For many of the Michigan baseball team’s games, there is seldom a question of if the offense will break through, it’s more of a question of when.
But in the Wolverines’ (23-16 overall, 8-9 Big Ten) loss in Game 2 of their series against Iowa (26-11, 16-4), the offense did very little to stack base hits and garner momentum at the plate on Saturday, ultimately losing, 3-2.
Michigan jumped onto the board early as junior second baseman Mitch Voit unloaded on an inside fastball and admired it on its deep flight over the left-field wall. Voit’s no-doubter gave Michigan an early lead, 1-0.
But for the next three innings, the Wolverines put a runner on base yet failed to group enough base hits to manufacture a run. Perpetually an aggressive team at the plate, Michigan’s offensive strategy is to jump on mistakes early in the count and spray the ball around the park. But when base hits don’t fall, the Wolverines’ aggressive strategy works against them as Iowa right-hander Aaron Savary kept his pitch count low well into the middle of the game.
Iowa’s pitching staff has been elite all season, especially at inducing soft contact. But for a Michigan team that prides itself on its offensive output, it did very little to match the three runs that Iowa posted in the third and fourth innings.
Again and again, Savary filled up the zone early and often, throwing 10 first-pitch strikes and several one-pitch outs during his seven innings of work. And for a squad that averages fewer than five strikeouts per game, Savary fanned seven Wolverines.
The only consistent offensive performance for Michigan was junior outfielder Jonathan Kim who roped a hustle double into left field and poked a seeing-eye single past the third baseman in his first two at-bats. But after senior third baseman Cole Caruso negotiated a 13 pitch walk, Kim tapped an easy ground ball to the shortstop for a 6-3 double play. The Wolverines just couldn’t build anything.
But as Savary’s day concluded in the eighth inning, Michigan found some footing. With a new pitcher on the mound and the top of the order coming up, three straight singles set the table for graduate first baseman Jeter Ybarra to sky a fly ball deep enough for graduate shortstop Benny Casillas to tag up and score from third, bringing the deficit to just 3-2. With two outs and a runner in scoring position, Caruso lined a fastball into center field only for Iowa center fielder Will Risley to make an outstanding diving catch, ending the inning and preserving the lead. Even with momentum, the Wolverines just couldn’t break through.
Even in the ninth inning, a two-out single from junior outfielder Greg Pace Jr. put the tying run on base — but the bats behind him couldn’t score him. Michigan’s propensity for contact is usually a recipe for a high-output offense. But as the first two games in the series were decided by just two runs total, the Wolverines weren’t able to execute when they needed it most.
