Clutch Third Inning, 10 Two-Out Runs Have Michigan Headed to CWS Championship Series
6/21/2019 11:56:00 PM | Baseball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Wolverines had gotten this far by winning nail-biters. Their two wins in the Super Regional series over No. 1-ranked UCLA and two previous victories in the College World Series had all been decided by one or two runs.
There was no margin for error in any of those games, and some went down to the final pitch.
However, when it came time to nail down a spot as one of two teams in the NCAA championship series, the University of Michigan knocked the door down, plain and simple. It beat Texas Tech, 15-3, on Friday afternoon (June 21) to advance to a best two-of-three matchup beginning Monday night with No. 2-ranked Vanderbilt (57-11).
Bullock and Kerr
"It's awesome," said first baseman Jimmy Kerr, who hit two homers, one double and a single to drive in three runs and score four times. "It's exciting -- a dream come true."
Kerr became the first Wolverine to have a two-homer CWS game and those four hits matched the school record set by Jim Paciorek against Miami in 1980. The homers carried a long way, but it was Kerr's bunt single against the shift that got a five-run sixth inning started to provide a 10-run bulge that pretty much put the game away.
"I'm just having so much fun," said Kerr. "I'm trusting my at-bats and trusting my training. The team's done a great job with that as well -- just slowing the game down and taking it one pitch at a time. It's our motto. It's what got us here."
The Wolverines (49-20) started only two of their previous seven CWS appearances with 3-0 records. Those were in 1953 and 1962, when they claimed the program's two national championships.
And just like those long-ago champions, from a time when Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy were the U.S. presidents and the CWS wasn't a television sensation, Team 153 has a true knack for coming through in the clutch.
As easy as the 12-run margin of victory appears to have made this game, it really wasn't a breeze if you consider this: Michigan scored 10 runs when it had two outs.
"It's hard to beat a team that does that," said Kerr. "That's clutch hitting right there, and our path here has been pitching, hitting and timely defense."
Head coach Erik Bakich said, "To get that many clutch hits today I thought was one of the biggest storylines and one of the biggest reasons -- the main reason we were able to separate the game and have a lopsided score the way it was."
Fail in those two-out situations and maybe you have another nail-biter.
What starter Karl Kauffmann (12-6) -- who tied Rich Stoll's single-season school wins record set in 1982 and duplicated by Stoll in 1983 -- and right fielder Jesse Franklin did in the third inning set the tone in this one.
Michigan had a 4-3 lead in the top of the third, when Josh Jung and Cameron Warren opened the inning by pulling singles to left field. It brought about an uneasy feeling for the Maize and Blue. Was this going to be a wild slugfest with both teams scoring in double-digits or could Kauffmann see to it that his team took control?
Kauffmann
Cody Masters bunted with two strikes to get both runners into scoring position, and then Kurt Wilson popped out for the second out. Dru Baker hit a ball up the middle and to the right of second base that second baseman Ako Thomas slid on one knee to field, came up throwing and got the runner at first.
That was the last serious threat from the Red Raiders.
Michigan's response was to keep its foot on the gas, and Franklin came to bat with the bases loaded and two outs. He got behind in the count, 1-2, but didn't panic and fouled off two pitches. Franklin took the smart approach on the next pitch. He didn't try to do too much with it, simply taking it the other way and stroking it into the gap in left-center for a two-run double.
"It was a fastball after I'd fouled off two sliders," said Franklin, "and it was basically down the middle but a little bit in. I was just throwing my hands at the ball and not trying to muscle it anywhere. It's the best hit I've had in a while."
Franklin said it was even better than the mammoth solo homer he had in the CWS-opening win over Texas Tech. He had three hits and knocked in four runs -- matching the top RBI total by any Wolverine in a CWS game set by Chris Sabo against Maine in 1983 and equaled by Casey Close with a grand slam against Stanford that same year.
"Karl got the shutdown inning," continued Franklin, "and we fed off of that. And it was such a bummer for them -- getting their first two guys on and having nothing happen. Then everybody just worked the count with that guy (hard-throwing reliever John McMillon) and luckily I got a good enough pitch to hit."
