hey won early. They won late. They won in dramatic fashion. They won by the smallest of deficits.
The box score doesn’t record adjectives or adverbs. But, it does record wins and losses, and that’s the only statistic that matters to the Michigan baseball team.
Four wins in a four-game series against its most hated rival, Ohio State, are impressive enough. But when those four wins come with the Buckeyes atop the Big Ten, and when the Wolverines haven’t swept Ohio State in a four-game series in almost 20 years, “Hail to the Victors” is sung with much more enthusiasm.
“This gives us a huge lift and puts us right in the thick of things,” Michigan coach Rich Maloney said. “It certainly sends a message throughout the rest of the league that we are a team to contend with.”
The Wolverines (8-4, 20-12) didn’t show any signs of overconfidence in the fourth game after defeating the Buckeyes (6-6, 20-11) in the first three contests of the weekend. Michigan put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning and added two insurance runs in the eighth frame to fend off an Ohio State two-run charge in the ninth and secure the 5-4 win.
“We grew up a lot this week,” redshirt freshman pitcher Ben Jenzen said. “We just came out here and kicked the tar out of Ohio State, and that is always fun.”
Junior right-hander Andrew Hess was shaky out of the gate, allowing a run and loading the bases with just one out in the first. Then, Hess handcuffed the next two Buckeye batters, forcing both to pop up.
The Wolverines’ hitters carried their pitcher’s momentum into the bottom of the inning. The first five batters reached base and contributed to a three-run frame that gave Michigan a lead it never relinquished.
The Wolverines held a comfortable 5-2 lead with two outs in the top of the ninth. The win seemed temporarily in jeopardy after leftfielder Mike Schmidt dropped a flyout to let in a run. Ohio State shortstop Jedediah Stephen drove in another runner to cut the deficit to 5-4. But with the tying run on first, Jenzen shut the door on a Buckeye rally, forcing designated hitter Adam Schneider to line out to centerfielder Eric Rose. The last out of the game marked Jenzen’s first career save, the first Michigan sweep of a Big Ten team since it performed the feat against Indiana last year, and the Wolverines’ first sweep against Ohio State since 1987.
“That was pressure right there,” Maloney said. “When you drop a ball in leftfield, and you thought the game was over and you were all relieved, and, then, all of the sudden, you have to still contend. Then, you throw a great pitch, and the guy bloops one out to center, that is getting tight. But (Jenzen) found a way to get it done, and that is awesome.”
Michigan’s first game of the series wasn’t nearly as difficult as the last one. The Maize and Blue pummeled the Buckeyes 14-3, with eight Wolverines recording at least two hits, and freshman pitcher Zach Putnam winning his first career Big Ten start. The Ann Arbor native allowed just one run over 7 1/3 innings, for the second win of his career.
The precedent set in Friday’s night game was evident in the first half of Saturday’s doubleheader. Michigan again dominated Ohio State, winning convincingly, 7-1, behind five scoreless innings from senior Paul Hammond, and three RBI and a home run each from Schmidt and freshman Adam Abraham.
The back end of the doubleheader was as dramatic as baseball gets.
With the game deadlocked at one run apiece in extra innings, Columbus native Leif Mahler hit a bloop single over first baseman J.B. Shuck and in front of rightfielder Wes Schirtzinger to drive in senior A. J. Scheidt for the walk-off win.
The dramatic victory was exciting, but the sweep was exhilarating.
“This was a huge series for us, especially taking three of four from Minnesota and then taking all four here,” sophomore Doug Pickens said. “That is huge. That puts us in a really good spot going into the rest of the Big Ten, and it is always good to beat the Bucks.”