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Michigan baseball roundup: Wolverines sweep Michigan State in dominant fashion

clayton-sayfieby: Clayton Sayfie04/17/22CSayf23
Michigan Wolverines baseball Erik Bakich
Michigan Photography

Michigan Wolverines baseball notched a three-game sweep over in-state foe Michigan State this weekend in East Lansing.

Here’s a look at the weekend that was, plus some analysis on what’s coming next for the Maize and Blue.

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Game 1: Michigan 18, Michigan State 6 (Friday)

Michigan was the better team right out of the gate on the cold and rainy evening. Junior leadoff man and right fielder Clark Elliott began the game with a solo home run, the first of his three bombs and Michigan’s six long balls of the game. Elliott also hit a grand slam in the second inning and a three-run shot in the ninth. He totaled four hits and eight RBI.

Michigan held a 9-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Spartans finally got some offense going via a misplayed fly ball. Michigan State scored twice on the play, but Michigan sophomore left-handed starter Connor O’Hallahorn struck out three-straight batters to retire the side, stranding a runner on third base.

The Michigan offense continued to pour it on, highlighted by fifth-year senior center fielder Joe Stewart — a Michigan State graduate transfer — hitting a line drive solo shot to right field in the eighth against his former team and Elliott’s three-run bomb in the ninth. Stewart had three hits on the afternoon. Junior second baseman Ted Burton notched a two hits and a pair of RBI.

O’Hallahorn earned the win and improved to 4-2 on the season. Michigan has won in five of the ace’s last six starts.

Game 2: Michigan 8, Michigan State 2 (Saturday)

Michigan started the game with some first-inning fireworks for a second consecutive day. Elliott singled through the right side of the infield to get things going. A few at-bats later, junior catcher Jimmy Obertop singled through the left side of the infield to score Elliott and advance Burton, who walked, to third. Junior DH Tito Flores doubled to right center, which scored both senior shortstop Riley Bertram and Burton, before senior first baseman Jack Van Remortel doubled to left center and scored Flores and sixth-year senior third baseman Matt Frey.

Michigan had a 5-0 run after one frame and really never looked back.

Van Remortel connected with another double in the top of the fifth inning, scoring two Wolverines to extend the edge to 7-0.

Meanwhile, junior righty starter Cameron Weston was tossing a gem. Michigan State didn’t notch a hit until the sixth inning, when the Spartans scored on a two-RBI double, but Weston responded with his eighth strikeout of the day to that point to get out of the frame.

Weston went seven innings with the two earned runs, giving way to junior left-handed reliever Jacob Denner in the eighth. Michigan State loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, before the lefty got out of the jam with a strikeout. He shut the door in the ninth, as well, after Frey added an insurance run with an RBI double — his third-two-bagger of the game — in the ninth.

Game 3: Michigan 6, Michigan State 3

The Michigan bats weren’t as hot to start this game off, but the Wolverines got going in the middle innings and were able to pull it off anyway.

In a scoreless game, Stewart led off the fourth inning with a double to right center, before he stole third base. With two outs, he scored on an error. Then, Flores took advantage with a two-run home run to left field that gave Michigan a 3-0 lead.

In the top of the fifth frame, Van Remortel singled, and redshirt junior left fielder Jordon Rogers notched a bunt single. Two batters later, Stewart clobbered the ball over the center-field wall to give Michigan a 6-0 edge.

Sophomore right-hander Chase Allen, typically a reliever, opened the game and improved to 5-0 in his second start of the year. He allowed two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in five innings, before giving way to junior right-hander Noah Rennard in the sixth.

Rennard ran into a bit of trouble in the sixth inning, allowing a sacrifice fly for a run, before yielding two runs in the seventh, with Michigan State shrinking the advantage to 6-3. Denner registered the save after coming in for Willie Weiss, who allowed one hit, in the ninth.

What’s Next

Michigan has swept its opponent for the second straight weekend. And considering the Wolverines have lost five straight mid-week games, they’re probably excited to not have any contests before hosting Ohio State next weekend.

Michigan is now right back in the Big Ten race, not that it completely fell out of it with so many games left to play. The Maize and Blue are 6-3 in league play and 20-15 overall, and have a good shot at keeping the momentum going. The Buckeyes are 2-7 in the Big Ten and 11-20 overall, and Michigan is 7-4 at home.

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