OMAHA, Neb. — In 103 pitches, Penn State right-hander Jaden Henline delivered 68 strikes. As he shut down the nine opposing batters, Michigan’s response varied in extremes. The Wolverines ranged from celebrating on home plate to returning to their dugout with their heads hung low. Through up-and-down offensive surges, Michigan’s instability proved to be costly. 

The Wolverines (31-27 overall, 14-10 Big Ten) struggled to find an answer to the Nittany Lions’ (28-23, 12-12) mound presence. After continuous rebuttals from both teams, Michigan, in the end, couldn’t keep up, losing 9-5 and falling into the losers’ bracket.  

“That one was a dogfight, a close one and a little bit of a roller coaster, (going) back and forth between the two teams,” junior catcher Will Rogers said. “Both of our seasons on the line, so it was pretty intense and a lot of fun right up until the end.”

The fight started slowly as the Wolverines’ first opportunity ended swiftly with three strikeouts at the hands of Henline, and Penn State graced the scoreboard as the sole run through the first four innings. Freshman left fielder AJ Garcia faced early trouble as Penn State peppered left field in the second inning. While Garcia lost his footing, furthering a single into a double, his second mishap cost the first run. As he bobbled the ball, the Nittany Lions’ runner had just enough time to make it home and take the 1-0 lead. 

While Garcia left the game abruptly afterward for senior left-fielder Dylan Stanton, Michigan’s offensive problems didn’t go away as easily. 

Breaking the lull, Rogers trucked through for the first hit of the game for the Wolverines in the third inning. While his single to left field looked to start the momentum, his teammates left him stranded on second as Michigan struggled to convert his contribution. 

Two scoreless frames followed for both teams until the fifth inning. While the Wolverines couldn’t string together enough hits to earn themselves a run, they returned to their old-reliable: power hitters. 

Junior third baseman Cole Caruso led off the hitting affair with the first ball he saw, he lasered the ball into the oft-used left-field corner for a double. Rogers approached the plate with Caruso waiting on second base to be brought home. He smacked the ball over the left-field wall and joined Caruso on the jog home, earning the Wolverines control of the game at 2-1.

After Michigan’s dominant showing, Penn State wasted no time in forming a response. Between an RBI double and single, the lead changed hands once more to 3-2. The Wolverines looked to their consistent hitters to fill the void, and while freshman designated hitter Collin Priest stepped up with a double, the moment passed, stranding him on second base.

With a similar situation in the seventh inning, Michigan filled the bases but eventually faced the walk back to the dugout with zero runs to show for it. As the Wolverines’ repeated attempts failed to accumulate on the scoreboard, the upcoming batters embodied the dependability they needed.

As the sole member of the home run club, Rogers received a companion in sophomore first baseman Mitch Voit. 

Two Michigan runners occupied the bases as Voit took his turn in the batter’s box. He took a quick two strikes before launching the third pitch to the left-field stands. With three runners venturing home, Michigan rejoined the game in its brand of baseball. 

“You’re gonna have to endure because it’s going to be the team that outlasts,” Wolverines coach Tracy Smith said. “When you’ve got an as evenly matched field as this, these things are going to happen.”

But the Nittany Lions bested Michigan as they hitched onto its wave of momentum. Junior right-hander Ricky Kidd loaded the bases before releasing the final ball that flew over the left-field wall earning Penn State the grand slam and the 7-5 lead. However, the four runs weren’t enough for the Nittany Lions as they added two more before exiting the eighth inning, pushing their lead to 9-5. 

The Wolverines rejoiced as their power hitters performed to their usual standard but experienced the lows when those moments didn’t come as regularly. Even with an attempt at a ninth-inning rally, Michigan’s last-minute push came too late. 

When the big hits fed into the Wolverines’ momentum, they thrived. But as they scattered across the nine innings, the distance grew too large for Michigan to capitalize on. 

And as the Wolverines have one game to spare, they will need to find an answer bigger than one bat to avoid the trip home.