The Wolverines, having driven starter Micah Dallas from the game in the second inning, were up, 6-3, and Kauffmann put up zeroes on the scoreboard in each of his final four innings. Michigan kept putting up runs, scoring in all but the fifth and totaling 15 for its most in 27 CWS games.
"I had to keep the game close and give us a chance," said Kauffmann. "Our offense played incredible. Our defense played incredible. I gave us a chance. I minimized the damage, and that was definitely a big inning."
He said he was relieved heading to the dugout after the final out.
"Ako with that backhand -- that was big," continued Kauffmann. "It was a definite momentum swing to get us back in the dugout, and then the guys went out and put another two-spot up. That was huge."
Michigan definitely drew a line in the sand in the third, and Texas Tech (46-20) never came close to approaching it, let alone crossing it.
"To get out of that inning unscathed and put a zero up, that was big," said Bakich. "And really, to even get to Jesse, to have Ako Thomas and Jordan Nwogu draw the walks that they did with two outs, fouling off pitches, spoiling pitches, just even taking ugly swings, just gritty not pretty, just fighting to see the next pitch to get to the point that Jesse got.
"And he had to spoil a bunch of pitches. And he worked the count deep and put a very simple swing on that, not trying to do too much. And that was a huge hit at the time. And it was two of Jesse's four two-out RBIs today. He was just as impactful offensively as Jimmy was. And that was the storyline today. Guys just competing every at-bat. Nobody threw their at-bats away today."
Franklin
The third inning was a microcosm of the game, and in some ways this whole magical postseason run.
"We're just so resilient, we're tough," said left fielder Christan Bullock, who started the third with a walk. "The training our coaches put us through makes the games not as tough and big situations are where we just slow it down. Karl didn't have his best stuff, but showed how tough he is. And Jesse, with two strikes, showed how tough he is. It's just the kind of team we have."
Third baseman Blake Nelson, who had two hits with one RBI and scored twice, said, "That inning was a testament to this team. Jesse's hit just kind of gave us all the momentum. It let us know that we were going to keep rolling and keep scoring."
Kauffmann, after wobbling and causing three relievers to head to the bullpen in the third, wasn't scored upon after giving up three in the second. That was more of a Murphy's Law inning than anything, though, with two dink hits and another single on a check swing. Kauffmann also made an ill-advised throw home on a bunt that was late.
Kerr said, "We trust Karl so much. His track record is unbelievable."
Thomas, who had two hits and two RBI along with one run scored, said, "He's been lights-out this whole postseason, and we're just feeding off Karl."
Jeff Criswell took the ball from Kauffmann and didn't let Texas Tech breathe. He threw three innings of one-hit shutout ball with six strikeouts.
There were so many heroes. Nwogu had a two-run double and made it three RBI with a bases-loaded walk. Bullock walked three times, had one hit and scored one run. Shortstop Jack Blomgren had two hits and scored on both of them. Catcher Joe Donovan walked twice and scored twice.
One through nine in the batting order all accounted for runs. Big Ten Player of the Year Jordan Brewer didn't have a hit, but knocked in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
"Every out was tough," said Texas Tech All-American shortstop Jung. "They made us play for all 27. I think back in Lubbock they gave us some runs and it seemed like the tables were turned. This time, we gave them a few runs."
The Red Raiders swept Michigan in three games in late March by a combined score of 29-10. Here at TD Ameritrade Park, on the college game's biggest stage, the Wolverines beat them twice by a combined score of 20-6.
Texas Tech was the No. 7 seed in the tournament, and the unseeded Wolverines, one of the last four teams into the NCAA tourney, beat them twice. Tommy Henry mastered the Seminoles with a 2-0 shutout in between, and so the Wolverines move onto face the highly-accomplished Commodores of Coach Tim Corbin.
Corbin was on the coaching staff with Bakich at Clemson, and took him to Vandy when he became the coach there. Corbin and his wife stopped by to congratulate Bakich after the win over the Seminoles, and it's sure to be a championship series filled with self-respect and brimming with emotions.
Grab ahold of something and hold on tight. Michigan's wild ride continues.
