Wolverines Survive Late Rally, Hold Off Northwestern in Series Opener

Friday, April 17

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

22-15, 8-8

Northwestern

14-19-1, 5-11

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Northwestern	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	8	1
Michigan	1	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	X	7	9	0

Grant Bradley (Michigan Photography)

Wolverines Survive Late Rally, Hold Off Northwestern in Series Opener

4/17/2026 8:11:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Conor Stemme

» Michigan defeated Northwestern 7-6, scoring five runs over the first three innings and holding off a late Wildcats surge.
» Brayden Jefferis tallied two hits and added three RBI.
» Colby Turner homered to extend his hitting streak to 17 games and his run-scoring streak to 14 games.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team jumped out to an early lead, but fended off a ninth-inning Wildcats rally to defeat Northwestern 7-6 on Friday afternoon (April 16) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.

Michigan (22-15, 8-8 Big Ten) entered the ninth inning with a four-run lead and Grant Bradley on the mound. Bradley limited Northwestern (14-19-1, 5-11 Big Ten) to just one hit over his first three innings of relief work, and issued his first walk with one out in the ninth. Northwestern used a pair of home runs to cut the Wolverine lead to one run, bringing Gavin DeVooght into the contest. DeVooght needed just five pitches to force a flyout and earn his eighth save of the season.

The Wildcats opened the scoring in the first, scoring twice on two hits and two walks, but Colby Turner cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run.

U-M took the lead with a three-run second inning, with back-to-back singles from Josh Campbell and Drew Culbertson opening the frame. Turner drew a one-out walk to load the bases and Brayden Jefferis doubled to center field to clear the bases and put Michigan ahead 4-2. Northwestern scored in the top of the third, but a Cade Ladehoff double set him up to score from third on a wild pitch to get the run back.

After a scoreless fourth, Jefferis and Joonsung Park opened the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back singles. Brenden Stressler loaded the bases with a fielder's choice bunt, and sacrifice flies from Ladehoff and Campbell brought home two runs to push the U-M advantage to 7-3. Northwestern went to the bullpen after the bunt and held the Wolverines hitless the remainder of the contest. Bradley entered in the sixth and shut down the Wildcats until the ninth.

The Wolverines will be back in action on Saturday (April 18) at 2 p.m. for the second game of the series against Northwestern at Ray Fisher Stadium. The contest will be streamed live on B1G+.