Will Rogers impact falls short in second round Big Ten Tournament loss to Penn State, 9-5

OMAHA, Neb. — Junior catcher Will Rogers outperformed at the plate. While delivering clutch outs from behind it, Rogers served as the foundation of the Michigan offense. Even with Rogers persistent presence in the batters box, the Wolverines thwarted the opportunities he left. 

Although Rogers burdened the offensive weight, Michigan (31-27 overall, 14-10 Big Ten) was unable to clinch, falling to Penn State (28-23 overall, 12-12 Big Ten), 9-5.

With a slow start, only one run graced the scoreboard for the Nittany Lions in the first four innings. Freshman left fielder AJ Garcia faced early trouble as Penn State peppered the left side in the second inning. While Garcia lost his footing furthering a single into a double, his second mishap cost the first run. As he bobbled the ball, the Nittany Lion’s runner had just enough time to make it home and take the 1-0 lead. 

While Garcia left the game abruptly after for senior left-fielder Dylan Stanton, Michigan’s offensive problems didn’t go away as easy. 

Breaking the Wolverine’s lull, Rogers trucked through for the first hit of the game in the third inning. While his single to left field looked to start the momentum, the inning left him stranded on second as Michigan struggled to convert his contribution. 

Despite Rogers first hit being fruitless in results, his second of the night didn’t have the chance to go unused.

Junior third baseman Cole Caruso led off the hitting affair in the fifth inning. With the first ball he saw, it was gone to the favored left field corner of the night. Rogers approached the plate with Caruso waiting on second base to be brought home. He smacked the ball over the left field wall and joined Caruso on the jog home, earning control of the game at 2-1.

After the dominant showing, Penn State wasted no time to form a response. Between an RBI double and single, the lead changed hands once more to 3-2. The Wolverines needed to find their own prosperity at the plate to combat the Nittany Lions pressure. 

Early in the seventh inning, Rogers delivered once more, lofting the ball to left field to start off a string of hits. And with the bases loaded, Rogers attempted to make it to home once more but fell short on a tag from the Penn State catcher. While Rogers set Michigan up for success, it wasn’t enough to produce the desired outcome the Wolverines wanted. 

Despite the missed opportunities from Rogers residence at the plate, it took time for Michigan to start building off his foundation. As the sole member of the home-run club, Rogers received a companion in sophomore first baseman Mitch Voit. 

Two Wolverine runners occupied the bases as Voit took his turn in the batters box. He took a fast two strikes before launching the third ball to left field stands. With three runners venturing home, Michigan finally joined in Rogers’s offensive surge pushing the score 5-3.

But the Nittany Lions hitched onto the Wolverines wave of momentum. Junior right-hander Ricky Kidd loaded the bases before releasing his final ball that flew to left field earning Penn State the grand slam. However, the four runs weren’t enough for the Nittany Lions, as they added two more before exiting the eighth inning. 

Michigan attempted a ninth-inning rally, but fell short in acculminating the runs needed. The Wolverines kept the game within reach, largely due to Rogers impact at the plate.

While Michigan reaped the benefits of Rogers at-bats, the responsibility was too big to carry alone. And as the Wolverines dropped their first game of the Big Ten Tournanment, they will need to find an answer bigger than one bat to avoid the trip home. 

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