hard to make moments into trends.
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