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The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | April 18, 2016

n The Daily’s Max Cohen bids farewell 
in his last column. SportsMonday 
Column, Page 2B

Hill, Michigan 
defeat Nebraska 
to complete three-
game home sweep

By NATHANIEL CLARK

Daily Sports Writer

On 
March 
22, 
2015, 
the 

Michigan baseball team lost 6-3 
to Nebraska, its third straight 
loss to the Cornhuskers.

One year later, the now-22nd 

ranked Wolverines (6-2 Big Ten, 
25-9 overall) turned the 2015 
result on its head, defeating the 
Cornhuskers, 6-1, completing a 
three-game sweep. 

Michigan coach Erik Bakich 

downplayed the feat.

“We really went into (the 

weekend) talking about each 
game as a one-game series,” 
Bakich said. “We didn’t use the 
word ‘sweep.’ ”

The 
Wolverines’ 
victory 

came on the back of masterful 
pitching, 
particularly 
the 

performance from senior left-
hander Evan Hill. He threw for 

seven innings, surrendered one 
run on four hits, walked one 
batter and struck out four.

“I threw a lot of fastballs 

today,” Hill said. “I was moving it 
in and out.”

Sophomore Ryan Nutof picked 

up where Hill left off. He finished 
the contest with two scoreless 
innings and two strikeouts.

The game remained scoreless 

until the bottom of the fourth 
inning when senior centerfielder 
Cody Bruder singled up the 
middle before stealing second 
base on the next at-bat.

Sophomore first baseman Drew 

Lugbauer brought Bruder home 
with an RBI double to right field.

Michigan 
was 
unable 
to 

capitalize further, though, as 
freshman 
shortstop 
Michael 

Brdar struck out swinging and 
freshman right fielder Jonathan 
Engelmann grounded out to end 
the frame.

“Those guys in the middle of 

the order did a nice job of staying 
connected with the guys who hit 
in front of them,” Bakich said, 
referring to hitters three through 
six. “Each got on base a few times 
and took advantage of some 

situations to capitalize.”

Nebraska (7-5 Big Ten, 22-14 

overall) threatened to erase the 
Wolverines’ newfound lead in the 
top of the fifth, when left fielder 
Luis Alvarado hit a one-out 
double down the left-field line.

But two batters later, after 

a Nebraska base hit, senior 
Wolverine 
left 
fielder 
Matt 

Ramsay made a perfect throw to 
home plate to tag out Alvarado 
and preserve Michigan’s 1-0 edge.

“Getting the defense back in to 

hit is huge for momentum shifts,” 
Bruder said. “Hats off to them.”

Nebraska 
managed 
to 
tie 

the game in the sixth as first 
baseman Ben Miller hit a two-out 
RBI single.

The Wolverines responded 

right away, though, in the bottom 
of the frame. With senior catcher 
Harrison Wenson on first and 
junior designated hitter Carmen 
Benedetti on second, Bruder 
singled up the middle to score 
Benedetti. Lugbauer then hit a 
sacrifice bunt to put two runners 
in scoring position with one out.

After Brdar reached on a 

fielder’s choice to load the bases, 

Wolverines top 
Ohio State in 

come-from-behind 

fashion, 5-3

By TYLER COADY

Daily Sports Writer

As Ohio State centerfielder 

Taylor White crossed home plate, 
a quiet hush fell over Alumni 
Field, except for a pocket of 
scarlet-clad fans cheering wildly. 
White’s hit bounced off the left-
field wall, alluded the gloves of 
junior left fielder Kelly Christner 
and senior centerfielder Sierra 
Lawrence and allowed her to 
notch an inside-the-park home 
run.

The Buckeyes had cut the 

Wolverines’ lead to one, as 
junior 
right-handed 
pitcher 

Megan Betsa’s bid for a second 
straight shutout vanished in the 
fourth inning.

“It didn’t seem like we were 

very locked in,” said Michigan 
coach Carol Hutchins. “I said to 
the team, ‘(Betsa) is doing her 

part, and go give her some energy 
because you just let her down.’

“I don’t think we are giving 

enough right now, and we are 
getting a little self-absorbed.”

Holding onto a tenuous 2-1 

lead at the onset of the fifth 
inning, the Michigan defense 
once again lost its poise as 
senior second baseman Sierra 
Romero bobbled a ball, allowing 
Ohio State first baseman Jess 
Machovina to reach on an 
infield hit. After Betsa walked 
right 
fielder 
Alex 
Bayne, 

Buckeyes’ left fielder Cammi 
Prantl made the Wolverines 
pay for its poor fielding, as her 
double into the right-center 
field gap scored two, putting 
Ohio State (9-4-1 Big Ten, 25-11-
1 overall) in front, 3-2.

“Bonnie (Tholl) went over and 

… told them the game plan: Hit 
the ball in the ground,” Hutchins 
said. “I think getting behind 
woke them up … but I thought 
their energy during the whole 
game was not very good.”

As 
the 
coaching 
staff 

attempted to spark its team, it 
stressed that there were two 
innings left to play. A lack of 

confidence, 
not 
talent, 
was 

contributing 
to 
their 
poor 

performance. The Wolverines 
(11-2, 33-4) entered the bottom of 
fifth with the top of their lineup 
due up to bat.

Romero and Susalla quickly 

got 
on 
base 
after 
drawing 

walks, 
and 
then 
sophomore 

first baseman Tera Blanco, who 
drove in Michigan’s second run, 
stepped up to the plate. Ohio 
State coach and Wolverine alum 
Kelly Kovach Schoenly walked 
out to the circle, attempting to 
inject a sense of confidence into 
her suddenly shaken pitcher, 
Shelby Hursh.

After seeing the first two 

pitches go high, Blanco latched 
onto the third one, sent it over the 
center-field wall for a three-run 
home run and vaulted Michigan 
into the lead.

“I mean, I was just really 

excited,” Blanco said. “I was just 
really excited to come home to 
my team.”

Blanco’s home run provided 

the Wolverines all the breathing 
room 
they 
would 
need, 
as 

Betsa returned to the mound 

SPRING CLEANING

See BASEBALL, Page 4B
See SOFTBALL, Page 4B

KRISTINA PERKINS/Daily
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily

TWO FOR TEXAS

n Two members of the women’s 
gymnastics team earned All-America 
honors in Fort Worth. Page 3B