OMAHA, Neb. – Graduate shortstop Kyle Dernedde, graduate second baseman Mack Timbrook and junior third baseman Cole Caruso surrounded one another in the Michigan baseball team’s dugout in the bottom of the first inning, separated from the rest of the team by coach Tracy Smith. Behind them, sophomore right-hander Kurt Barr looked on, eyeing the diamond. All four athletes were ready for their chance on the field to strike.
The Wolverines (31-26 overall, 14-10 Big Ten) entered the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 4 seed looking to extend their postseason. But in order to do so, they first needed to defeat Iowa (31-22, 14-10). And in a tightly contested matchup, the Hawkeyes couldn’t crack the Michigan mound and the Wolverines came away with a 3-2 win.
Barr started his outing with two quick strikeouts and set the tone for Michigan instantly. In the top of the third inning, Barr faced Iowa center fielder Andy Nelson in the leadoff position for a second time. Just five pitches later, Barr and Nelson were facing away from each other as Nelson headed back to the dugout and Barr stepped off the mound.
Barr wasn’t walking off the mound distressed, though. He simply tipped his cap to the Hawkeye dugout, took a deep breath, and was onto the next batter.
Seven of the ten total hits on the matchup for Iowa came from batters after the top third in the lineup — it was this part of the order that struck first in the second inning. Hawkeye shortstop Michael Seegers smashed the ball out to center field, and amid some Wolverine outfield confusion, he doubled and right fielder Ben Wilmes scored from first base.
By the end of the second inning, Barr’s pitch count was rising fast, nearing 50 pitches. In order for Barr to extend his time on the mound, he needed to return to his pitch-to-contact mentality and hope that the defense behind him would get the necessary outs. But luckily for Barr, Michigan boasts one of the most dependable infield defenses in the country.
Prowling between second and third base, Dernedde’s presence in the infield makes it so that a ground ball from the opposition is as good as an out for Michigan. In the top of the second inning, the Iowa batter slapped the ball just behind third base for seemingly an easy base hit. But Dernedde extended his influence into the outfield grass, snatched the ball and forwarded it to first, securing the out.
To the right of Dernedde, Caruso manages the hot corner for Michigan. In the top of the fifth inning, Iowa looked to extend its lead, employing a sacrificial bunt from catcher Cade Moss. In anticipation of the play, Caruso inched in towards home plate, putting himself in front of the mound and a mere 15 feet from the Hawkeye batter.
Caruso’s placement proved perfect, when Moss’s hit rolled right to his feet. But instead of taking the easy out at first base, Caruso hurled the ball to second base, looking for the double play. While the ball didn’t make it to first in time, the Wolverines prevented the Hawkeyes from moving a runner into scoring position at second base. But the next bat saw that double play come to fruition, when Caruso grasped the ball and forwarded it to second base, and ended with the two outs.
Michigan wasn’t nearly as consistent on the plate as it was on the mound. Through five innings, the Wolverines score remained null as batter after batter attempted to create a spark at the plate. The bottom of the sixth inning saw Michigan bring home two runs from a combination of tactical small-ball play and Iowa throwing errors. The Hawkeyes responded in the top of the seventh inning with a run of their own and just like that the game was tied 2-2.
Fifth-year left-hander Jacob Denner entered the matchup in the seventh inning to relieve Barr and close out the game for the Wolverines. Denner did his job cleanly and left the seventh, eighth and ninth innings clean for Michigan. At the bottom of the ninth inning, it was up to the Wolverines offense to make a big hit. Instead of a big hit though, a bases loaded walk gave Michigan the clutch win, 3-2.
While Barr, Denner and the defense did everything they could to keep the Hawkeyes off of the board, their efforts would be moot if the offense didn’t step up. When they finally did in the sixth inning, it was none other than Barr who was the first man out of the dugout, bounding to his teammates with a smile on his face.
Barr’s performance on the mound gave Michigan everything it could’ve asked for and more Wednesday. But without a spark at the plate, the Wolverines wouldn’t have walked away with the win. The combined efforts proved necessary for the Big Ten Tournament round one win.
The post Michigan mound impenetrable in 3-2 win over Iowa appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
Leave a Reply