No. 22 Michigan Sweeps Nebraska with Series-Finale Victory

Sunday, April 17

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

25-9, 7-5

Nebraska

22-14, 6-2

Nebraska

Michigan

No. 22 Michigan Sweeps Nebraska with Series-Finale Victory

4/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 17, 2016

» Senior Cody Bruder went 4-for-4 at the plate, picking up two RBI and scoring two runs in the victory.
» Senior lefty pitcher Evan Hill threw a season-high seven innings of work, allowing just four hits and striking out four in the outing.
» Sophomore Drew Lugbauer went 2-for-3 on the day with two doubles and a sacrifice bunt, tying his season-high three RBI.
» The three-game sweep is Michigan's fifth series sweep and its second in Big Ten Conference play.

• Box Score

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wilpon Complex)
Score: #22 Michigan 6, Nebraska 1
Records: U-M (25-9, 7-5 Big Ten), NEB (22-14, 6-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, April 20 -- vs. Toledo (Wilpon Complex), 4 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior Evan Hill tossed a seven-inning gem on Sunday (April 17) en route to a 6-1 victory and a series sweep of the visiting Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium. The win pushes the No. 22-ranked University of Michigan baseball team to a 25-9 record on the season and a 6-2 record in Big Ten play.

With seven innings pitched and just one run allowed on four hits, Hill earned the win to improve to 5-1 on the 2016 season. The senior lefty struck out four and walked just one, before sophomore Ryan Nutof came in for the eighth and ninth innings in relief. In his 11th appearance of the season, Nutof retired six straight batters with two strikeouts in the ninth to close out the game.

The first and second games of the series featured a tough offensive battle between the teams, and Sunday's game was no different. Michigan and Nebraska went scoreless for the first three innings of the contest, with the Wolverines picking up the first two hits of the game. In the bottom of the fourth, it was senior Cody Bruder who got the ball rolling for Michigan with a single up the middle. Bruder then stole second, getting into scoring position just in time for sophomore Drew Lugbauer to blast a timely double down the right-field line for an RBI and a 1-0 Michigan lead.

Back-to-back Nebraska hits in the top of the fifth threatened Michigan's one-run lead, but a long throw from senior Matt Ramsay in left field was on target to Wolverine catcher Harrison Wenson, preventing the Huskers from scoring. In the top of the sixth, however, Nebraska forced a 1-1 tie score on two hits, a balk and a Michigan wild pitch.

A fighting Maize and Blue offense refused to accept a tie score, scoring again in the bottom of the sixth to force a two-run lead. Junior Carmen Benedetti led off the at-bat with a walk, advancing safely to second on a timely outfield hit from Wenson. Bruder followed with an RBI single up the middle that allowed Benedetti to score from second. Lugbauer then laid down a sacrifice bunt to put both Michigan runners in scoring position, and an RBI groundout allowed Wenson to score and force a 4-2 lead.

Nebraska was unable to score for the remainder of the game, but Michigan tacked on three additional runs in the bottom of the seventh to extend the lead to 6-1. Benedetti again led off the two-out rally with a walk, taking second on a Nebraska passed pall. A single from Wenson then pushed Benedetti to third base, and he scored on another RBI single from Bruder. With runners on first and second, Lugbauer blasted another double to score both runners and end the rally for Michigan with a five-run lead.

On the day, the Wolverines picked up nine hits and walked four times. Bruder finished the day four-for-four and tallied two RBI with two runs scored. Lugbauer was also two-for-three with a sacrifice bunt and three RBI, while freshman Jonathan Engelmann drove in the final run with an RBI groundout in the sixth.

Tweet of the Game

Evan Hill picks up the win as Michigan completes the sweep! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/RkXCAZeV0m

-- Michigan Baseball (@umichbaseball) April 17, 2016

No. 22 Michigan will finish up its five-game home stretch with Wednesday afternoon against Toledo on April 20. First pitch for the weekday contest is set for 4 p.m. on at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.

Communications Contact: Katie Gwinn Hewitt