Michigan
7-1, 7-1
Purdue
1-7, 1-7
Nine Unanswered Helps U-M Earn Series Sweep Over Purdue
3/14/2021 1:53:00 PM | Baseball
» Michigan scored nine unanswered runs after trailing 6-2 in the fifth inning.
» Joe Pace struck out five batters, including one with the bases loaded in the fifth and the side in the sixth, to earn the victory.
» Tito Flores and Christian Molfetta each hit homers.
Site: Greenville, S.C. (Fluor Field)
Score: Michigan 11, Purdue 6
Records: U-M (7-1, 7-1 B1G), Purdue (1-7, 1-7 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 19 -- vs. Illinois (Wilpon Complex) 4 p.m.
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The University of Michigan baseball team scored nine unanswered runs on Sunday (March 14) to defeat Purdue, 11-6, and sweep the four-game series from the Boilermakers at Fluor Field.
Michigan's pitchers couldn't find the strike zone early in the game, issuing seven walks and one critical wild pitch in the first five innings. Purdue capitalized by scoring all six runs during that span with two outs to take a 6-2 lead midway through the fifth.
Michigan stormed back with five runs in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead, 7-6, before scoring once more in the sixth and three more times in the seventh.
Christian Molfetta started the day's fireworks when he lined a 1-1 fastball over the Green Monster in left field for a solo homer and an early 1-0 lead.
Michigan starting pitcher Blake Beers got into trouble in the third inning with a pair of two-out walks and an infield single to load the bases. A run scored on a wild pitch and then, two pitches later, another came around on a passed ball. A third run scored on the same pitch when Beers didn't cover the plate and an errant throw allowed a runner to score from second.
Riley Bertram got a run back for U-M in the fourth inning when he roped a 1-1 fastball down the right field line to score Benjamin Sems (walk) to make it a 3-2 game.
In the top of the fifth, Purdue scored three runs again with two outs as Ben Nisle lofted a 1-1 fastball over the wall in left for a 6-2 lead. Things could have been much worse had it not been for the timely relief of graduate student Joe Pace (1-0). Pace entered the game with the bases loaded and worked out of the jam with a strikeout en route to five whiffs in 2.1 hitless innings of relief to earn the win. Michigan's bats awoke in the bottom of the inning to reclaim momentum.
In the bottom of the fifth, Griffin Mazur plated the Wolverines' third run of the day on a groundout to score Tito Flores (walk). Sems drove home Clark Elliott (walk) with a single to right field, Christan Bullock laced a single to right score Jimmy Obertop (double) and smartly took second on the throw. That set the stage for a two-out rally of its own as Jake Marti lined a two-run single to right field to make it a 7-6 lead for U-M.Â
Flores then made it an 8-6 lead with a solo homer high over the Monster to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning.
Michigan poured it on in the seventh inning as Molfetta drew a bases-loaded walk and Flores chopped a two-run double inside the first base bag to make it 11-6.
Flores, Obertop and Bertram each had two hits to lead the attack while Flores, Molfetta and Marti had multiple RBI.
Michigan pitchers finished the day with 12 strikeouts, led by Pace's five while Jack White added three K's in 2.0 scoreless innings of work.
Michigan is back in action on Friday (March 19) when the Wolverines open their home schedule with a 4 p.m. game against Illinois. The Wolverines will host a pair of games against both Illinois and Michigan State between March 19-22 -- with the Fighting Illini and Spartans also playing a pair of games against each other at the Wilpon Complex.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Pace, Joe (1-0)
L: DANIEL, Nolan (0-1)
Batting:
2B: LaPLANTE, Kyle 1
HR: NISLE, Ben 1
RBI: NISLE, Ben 3
SH: RAMIREZ, Steve 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HUNTER, Skyler 1 ; ALBRECHT, Evan 1 ; SIMINGTON, Miles 2 ; NISLE, Ben 1 ; POWERS, Tyler 1
SB: LaPLANTE, Kyle 1 ; POWERS, Tyler 1
CS: HUNTER, Skyler 1
Batting:
2B: Flores, Tito 1 ; Obertop, Jimmy 1 ; Bertram, Riley 2
HR: Molfetta, Christian 1 ; Flores, Tito 1
RBI: Marti, Jake 2 ; Molfetta, Christian 2 ; Flores, Tito 3 ; Mazur, Griffin 1 ; Sems, Benjamin 1 ; Bullock, Christan 1 ; Bertram, Riley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marti, Jake 1 ; Molfetta, Christian 1 ; Flores, Tito 2 ; Elliott, Clark 1 ; Obertop, Jimmy 1 ; Sems, Benjamin 3 ; Bullock, Christan 1 ; Bertram, Riley 1
CS: Elliott, Clark 1
HBP: Marti, Jake 1 ; Mazur, Griffin 1
