All season long, the pressing question for the Michigan baseball team has been whether or not the Wolverines can win games without junior left-hand ace Connor O’Halloran.

And the Wolverines proved to be up to the task with an impressive offensive performance as Michigan (9-9 overall) defeated Bradley (5-9), 6-4, to win its second series of a young season and its fourth straight game.

But early on, the Wolverines faltered. On just the third pitch of the game, junior right-hander Chase Allen let up a double to Braves outfielder Ryan Vogel before allowing Jackson Chatterton to get on base due to his own defensive error. And the early defensive miscues paid off for the Braves. Second baseman Pete Hansen batted Vogel in, and Michigan found itself in a 1-0 deficit.

But the Wolverines responded right away. In the bottom of the first inning, a two-out single from sophomore designated hitter Joe Longo brought home graduate shortstop Cody Jefferis and tied the game at one.

Allen proved to be up to the task in the second inning, retiring the side and giving Michigan’s offense a chance. The Wolverines took him up on that opportunity, with freshman third-baseman Mitch Voit batting in senior outfielder Joey Velasquez for his eighth RBI of the season. With his efforts — and team’s efficiency on the defensive end — the Wolverines clung to an early 2-1 lead.

“(The defense) was okay,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “For the most part, the defense did a good job this weekend.”

Michigan’s defense continued to excel in the third inning behind Allen. Without O’Halloran on the mound, Michigan’s pitching remained effective. And the offense once again reciprocated Allen’s efforts, with Longo hitting a moonshot to left field to increase the lead to two, his second RBI of the afternoon.

“I think (Longo’s) really progressed,” Smith said. “ … For him to just continually get better and you can see the confidence growing in him. … He’s doing a good job and if the power continues to come it will be a plus for us.”

For Longo, his offensive outburst was all about supporting Allen.

“(Allen) was working his ass off on the mound today,” Longo said. “So (I did) anything (I could) to help him compete today.”

Bradley didn’t go away, however, with infielder T.J. Manteufel blasting a home run of his own in the top of the fifth inning to reduce the Braves’ deficit to 3-2. Even with the Wolverines’ explosive offensive performance through the first three innings, Michigan’s lead remained slim.

But after the home run, the defense shored up, recording three straight outs to rally around Allen, just like Longo had at the plate. On the offensive end, the Wolverines’ newfound momentum carried over, as a single from senior outfielder Tito Flores brought in another run, and Voit then batted him in on a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth. 

Through its offense, Michigan’s command of the game was quickly re-established.

“We talked about winning every inning,” Smith said. “ I thought we did a really good job of that.”

Still, Bradley stuck around. With two outs, right fielder Carson Husmann hit an RBI single in the top of the sixth inning. But senior second baseman Ted Burton helped the Wolverines rebound on the offensive end, hitting a single that scored Jefferis to increase the lead to three once again.

Ultimately, Michigan’s newfound offensive consistency paired with sufficient defensive effort has given the Wolverines a fighting chance in every game over its hot stretch and played crucial in its victory in the first game of the doubleheader Sunday. 

And with Big Ten play on the horizon, Michigan will need to continue to maintain this identity if it wants to make noise in a competitive conference — an identity that was evident in its win over Bradley.