Michigan Overpowers Akron in Run-Rule Win to Cap Wolverines' Home Slate

Tuesday, May 14

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

29-24

Akron

14-37

Akron

Michigan

Brandon Mann (Michigan Photography)

Michigan Overpowers Akron in Run-Rule Win to Cap Wolverines' Home Slate

5/14/2024 8:35:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Conor Stemme

» Michigan won its final home contest of the year against Akron 14-4.
» The Wolverines tallied 11 hits on the day led by Cole Caruso and Collin Priest who had three each.
» Stephen Hrustich, Kyle Dernedde and Mitch Voit homered in the second, third and fourth innings, respectively, while Priest, Caruso and Cooper Mullins hit consecutive RBI doubles in the sixth.
» Starter Brandon Mann earned the win with four scoreless innings.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team capped off its 2024 home slate with a barrage of offense on Tuesday (May 14), scoring in every inning but one to secure a 14-4 run-rule victory in seven innings at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.

Michigan (29-24) scored on 11 hits and nine walks against the Zips. Collin Priest and Cole Caruso each had three hits and a pair of runs. Stephen Hrustich and Kyle Dernedde hit three-run home runs with Hrustich scoring twice more and Dernedde once more. Brandon Mann (2-0) earned his second win of the season in his first start with four scoreless innings and allowing just two hits.

The Wolverines took a 1-0 lead with a two-out single from Caruso that scored Hrustich. In the bottom of the second, Michigan loaded the bases on three walks and scored its second run on a balk. Hrustich's home run followed the balk to bring home Dernedde and Mitch Voit and extended the U-M lead to 5-0. Dernedde hit a homer of his own in the bottom of the third inning, plating Caruso and Will Rogers in the process to push the score to 8-0. Voit added to the lead to open the home half of the fourth with a solo home run to right field to put the Wolverines a run shy of run-rule territory.

Akron (14-37) scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning after Mann's day was done, preventing a shutout, thanks to a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. The Zips continued to threaten in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded, U-M called on Jacob Denner to stem the tide. Denner allowed just one baserunner to cross home to limit the damage with the score at 9-3 Michigan.

The Wolverines got the three runs back immediately on a trio of RBI doubles in the bottom of the sixth inning from Priest, Caruso and Cooper Mullens.

The Zips scored a run in the top of the seventh, but U-M put the game to bed early in the bottom of the seventh with a fielding error that led to a run and Mullens hitting a sac fly to score Priest with the game-clinching run.

The Wolverines, two games out of first place in the Big Ten standings, will head to Bloomington to take on Indiana in a three-game series with the Hoosiers. The series opener takes place Thursday (May 16) at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.