The Michigan baseball team honored their seniors before Sunday’s game against Minnesota. But Sunday proved to be the only day the Wolverines could celebrate.

Michigan lost 9-5 on Friday and 12-5 on Saturday, but salvaged a victory 10-4 on Sunday. The Wolverines (8-13 Big Ten, 27-23 overall) swept Minnesota last season in Minneapolis, but this is a drastically different Michigan squad.

This season the Wolverines have lost their most games since 2004, tying their 13 Big Ten losses from that season. The rough season comes after Michigan captured the Big Ten Championship the past three seasons.

Michigan made comeback attempts in both Friday’s and Saturday’s games, but each was thwarted by the Golden Gophers. The Wolverines had the tying run at the plate on Friday and had the game tied in the sixth inning on Saturday. But Minnesota shut the door on Friday and scored seven unanswered runs in the last three inning son Saturday.

Michigan made some key mistakes in the field, with four errors on the weekend – something that has become a habit this season.

Michigan coach Rich Maloney was disappointed about the team’s play in the field.

“The only way it gets better is if you take personal responsibility and each man has to do what they’ve been taught to do,” Maloney said Saturday. “We dropped the ball thrown from second base to first base. I mean, if my son’s team did that I would be frustrated. What can you really say?”

Michigan senior captain pitcher Chris Fetter struck out four of the first six batters on Friday. He ran into trouble in the third and fifth innings, allowing four runs in those two innings. And in the seventh inning, things turned uncharacteristically sour for the senior on his last career start at Ray Fisher Stadium.

He allowed four more runs in that inning, all of which were earned, and finished the game with only 6.1 innings pitched.

Maloney took notice, but thought the scouts in attendance would be impressed with Fetter’s early work.

“Early on, he was absolutely fantastic,” Maloney said. “He was throwing petro and they were swinging and missing on fastballs. He must have thrown 30 fastballs in a row and they swung and missed on 20 of them.

“Then some unfortunate things happened. I felt bad for Chris because he has had a phenomenal career for us and we wouldn’t have had the success we have had these past couple years without him."

On Sunday, the Wolverines were fueled by an early streak of singles to tie the game at 2-2 after Minnesota jumped on junior starting pitcher Alan Oaks. But it was sophomore Ryan LaMarre who made the difference with his three-run home run in the second inning. LaMarre powered Michigan, batting 4-4 with three runs scored to accompany his home run.

That was enough for Oaks as he settled down to allow only four runs in seven innings of work.

The win was important for Michigan as the season culminates with the conference tournament in two weeks.

Only the top-six teams in the conference play make the Big Ten tournament in Columbus. As the weekend ended Michigan is 1.5 games behind Purdue (7-12 Big Ten) and tied with Penn State for 7th.

The Boilermakers wrap up their series against Michigan State Monday in East Lansing and then take on Illinois next weekend – the No. 1 team in the Big Ten standings. For the Wolverines to have a chance they will have to capitalize in their Big Ten games against a Northwestern team that is at the bottom of the standings.

Nonetheless, the Wolverines are still in uncomfortable standing this close to the Tournament.

“There never seemed to be that sense of urgency," Maloney said. "I think the guys always felt like it would turn around ... I’ve never experienced this. It’s totally uncharted water – very unhappy, uncharted waters.”