Michigan
4-8
Oakland
3-8
Flores Homers Late, but Michigan Drops Home Opener to Oakland
3/8/2023 7:00:00 PM | Baseball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team was defeated 4-1 by Oakland in the Wolverines' home opener Wednesday afternoon (March 8) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.
The Golden Grizzlies (3-8) did a bulk of their damage early, scoring twice in the second and one more in the third off U-M starter Kurt Barr.
In the second, Barr struck out the first two batters but allowed a singled to the next batter on a 1-2 count. The next Oakland batter tripled to score the opening run and scored himself on an error on the cutoff throw. The 2-0 lead was added to in the third after a hit by pitch and a double.
Michigan's offense was quiet for most of the game. Joe Longo singled past first base but was caught stealing in the second. In the third, Jack Van Remortel drew a walk, and Brandon Lawrence singled in the fifth, but neither advanced past second base.
Barr (0-1) pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits while striking out four. Mitch Voit had the longest appearance of his short career as he pitched 3.2 innings no-hit relief with a trio of strikeouts.
The Grizzlies added to their three-run lead in the top of the ninth. Cam Hart came on in relief to start the frame, and issued a walk to the first batter he faced. He was then replaced om the mound by Noah Rennard, who walked the next batter. A passed ball advanced the runners a base. Two hitters later, a single plated Oakland's fourth run of the game before Rennard induced a groundout to end the inning.
Michigan (4-8) got on the board in the bottom half of the ninth on a Flores home run to left field, however, the next three U-M batters went down in order on strikeouts to end the game.
The Wolverines next travel to Georgia for four games at the Mike Sansing Classic hosted at Kennesaw State, Friday though Sunday (March 10-12). U-M will play two games each against Kennesaw State and UAB over the weekend, starting Friday (March 10) with a doubleheader.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: B. Konitzer (1-0)
L: Barr, Kurt (0-1)
Batting:
2B: I. Cleary 1
3B: D. Collins 1
RBI: I. Cleary 1 ; D. Collins 2
Base Running:
RUNS: G. Lux 1 ; T. Green 1 ; L. Malmanger 1 ; D. Collins 1
SB: D. Collins 1 ; R. Bussey 1
CS: G. Lux 1 ; P. Jelenic 1
HBP: G. Lux 1
Batting:
HR: Flores, Tito 1
RBI: Flores, Tito 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Flores, Tito 1
CS: Longo, Joe 1
