Big Fifth Inning Helps Wolverines Clinch Series Victory Over Hawkeyes

Monday, March 8

Round Rock, Texas

11:00 AM CT

Michigan

3-1, 3-1

Iowa

1-3, 1-3

Michigan

Iowa

Ben Dragani (Michigan Photography)

Big Fifth Inning Helps Wolverines Clinch Series Victory Over Hawkeyes

3/8/2021 3:24:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Kurt Svoboda

» Griffin Mazur hit a three-run homer in the third inning.
» Michigan broke open a 4-4 game with six runs in the fifth inning.
» Ben Dragani threw 3.1 innings of hitless relief for the victory.
» Michigan dropped one spot in two of the national polls, released Monday morning prior to the game. The Wolverines are ranked 22nd nationally by Baseball America and No. 19 by Collegiate Baseball Magazine.

Site: Round Rock, Texas (Dell Diamond)
Score: Michigan 11, Iowa 4
Records: U-M (3-1), Iowa (1-3)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 12 -- vs. Purdue (Greenville, S.C.), 3 p.m.

ROUND ROCK, Texas -- The University of Michigan baseball team scored six times in the fifth inning to break up a close game Monday (March 8) as the Wolverines defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes by a score of 11-4 at Dell Diamond.

The win clinched the series victory for Michigan (3-1), which is ranked 22nd nationally by Baseball America and 19th by Collegiate Baseball Magazine.

Michigan grabbed an early 1-0 lead as Jake Marti led off the game with a hard double to left field and, two batters later, Griffin Mazur delivered him with a line drive to left.

Mazur continued his hot streak in the third when he unloaded a two-out, three-run homer into the upper deck in left field to give U-M what seemed to be a commanding 4-0 lead with starter Blake Beers cruising on the mound.

Beers coasted into the bottom of the third but ran into trouble with two outs and an 0-2 count on Izaya Fullard. Fullard poked a single to right, and two walks followed. With the bases loaded, Zeb Adreon slipped a three-run double down the line in left, and Matthew Sosa tied with the game with a single to center.

Michigan climbed back on top with a crooked sixth inning. Christian Molfetta laced a triple to right to lead off and scored one batter later as Tito Flores ripped a single to left. A bases-loaded walk made it 6-4 before Benjamin Sems drove home two with a crisp single up the middle. Christan Bullock then placed a perfect suicide squeeze bunt, and the 10th U-M run scored on a fielding error.

Ben Dragani entered the game in relief of Beers in the fourth inning and earned the victory on the mound with 3.1 innings of impressive work. The lefty did not allow a hit while striking out two batters.

Sems plated the 11th run of the day with another liner to left to finish a sensational afternoon 3-for-5 with three runs batted in and a series of fine defensive plays. Molfetta also had three hits, while Mazur and Flores collected two each.

Isaiah Paige threw a scoreless ninth inning in his first outing of the season.

Michigan will return to action next weekend with a four-game series against Purdue in games that will be played at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.