Michigan Splits Windy Twinbill With Illinois

Saturday, May 1

Evanston, Ill.

11:30 AM CT

Michigan

19-10, 19-10

Illinois

14-14, 14-14

Michigan

Illinois

(Michigan Photography)

5/1/2021 8:17:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Kurt Svoboda

» Illinois came from behind to win game one before Michigan won big in the nightcap.
» The teams combatted consistent 25-mph winds all day and combined for nine home runs.
» Michigan had a season-high 21 hits in game two.

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Miller Park)
Scores: Illinois 5, Michigan 4 (7 innings); Michigan 18, Illinois 8
Records: U-M (20-10, 20-10 B1G), Illinois (14-15, 14-15 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 2 -- DH vs. Illinois (Evanston, Ill.), 11:30 a.m. CDT

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The University of Michigan baseball team split a neutral-site doubleheader with Illinois on Saturday (May 1) as the teams combined for nine home runs amidst constant 25-mph winds at Northwestern University's Miller Park. The Illini came from behind to win the seven-inning opener 5-4 before Michigan claimed the nightcap by a score of 18-8.

Needing a win after dropping a tough decision in the opener, Michigan fell behind in the first inning when an error led to Illini run. Michigan tied the game in the second as Benjamin Sems ripped an RBI liner to right field, starting a string of 11 consecutive runs for the Wolverines, who went on to collect a season-high 21 hits in the contest.

After grabbing a 2-1 lead on a Griffin Mazur liner in the third, Michigan scored five times in the fourth and four times in the fifth. Tito Flores and Danny Zimmerman led off the fourth with back-to-back homers before Christian Molfetta (single), Clark Elliott (double) and Mazur (single) drove home runs in between a great sequence from Riley Bertram, who walked and stole second and third.

Michigan added four more runs in the fifth inning thanks to a three-run double from Molfetta and an RBI single from Jimmy Obertop, and the Wolverines made it an 11-1 game.

Illinois answered with five runs in the bottom of the fifth and Michigan scored thrice in the sixth, with Sems launching a solo homer to right field to start the frame while Molfetta and Rogers each drove in a run.

Illinois' Ted Janas connected for a solo homer in the sixth, but Zimmerman countered with a two-out, two-run triple in the seventh for a 16-7 lead that put the game away.

Rogers and Sems led the offense with four hits apiece, while Flores and Zimmerman both had two hits. Blake Beers (1-1) was credited with the win after 1.2 hitless innings of relief.

In the opener, Michigan jumped on Illinois ace Andrew Hoffman with two runs in the first inning on three doubles. Elliott and Obertop drove in runs following Rogers' leadoff two-bagger.

Michigan's Steven Hajjar (no decision, nine strikeouts) struck out the first four batters of the game, but Ryan Hampe got a fastball into the wind for a solo homer to left field to cut into the deficit.

Long balls were the story of the fifth inning as a howling winds affected play. In the top of the inning, Molfetta drove a low fastball over the left-field wall for a brief 3-1 lead before Kellen Sarver took a fastball over the gap in left to lead off the bottom of the fifth. A single and a throwing error extended the inning before Jackson Raper lofted a two-run homer over the wall in left-center for a 4-3 Illinois lead.

Michigan answered in the sixth to tie the game. Obertop walked with one out and Sems singled to center. Christan Bullock pinch ran for Obertop, and the move paid off as Bullock stole third base and scampered home as the throw to third got away.

Illinois again answered. In the bottom of the sixth, Cam McDonald struck for the Illini's fourth homer of the game when he took a 3-2 fastball from Willie Weiss over the left-field wall for a 5-4 lead that proved to be the difference.

Michigan and Illinois will complete their four-game series Sunday (May 2) with another twinbill, with the Illini serving as the designated home team in the opening game and U-M serving as the home team in game two. The day starts at 11:30 a.m. CDT, and both games will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.