Wolverines Struggle Early, Fall to UC Irvine

Saturday, March 2

Irvine, Calif.

1:00 PM PT

Michigan

4-7

UC Irvine

8-0

Michigan

UC Irvine

(Michigan Photography)

3/2/2024 10:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Conor Stemme

» Michigan fell 12-4 to UC Irvine on Saturday on the second day of the Dodgertown Classic.
» U-M used 10 pitchers in the game and 14 different batters saw plate appearances.
» The game was delayed for one hour, 47 minutes by rain in the bottom of the first inning.

IRVINE, Calif. -- The University of Michigan baseball team fell 12-4 to UC Irvine on Saturday night (March 2) at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark on the second day of the Dodgertown Classic.

Michigan (4-7) got behind early and was not able to recover. Mack Timbrook led the team with two hits and added a run and an RBI. Kyle Dernedde also added two hits and a run. Stephen Hrustich homered in the second inning for Michigan's first run of the game. Brandon Mann had his strongest night on the mound, tossing three scoreless innings.

UC Irvine (8-0) used a 10-run first inning to control the game. The Anteaters tallied just four hits after the first inning, but added two insurance runs in the eighth.

With one out in the top of the first, Timbrook singled to right field and advanced to third after a passed ball and wild pitch. Mitch Voit drew a walk but was left on base with Timbrook after a strikeout and popup. The Anteaters grabbed the early lead and scored six runs on five hits in the bottom of the first inning before a one hour, 47 minute rain delay. When the game resumed, UC Irvine added four more runs off two U-M pitchers to take a 10-0 lead.

Hrustich led off the second inning with a first-pitch home run to put Michigan on the board. U-M loaded the bases after a strikeout with a single and two walks but left the bases loaded. Mann entered the game and escaped a bases-loaded jam without any damage.

After the teams went scoreless in the third inning, U-M got two runs back in the top of the fourth. Bradley Navarro drew a two-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Timbrook singled to right field to score Navarro. Voit followed with an RBI single to plate Timbrook, who had moved to second on a wild pitch.

In the fifth inning, UCI threatened to add to its lead with the bases loaded with just one out. Eamon Horwedel escaped the jam with a 6-4-3 double play to end the fifth.

Michigan got another run back in the top of the sixth as Kyle Dernedde tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a Navarro single. Horwedel and Zach Slayden combined for a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth.

UCI loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Alfredo Velazquez escaped the jam on a foul out and a line out.

In the eighth, the Anteaters scored two runs on two hits. The Wolverines were unable to complete a comeback and were retired in order in the ninth, falling 12-4.

The Wolverines will conclude its spring break trip and the Dodgertown Classic on Sunday (March 3) at 10:30 a.m. PST when they take on San Diego at Dodger Stadium.