OMAHA, Neb. — The Michigan baseball team walked into Charles Schwab Field Saturday with a grudge to settle.

Though the season series against Penn State was tied at two apiece, the Nittany Lions walked out of Thursday’s game with a win in the rivals’ most important game of the year to date. With its back against the wall, the Wolverines needed a win to avoid a season-ending elimination.

In an eerily-similar matchup to Thursday, Michigan (32-28 overall, 14-10 Big Ten) and Penn State (29-23, 12-12) battled in a back-and-forth fantastical thriller. And in the same fashion, a late home run sent the Wolverines packing, 7-6.

“The sting of losing sucks,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “ … But when I think back on this group of guys that represented Michigan baseball this year, it’s going to put a smile on my face. … That was a good group, just fell short.”

Nobody embodied this gritty mentality more than sophomore right-hander Kurt Barr. Working on just two days of rest, Barr’s name was called once again to silence a powerful offense. Michigan’s ace, Barr didn’t need extended days off to recover from his previous start. Taking some velocity off his pitches, Barr relied on his stuff to control the game. Dealing fastballs in the high-80s and curveballs in the low-70s, he kept Penn State off the board for the first 3.1 innings while punching six strikeouts.

But Barr’s shutout didn’t last as graduate right fielder Stephen Hrustich let a single to right field roll under his glove and toward the wall. Instead of an RBI single, the runner ended up on third and a second run scored. Another Penn State run scored on the next at-bat as it took a 3-0 lead.

Fifth-year left-hander Jacob Denner replaced Barr to start the fifth inning. Similarly to Barr, Denner has seen a torrent of appearances on short notice, so two days between outings on the bump was nothing new. And through his first two innings, he blanked Penn State — long enough for the Wolverines’ bats to foment.

After Michigan plated its first run, the Nittany Lions had two outs and a chance to get themselves out of the sixth inning. Instead, the Wolverines continued to hammer away at Penn State right-hander Mason Horwat, working two runners on. The opportunity was right there, but someone had to face the music.

Graduate shortstop Kyle Dernedde jumped on the first pitch he saw. Horwat hung a curveball right in the bread basket, allowing Dernedde to drive a sharp line drive down the left-field line for a two-run double, tying the game at three. An inning later, Hrustich tripled into the left-field corner to score the leading run and soon scored on a wild pitch, stretching the lead to 5-3.

Despite trailing, Penn State wasn’t going to let Michigan run away with the game. The two adversaries were in the same position as they were on Thursday — entering the eighth inning, the Wolverines had a lead but lost it after the Nittany Lions bursted a massive inning. And Saturday, the pattern looked to repeat. Denner allowed a solo shot on the second pitch of the inning, and Penn State was banging on the door once again after three additional singles.

And soon after, Nittany Lions’ third baseman Bryce Molinaro stepped into the batter’s box. In the eighth inning with the bases loaded Thursday, Molinaro blasted a go-ahead grand slam to take a late lead. A silence fell upon the ballpark as Molinaro had a chance to repeat Saturday.

While Molinaro didn’t mash another bomb, he did whack a single to tie the game. The thriller that the two teams endured two days prior reared its head again.

Though Michigan banged back on the door in the bottom of the eighth, no runs tallied up. As the ‘0’ flipped on the scorecard for the Wolverines and Penn State got ready to bat, the next run would be consequential.

Marching back onto the mound, Denner didn’t let the moment get to him. Buckling down when Michigan needed him the most, he coaxed a quick one-two-three inning. But the Wolverines didn’t walk it off, sending the tense game into extra innings.

Coming out for yet another inning, Denner hoped to continue his strong outing. But in a flash, Nittany Lions’ right fielder Adam Cecere broke the deadlock, smashing a two-run shot over the right-field wall to take a 7-5 lead.

With just three outs to save the season, Michigan needed heroics. And while it got a run back, Hrustich flew out to end the season.

“When the 2024 college baseball season comes to an end, … there’s going to be one team that’s going to be happy,” Smith said.

Just like Thursday, the Wolverines fell just short despite a gritty effort. Like most of the season, Michigan took the challenge to heart, not backing down and instead stepping up. With consistent depth struggles, the Wolverines are no stranger to adversity — they’ve played through it for months. But this time, its troubles caught up, closing the curtains on the 2024 season for good.