Redshirt junior second baseman Anthony Toth made a diving catch at second base and threw the ball to first to get the third out of the seventh inning. With a Wildcat on third, Toth prevented Northwestern from taking control of the game.
The Michigan baseball team then went on to win the first game of the weekend series 4-3.
Toth made two consecutive catches in the top of the eighth which culminated in three quick Wildcat outs. His solid defensive play was augmented by strong performances on the mound by senior right-hander Alan Oaks, redshirt junior pitcher Matt Gerbe and junior righty Tyler Burgoon. The pitching trio threw a combined six strikeouts while allowing just three runs on nine hits in the nine innings.
Junior Ryan LaMarre led the Michigan offensive with two hits, two runs and two RBI — one of which brought in freshman Patrick Biondi in the bottom of the seventh to put the Wolverines up by the deciding run.
With just two weekends left in Big Ten conference play, the standings remain close. Going into this series, Michigan was in a four-way tie for first with Northwestern, Purdue and Minnesota. Tonight’s game proved a good start to bumping the Wildcats out of the race.
The second game of the series will take place tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. at Ray Fisher Stadium.