While the Michigan baseball team has no shortage of athleticism, it’s not typically an aggressive baserunning team. Its offense is often propelled by extra-base hits and the long ball. However, in Tuesday’s 13-2 run-rule victory over Eastern Michigan, avenging their loss from last week, the Wolverines kept the pressure up on the basepaths in order to overwhelm the Eagles defense.
In Michigan’s first rally of the day, a hustle double by senior third baseman Cole Caruso, followed by a walk from freshman catcher Noah Miller, put runners in scoring position. With two outs, graduate shortstop Benny Casillas brought both runners home as Miller — running hard the entire way — scored from first base.
Sparking the Wolverines’ second rally of the day, graduate first baseman Jeter Ybarra hustled down the first base line after beating a grounder toward the second baseman. Flying down the line, Ybarra’s speed made the play close and caused the second baseman to make an errant throw — extending the inning and putting a runner on base. The very next batter, Caruso launched his team-leading eighth home run of the year over the left-field wall.
“We talk about taking the extra 90 feet,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “…And the team that usually takes the extra 90 feet usually wins.”
While extra base hits brought in the runs, the scoring opportunities were set up by hustle plays. Running out of the box in order to earn an extra base, advancing with two outs and putting pressure on the defense to make errors all helped set the stage for Michigan to claim an early lead.
Extending its lead in the biggest offensive inning of the day — a five spot put up in the fifth inning — junior second baseman Mitch Voit stretched a single into a double after flaring a ball into shallow center field. After advancing to third on a ground ball, Voit scored on a wild pitch. Get them on, get them over and get them in.
From there, Caruso walked and then stole second base, which allowed him to score on a single to the outfield. The next three hitters all chipped in RBI singles with runners advancing two bases each time to put themselves in position to score. With all five runs in the fifth inning being scored with two outs, the Wolverines were aggressive on the crack of the bat.
But even with no outs, Michigan manufactured runs on the basepaths. Voit led off the sixth inning with a walk and proceeded to steal second base. From there, Ybarra reached on another throwing error, and Voit came around to score. The Wolverines didn’t need to record a hit to manufacture a run.
“They made a couple of miscues,” Smith said. “And I like how we took the extra base off of that.”
Similarly, a walk drawn by junior outfielder Greg Pace Jr. in the seventh drew an errant throw on an attempt to steal second, allowing him to advance to third. Freshman outfielder Brayden Jefferis then brought Pace home on a sacrifice fly. Without Pace’s hustle, Jefferis’ routine pop fly could’ve just been an out. But aggressive baserunning turned it into an RBI.
While Michigan did benefit from several extra base hits that brought runners home, it also manufactured its runs on the basepaths. Not only did it capitalize on errors, it also forced four of them through aggressive baserunning. And exactly a week after the Eagles’ aggressive baserunning sunk Michigan in the ninth inning, the Wolverines used the exact same tactic in its favor en route to the win.
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