A single out.
The Michigan baseball team entered the top of the ninth inning with a three-run lead and just three outs between it and its first series sweep of the season. But with Long Beach State threatening to overtake the lead with two-outs in the ninth inning, the Wolverines desperately needed someone to earn the final out with pitching changes dwindling the lead to one run.
And fifth-year left-hander Jacob Denner walked up to the mound and pitched a single out.
“And (Denner’s) like ‘I got an out today and I can get an out,’ ” Wolverines coach Tracy Smith said. “That’s very, very important now.”
With the Dirtbags series being approached as a breather by Michigan, the weekend pitching lineup looked slightly different than expected with a Big Ten weekend opponent. Even with an unexpected rotation, each game had one thing to connect them all: an appearance from Denner.
Denner only collected one out in this performance, but his impact permeated the weekend. He was walking away from the series with two saves and a win under his belt.
In the first game of the series on Friday, Denner entered in the eighth inning to finish with runners on base and the Wolverines facing a three-run deficit. After he earned two runs, he pitched clean through the ninth inning utilizing two strikeouts earning the win. Michigan’s offensive streak of ten runs in the eighth inning won the game, but Denner dealt when he was needed.
After pitching an inning and two-thirds on Friday, his arm wasn’t done.
On Saturday, the Wolverines held on to a two-run advantage heading into the ninth inning. Denner’s name was once again called from the bullpen and approached the mound with a case of deja vu. With one strikeout, he helped secure the second win for the team and his first save of the weekend.
“The fact he takes the ball and he’s gonna will his team,” Smith said. “I just hope the other guys are watching him when you have somebody out there with a warrior mentality like that, and they’re effective with their stuff.”
Sitting in the dugout for the majority of the game on Sunday, Denner cheered from the sidelines as freshmen right-handers Sachem Ramos and Dylan Vigue’s combined consistency helped Michigan. As the game went on and the Dirtbags collected runs, Denner started to warm up for the third time in as many games.
And when the heat became too much for junior right-hander Ricky Kidd, Denner found himself on the bump one more time, and with that came one more save.
“It’s not just attitude with him,” Smith said. “He’s got good stuff. You take that with his desire to help his team, it’s a pretty lethal combination. With a win and two saves on the weekend, I don’t know if the dude could have contributed any more than that.”
Denner was busy this weekend and his contribution showcased it. Two saves and a win isn’t something new for him either. Only a week ago he earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week off two wins and a save over nine innings.
His performance over the weekend has quickly become the expectation. When Denner is walking out of the bullpen in tense moments with a few outs between a loss or win, Michigan can rest easy.
Because if the Wolverines need three innings or a single out, Denner is stepping up from the mound.