Michigan Defeats Minnesota, Evens Series with Gophers

Saturday, April 6

Ann Arbor, Mich.

2:00 PM

Michigan

21-8, 0

Minnesota

13-15, 0

Minnesota

Michigan

Ako Thomas

Michigan Defeats Minnesota, Evens Series with Gophers

4/6/2019 7:09:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Kurt Svoboda

» Ako Thomas' two-run double in the seventh broke a 3-3 tie as part of his three-hit day.
» Jordan Brewer hit a solo home run and made two diving catches in right field.
» Five Minnesota pitchers combined to walk and hit 11 batters

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wilpon Complex)
Score: Michigan 5, Minnesota 3
Records: U-M (21-8, 3-1 B1G), Minnesota (13-15, 6-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 7 -- vs. Minnesota (Wilpon Complex), 1 p.m. | Parking Alert

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team received a timely two-run double from senior Ako Thomas and the Wolverines closed out a hotly-contested game against Minnesota with a 5-3 victory Saturday (April 6) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.

With the game tied at 3 in the seventh inning and two outs, Thomas delivered a 3-2 fastball into the gap in left-center field to score two runs. Four of Michigan's five runs scored with two outs as the Wolverines tied the series.

Minnesota (13-15, 6-2 B1G) scored the game's first run in the top of the second inning as a leadoff hit batsman came back to hurt when Jack Wassel took a 1-2 pitch for a seeing-eye single through the shift on the left-side of the infield for an RBI single.

Michigan put together its own two-out rally in the second as sophomore Jesse Franklin laced a single through the right side to bring home sophomore Jack Blomgren (HBP) and Thomas (single), but the inning ended without a run when sophomore Jordan Nwogu (walk) was thrown out at third base on the play.

Wassel tied the game at 2 in the top of the fourth when he lofted a shallow single into right-center field to score Kozicky (infield single) with one out. The Wolverines avoided further damage in the inning when junior Jordan Brewer made the first of two spectacular diving catches in shallow right field.

Brewer regained the lead for Michigan when he led off the fifth inning by taking a 1-0 fastball high and deep over the right-field wall, down the line, for his ninth homer of the year. Minnesota avoided further trouble when Kozicky made a diving stop at shortstop on a one-hop single from Blomgren that was destined for the outfield. His stop kept senior Jimmy Kerr (double) at third base and Minnesota relief pitcher Jeff Fashing got a critical strikeout to keep the score 3-2.

Minnesota put runners in scoring position with no outs in the sixth, but U-M starter Karl Kauffmann worked out of the jam thanks in part to Brewer's second diving catch of the game.

Kauffmann (five strikeouts) gave way to freshman right-hander Willie Weiss in the seventh inning but Eli Wilson met him with a solo homer to tie the game at 3. U-M's closer settled in and retired the next seven batters he faced, five of them via the strikeout.

The back-and-forth game carried into the bottom of the frame with some heated exchanges between the teams and umpire warnings. Thomas cut through the chatter lined a 3-2 fastball into the gap in left field to plate the winning runs. Two walks then loaded the bases and Minnesota went back to the bullpen in favor of Nolan Burchil to face the dangerous Brewer, who lined a ball up the middle but another Minnesota middle infielder came up with a huge play. Riley Smith made a diving catch to prevent two more runs and keep it a two-run deficit.

Minnesota put a pair of runners on base with one out in the ninth, but Weiss induced a game-ending 6-4-3 double play against Max Meyer, breaking Meyer's bat on the pitch.

Thomas finished the day with three hits while Kerr had two. Nwogu was on base four times (three walks, HBP).

The teams will conclude the weekend Sunday (April 7) in a 1 p.m. start. The Big House 5K race, which starts next to the Wilpon Complex, also takes place on Sunday. As such, fans are advised that parking will take additional time. [ Parking Alert ]