B
MOVING ON
n Michigan secured its spot in the
WNIT semifinals with a win at Southern
Mississippi. Page 4B
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | March 30, 2015
n The Michigan softball team dropped
the series finale to Iowa at Alumni Field
on Sunday, 6-4. Page 2B
Maryland 3, Michigan 1
SportsMonday
Michigan 10, Maryland 1
Michigan 5, Maryland 2
DEFENDING
HOME TERP
Michigan tops Maryland,
5-2, to take two out of
three in home series
By NATHANIEL CLARK
Daily Sports Writer
Sunday, the Michigan baseball team
picked up right where it left off Saturday.
In the wake of a 10-2 victory over No. 20
Maryland (18-7, 4-2 Big Ten) in the second
game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Wol-
verines (14-12, 2-4) topped the Terrapins,
5-2, Sunday to take two out of the three
weekend games.
“I’m proud of the way our guys respond-
ed after a tough weekend last weekend
(at Nebraska),” said Michigan coach Erik
Bakich, referring to last weekend’s sweep.
“They responded with a great week of train-
ing. To see that carry over into (this week-
end’s) games was what we needed.”
Michigan’s offense wasted no time scor-
ing runs. The barrage came in the bottom of
the first inning.
With junior third baseman Jacob Cronen-
worth and freshman shortstop Jake Bivens
on first and second bases, respectively, and
no one out, senior centerfielder Jackson
Glines hit a single to center field, scoring
Cronenworth. Sophomore first baseman
Carmen Benedetti followed up with a single
of his own to drive in Bivens and make the
score 2-0.
Junior left fielder Cody Bruder then hit
a bunt single that advanced Benedetti and
Glines to second and third, respectively.
That prompted Maryland coach John Szefc
to pull starting pitcher Willie Rios in favor
of Taylor Sties before Rios was able to
record a single out.
“We needed to come out and set the tone,”
Bakich said. “We were on the other side of
that coin last weekend.”
The Wolverines did not stop there,
though. Senior designated hitter Kyle Jusick
quickly smacked a three-RBI double to put
the Wolverines up 5-0.
“The guys before me got some great at-
bats, and I was able to get a pitch I could
drive,” Jusick said. “It’s really nice to be see-
ing the ball well and to be able to help the
team out.”
After that, Stiles settled down and
pitched seven scoreless innings, retiring the
last 16 batters he faced. But the Terrapins’
offense could not dig their team out of the
hole.
“Stiles was filling up the strike zone,”
Bakich said. “It’s hard to put together
offense when the opposing pitcher isn’t
walking people.”
The situation briefly got tense for Michi-
gan in the third when sophomore southpaw
Brett Adcock surrendered two RBI singles
to chip the lead to 5-2. But he got Maryland’s
Tim Lewis to pop out to Bivens, who threw
to Jacobson to tag the runner out at second,
ending the threat.
“Double plays are always huge momen-
tum swings for the defense,” Bakich said.
The Wolverines’ bullpen put the team
on their backs in the last several frames.
After sophomore left-hander Brett Adcock
was pulled after four innings, freshman
righty Jayce Vancetta pitched four scoreless
frames to earn the win, and freshman right-
hander Bryan Pall closed out the game,
picking up his first career save. Pall now
has 14 strikeouts on the season with a 0.59
earned-run average over 15.1 innings.
“We feel really good about Bryan Pall at
the end of the game,” Bakich said.
While winning a series against a ranked
opponent is no small feat, Michigan will
have little time to celebrate. The Wolverines
will take on Toledo and Central Michigan
on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively,
before resuming Big Ten play at Indiana
next weekend.
RITA MORRIS/Daily