Michigan
5-8
UAB
4-9
Wolverines Split Two-Team Doubleheader Against UAB, Kennesaw State
3/10/2023 10:13:00 PM | Baseball
KENNESAW, Ga. -- The University of Michigan baseball team earned a split on Friday (March 10) on the first day of the Mike Sansing Classic, defeating UAB 7-5 in 10 innings before felling 4-3 to Kennesaw State in the nightcap.
Connor O'Halloran allowed the first UAB batter to reach base. After a stolen base and an error, the runner came around to score to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead. He then struck out the side.
The Blazers (4-9) went down 1-2-3 in back-to-back innings with two more strikeouts for O'Halloran. UAB singled twice but also struck out twice to strand the runners. O'Halloran got some help from his defense in the fifth with two groundouts and Gabe Sotres throwing out a Blazers runner as he tried to steal third.
The game remained 1-0 until the sixth, when the Wolverines (5-9) offense got rolling. Cody Jefferis walked to begin the inning, then Tito Flores was hit hit by the first pitch he saw. Ted Burton grounded out, but advanced both runners. Gabe Sotres reached on an error by the second baseman and Jefferis scored on the play to tie the game at 1. Joe Longo lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Flores and give U-M a 2-1 lead.
O'Halloran remained locked in, striking out another UAB batter in the bottom of the sixth. Jack Van Remortel walked to open the seventh and extend his on-base streak to nine games. O'Halloran pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh with Michigan holding a one-run lead.
Michigan added another run in the eighth inning when Joey Velazquez singled to center field which allowed Sotres, who reached on an error and advanced to third on a Longo single, to score. Cody Hultink tried to keep the inning alive, singling down the right-field line for his first career hit to load the bases. The next two batters, however, were retired and the Wolverines left the bases loaded. O'Halloran struck out two more Flames in the bottom of the eighth, which proved to be the end of his night. The southpaw allowed one run, unearned, on six hits and 12 punchouts.
Michigan scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth. Cody Jefferis singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Flores followed it up with a single of his own to plate Jefferis. After two outs, Longo singled to left and Flores scored to give the Wolverines a 5-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Noah Rennard took the mound in the ninth and struck out the first UAB batter. The next two batters reached on singles and Rennard walked the next batter to load the bases. A Blazers grand slam tied the game at 5, but Rennard regrouped and struck out the final two batters of the inning, but the game went to extra innings.
The Wolverines' bats stayed hot in the 10th inning. Cam Hart was hit by a pitch leading off the frame and Mitch Voit doubled down the left-field line to advance Hart to third. Jefferis singled up the middle to score Voit and Kurt Barr, who came in as a pinch runner. Rennard (2-0) came back focused in the bottom of the 10th ans pitched a 1-2-3 inning to win the game for the Wolverines.
In game two against Kennesaw State (6-6), Michigan started off well with a Flores single and a Burton hit by pitch. The Wolverines did not score, though. Chase Allen (1-2) issued a walk with one out, but forced two fly outs and a fielder's choice to keep the first inning scoreless.
After a scoreless turn at-bat for Michigan in the top of the second, Kennesaw State got on the board in their half after a walk and double to open the inning. The Owls scored two on a wild pitch and subsequent error. One more Kennesaw State runner scored after a triple to center and single to right. The inning ended as Casey Buckley caught an Owl trying to steal second, but KSU held a 3-0 lead early.
Jefferis and Flores reached base to open the third inning, but were left stranded. The Owls added one more to their lead in the bottom of the inning after a hit by pitch, single and an error to push their lead to 4-0. U-M went three up, three down in two of the next three innings, only managing a single in the fifth.
Kennesaw State threatened in the fourth with a leadoff double, but Allen struck out the side to end the inning. The Owls threatened again in the fifth, but left the bases loaded. Allen escaped after a strikeout with one out, and a fly out to right field ended the inning. KSU had the minimum three batters up to the plate in the sixth as they hit into a 3-6-1 double play.
Michigan got on the board in the top of the seventh inning when Hart reached on an error to start the inning. Kim singled to left before Velazquez doubled to right field to score Hart. Jefferis hit a sacrifice fly to center and the runners advanced, with Kim scoring. Flores grounded out for the second out, but Velazquez scored. Burton flew out to end the inning as the U-M cut the Owls lead to just one at 4-3.
Walker Cleveland came out of the bullpen and pitched a 1-2-3 inning which ended with a strikeout. Voit singled in the top of the eighth, but he was left on base. Cleveland tossed another 1-2-3 inning with Voit making two great defensive plays. The Wolverines could not get anything going in the top of the ninth and they went down in order to end the game.
The Wolverines will face off against UAB again tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 12pm eastern time tomorrow (3/11).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rennard, Noah (2-0)
L: Tyler Haines (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Voit, Mitch 1
RBI: Jefferis, Cody 2 ; Flores, Tito 1 ; Longo, Joe 2 ; Velazquez, Joey 1
SF: Longo, Joe 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jefferis, Cody 2 ; Flores, Tito 2 ; Sotres, Gabe 1 ; Barr, Kurt 1 ; Voit, Mitch 1
SB: Flores, Tito 1
HBP: Flores, Tito 1 ; Burton, Ted 1 ; Hart, Cam 1
Batting:
2B: Brayton Brown 1
HR: Henry Hunter 1
RBI: Henry Hunter 4
Base Running:
RUNS: John Marc Mullins 1 ; David Harris 1 ; Tyler Waugh 1 ; Darryl Buggs 1 ; Henry Hunter 1
SB: John Marc Mullins 2
CS: Gavin Lewis Jr. 1
