Northwestern came to Ray Fisher Stadium looking to turn Friday’s series opener into a slugfest, but the Michigan baseball team had other ideas.
Surviving a ninth-inning surge from the Wildcats (14-19-1 overall, 5-11 Big Ten), the Wolverines (22-15, 8-8) squeaked past Northwestern, 7-6. Michigan stayed true to its identity throughout, supplementing its usual small-ball approach with a smattering of extra-base hits. The result was a hole the Wildcats couldn’t dig themselves out of — even with two late homers.
“It was a good, gritty battle,” sophomore third baseman Brayden Jefferis said. “They came out in the first and got a couple. We could have given up, but I think it was good we fought back. Once we got that lead, we really took it to them … it felt like we really played our identity of baseball today.”
Following a midweek win over Toledo and a series win over in-state rival Michigan State, the Wolverines looked to build upon their midseason momentum against Northwestern. However, the Wildcats’ explosive lineup stood in their way as one of the most fiery offenses in the Big Ten. Northwestern is the only Big Ten team with four players who have posted seven or more home runs this season — it has 49 as a team, nearly double Michigan’s 28.
In a shaky start, it looked like the Wildcats’ offense could be too much to handle. Senior right-hander Kurt Barr walked two and allowed a two-RBI single that set Northwestern up for an early 2-0 lead — but the Wolverines weren’t deterred. With his ninth homer of the season, junior second baseman Colby Turner gave them a taste of their own medicine to cut the deficit in half. Junior first baseman Cade Ladehoff followed, sending a deep drive toward the left-field wall that looked destined for a grand slam before the Wildcats’ outfielder made the catch at the wall.
On the mound, Barr recovered from his rocky start, retiring three straight Northwestern batters in the top of the second. Meanwhile, Michigan’s batters swung away, with a three-run double from Jefferis putting the Wolverines ahead, 4-2.
The Wildcats earned one back in the third, but Michigan’s bats continued to pack a punch. Ladehoff doubled, advanced to third and scored on a wild pitch, marking another run manufactured without a big swing and pushing the Wolverines’ lead to 5-3 after the third.
Piling on the hits once again, the fifth inning was the clearest expression of Michigan’s identity. Three singles loaded the bases with no outs, and instead of vying for a big swing, the Wolverines played it smart. To bring two more runners home, Ladehoff and freshman right fielder Josh Campbell executed sacrifice flies — effective situational hitting to finish the inning exactly how they wanted.
“Everybody executed their job,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “They did what the situation called for. Don’t get me wrong, we would love to have a double and a home run, but … sometimes it just calls for you to put a ball in play with a runner on third base. We did a good job of that today, and that ultimately turned out to be the difference.”
Sophomore right-hander Grant Bradley took over on the mound, stifling Northwestern’s bats through the sixth, seventh and eighth. But the Wildcats didn’t completely forget what they came to do. They threatened late, with two back-to-back home runs in the top of the ninth to cut the deficit to only one.
Suddenly, Northwestern was in a familiar position — it’s played in eleven one-run games this season, a testament to its ability to keep games close. This time, though, its characteristic late surge of power ultimately wasn’t enough. The Wolverines’ go-to closer, junior right-hander Gavin DeVooght, took over to hand the Wildcats their final out.
“I loved our situational hitting, we were scoring runs without having to get the big (hits) or the double,” Smith said. “And that’s what we’ve been preaching, do your job, move runners, put the ball in play with a runner at third base.”
Northwestern relies on its power, and Michigan took that away from it for the majority of the game. After the Wolverines gained an early lead, they remained smart with their hits, staying ahead throughout with clutch contact hitting.
Both teams brought their game to the table, but Michigan did it better, manufacturing runs throughout to create a gap the Wildcats couldn’t overcome. The Wolverines didn’t need to outslug Northwestern to come away with the win — they simply needed to remain true to their own identity, and that’s exactly what they did.
