Ninth-Inning Rally vs. Northwestern Earns Michigan 15th Consecutive Win

Sunday, April 8

Evanston, Ill.

1:00 PM CT

Michigan

19-11, 0

Northwestern

8-17, 0

Michigan

Northwestern

Ninth-Inning Rally vs. Northwestern Earns Michigan 15th Consecutive Win

4/8/2018 7:20:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Katie Gwinn Hewitt

» The score was tied at 3 heading into the ninth inning, but Michigan scored four runs in the top of to put the game out of reach.
» Sophomore Dominic Clementi knocked in the go-ahead runs with a pinch-hit triple in the ninth.
» The victory is Michigan's 15th in a row and the series sweep marks the Wolverines' fourth straight.

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Miller Park)
Score: Michigan 7, Delaware 3
Records: U-M (19-11, 6-0 B1G), NU (8-17, 1-8 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 13 -- vs. Maryland (Wilpon Complex), 4 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- A ninth-inning rally extended the University of Michigan baseball team's win streak to 15 games on Sunday (April 8), as the Wolverines defeated the Northwestern Wildcats, 7-3, to clinch its fourth-consecutive series sweep in the weekend finale at Miller Park.

The 15 consecutive wins mark a new record under head coach Erik Bakich. The next-longest win streak by a Wolverine team came in 2008, when Michigan won 16 straight. The series sweep also is Michigan's fourth straight, and second in Big Ten play.

With the score tied at 3 heading into the ninth inning, Michigan rallied for four runs to earn the victory. A one-out walk to junior Jonathan Engelmann got the frame started, and junior Blake Nelson was hit by pitch to give Michigan a pair of baserunners. Sophomore Dominic Clementi then came up clutch with a pinch-hit triple to left field, which scored Engelmann and Nelson and put the Wolverines up by two. Freshman Jesse Franklin followed with a single up the middle to score Clementi, and a double down the right-field line by senior Brock Keener allowed Franklin to score for a 7-3 Michigan lead.

Junior William Tribucher pitched the bottom of the ninth inning for the Wolverines and faced just three batters. He struck out two before a single to right field looked to spoil the 1-2-3 outing, but left fielder Joe Pace connected with second baseman Ako Thomas to prevent the Wildcat runner from stretching a single to a double. The out at second ended the game and clinched the series sweep.

Freshman Jeff Criswell earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just one hit and struck out three. Freshman Angelo Smith also pitched a scoreless inning of relief, as he took the mound in the sixth with two men on and registered two strikeouts with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Northwestern scored runs in the second and third innings to go ahead, 2-0, to take its first lead of the series.

The Wolverines responded with a run in the top of the fifth on a wild pitch that scored Thomas, and added two more in the sixth for a 3-2 lead. Redshirt junior Miles Lewis started a two-out rally with a single up the middle, and Keener followed with a base hit to left field. A walk to freshman Jack Blomgren then loaded the bases, and an infield error followed to allow both Lewis and Keener to score for a one-run lead.

A solo homer in the bottom of the sixth tied the score at 3, and after two scoreless frames, the Wolverines rallied for a 6-3 lead in the top of the ninth.

Keener led the Michigan offense with three hits, while Lewis added two. Clementi drove in a team-best two runs with his triple in the ninth.

Tweet of the Game

15 straight wins ??
4 consecutive series sweeps ??
6-0 in Big Ten play ??

Added another W to the @twitter name! #GoBlue #Team152
— WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWolverine Baseball (@umichbaseball) April 8, 2018

Michigan (19-11) will return to action on Friday (April 13) as it begins a three-game set with Maryland. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium. [ Tickets ]