Junior right-hander Noah Rennard came in with two on and two out in the bottom of the sixth inning. He had struggled in relief on Friday, giving up three runs and only getting one out.
But on Sunday, he was dialed in.
He finished the sixth, and then successfully pitched the rest of the game without giving up a run.
Improvement and adjustment were the themes for the Michigan baseball team’s pitching staff this weekend. After a rough game one, they improved throughout the weekend, culminating in a one-run game three and a series win over Nebraska to open up the Wolverines’ Big Ten slate.
However, drastic improvements are only brought on by a suboptimal start, and that is what Michigan had on Friday.
“(Nebraska) is an opportunistic offense,” Michigan coach Erik Bakich said. “We walked and hit them 15 times on Friday, and they scored 13 runs.”
Sophomore left-hander Connor O’Halloran started on Friday, and it was a rough beginning to the weekend. O’Halloran pitched four innings, giving up four free passes and six earned runs.
The big implosion for O’Halloran came in the bottom of the fifth, when he was credited with four runs without recording an out. Rennard and senior right-hander Willie Weiss went on to surrender a combined seven runs over the remainder of the fifth and sixth innings.
After that shakey game one, Michigan settled in a little on Saturday as junior right-hander Cameron Weston took the mound.
“We had a good quality start from Cam Weston,” Bakich said. “(There) was a definite difference in (what) would look to me like (the) mentality of the pitchers.”
Weston went six innings, giving up just three runs. Despite a slight hiccup in the eighth where the Cornhuskers tied the game, sophomore right-hander Chase Allen managed to outlast the Nebraska offense to even up the series.
“Even though we gave up the three spot in the eight inning, I thought Chase Allen pitched well.” Bakich said.
Michigan carried that momentum into Sunday’s contest. Junior left-hander Jacob Denner went 5.2 innings, striking out seven and giving up only one run. And finally, Noah Rennard redeemed his Friday failures with a lights-out 3.1 inning runless performance.
Constantly attacking the strike zone, Rennard’s control was significantly improved from Friday. He issued zero walks and notched three strikeouts while allowing the Cornhuskers just three hits.
“Today, Jacob Denner and Noah Rennard pitched a gem,” Bakich said.
Repeatedly throughout the season, the Wolverine pitchers have stated their goal of never shying from the strike zone and always keeping the pressure on the opposing offense. When they do that effectively, they get the results they want.
“I just thought they made nice adjustments and took charge of their outings a little bit better,” Bakich said. “At times in the early part of the year we felt like we were on our heels a little bit, nibbling around the strike zone. … When you’re in attack mode … it just keeps the rhythm and flow of the game so much smoother.”
As the weekend progressed and the Michigan pitchers settled in, the rough waters calmed, leaving nothing on Sunday but smooth sailing.