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The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | April 10, 2017

A busted streak
The Michigan baseball 

team failed to complete a 

comeback and dropped the 
third game of its weekend 

series against Illinois. 

 » Page 4B

Livin’ on a prayer
Andrew Robinson and 
Dymonte Thomas united in 
prayer before every game of 
2016 season.

» SportsMonday Column, 

Page 2B

Wolverines’ offense sputters against Ohio State, Michigan 

fails to maintain perfect conference record in Columbus

Michigan’s ninth inning comeback effort falls short, Wolverines’ 

nine-game winning streak is snapped by the Fighting Illini

The fairytale script was there.
Down 9-7 in the ninth inning, 

with two men on, two men out and 
a 2-2 count, junior third baseman 
Drew Lugbauer launched a ball 
deep to left field.

The 
crowd 
erupted, 

anticipating a walk off three-

run home run – only to watch the 

ball drift foul.
The strong winds kept the ball 

from staying fair. On most other days, 

that shot would have been gone.

The very next pitch, Lugbauer 
struck out. 

“You’re not always going to 
get the fairy tale ending,” said 

junior 
right-hander 
Alec 

Rennard.

The loss marked the 
lone blemish for the No. 

18 Michigan baseball 

team (6-3 Big Ten, 

25-7 overall) in 

its 
three-game 

series against 

Illinois (1-5, 

11-18) – the 

defeat 

snapped a nine-game win streak from 
the Wolverines.

Similar to the first game of the series, 

the Fighting Illini got on the scoreboard 
early Sunday.

In the top of the second inning, Illinois 

managed three runs with only one ball 
leaving the infield. After a leadoff single 
by right fielder Jack Yalowitz, Michigan 
junior left-hander Michael Hendrickson 
loaded the bases with a hit by pitch and 
a walk.

Then, third baseman Trent Hammond 

bunted down the third baseline. The 
ball was fielded by Hendrickson, whose 
throw bounced in front of junior first 
baseman Jake Bivens and slipped past 
him to the wall – allowing two runs to 
score. Two at-bats later, the Fighting 
Illini added another run on a fielder’s 
choice, giving them a 3-0 lead.

The following inning, Michigan’s 

woes continued when Illinois left fielder 
Dan Rowbottom hit a three-run home 
run.

Hendrickson’s outing ended after 

that homer. In 2.1 innings, he allowed 
two walks, six hits and six runs (three 
earned) – the most runs the lefty has 
given up on the season.

The 
Wolverines 
had 
allowed 
16 

combined runs in the first three innings 
of their last four games.

“Our mindset has consistently been 

good to start each game,” said Michigan 

coach Erik Bakich. “But for whatever 
reason, we weren’t as sharp (in) three of 
the four games this week.”

Despite being down by six, the 

Wolverines responded quickly, cutting 
the deficit to two with four runs in the 
bottom of the third.

With 
the 
bases 
loaded, 
senior 

centerfielder Johnny Slater hit a single 
to 
right 
field, 
scoring 
sophomore 

designated hitter Nick Poirier and 
sophomore 
right 
fielder 
Jonathan 

Engelmann. Two at-bats later, with an 
0-2 count, Lugbauer belted the ball to 
right field for a double, adding two more 
runs.

In the fifth, Michigan scored another 

run as sophomore second baseman Ako 
Thomas advanced home following a wild 
pitch. But the Fighting Illini picked that 
run back up in the seventh off a double by 
second baseman Michael Massey.

However, it could have been a much 

worse inning for the Wolverines. With 
men on second and third and no outs, 
senior right-hander Mac Lozer and 
freshman left-hander Tommy Henry 
escaped the jam with two strikeouts and 
a ground-out.

In the bottom of the eighth, Michigan 

had 
a 
comeback 
opportunity 
with 

runners on first and second. But the 
Wolverines were unable to capitalize, 
leaving both men on base. On the day, 
Michigan stranded eight runners. 

HUNTER SHARF
Daily Sports Writer

Going into its final game of the series against 

Ohio State on Sunday, the Michigan softball 
team was riding a 14-game win streak. Only one 
day earlier, it blasted 26 hits in a doubleheader, 
symbolic of a swelling offense that had found its 
rhythm. It was invincible so far against Big Ten 
competition. 

The Wolverines had been making it look easy.
But that didn’t mean that it always would be 

easy. And Sunday shed light on that.

In its first time being shutout in over a month, 

No. 18 Michigan (8-1 Big Ten, 28-8-1 overall) 
fell, 5-0, at the hands of its conference rival, 
the 25th-ranked Buckeyes (7-2, 23-9). Though 
the Wolverines took the series with consecutive 
victories Saturday, they left Columbus with 

their previously perfect conference record 

gone.

“Today wasn’t easy,” said Michigan 
coach Carol Hutchins. “We get our 

toughness when things don’t go our 

way, not just when things go our way. 

And we need to be tougher when 

things aren’t going our way.”

In a storyline that seems all 
too familiar for Michigan this 

season, it left eight runners 

stranded on base Sunday, 

finding just three hits on the day. For a team 
seeing so many wins as of late, this problem 
may be easy to overlook, but it has continued to 
plague the Wolverines all season.

With a solo home run in the bottom of the third 

inning, Ohio State took a 1-0 lead that Michigan 
would not be able to recover from. In the fifth 
inning, the Buckeyes sealed the deal under 
pressure, picking up four additional runs with 
two outs on the board. The offensive surge led to 
the removal of senior right-hander Megan Betsa 
from the circle, putting junior right-hander Tera 
Blanco in her place to finish the game.

The Wolverines saw their best scoring 

opportunity in the final inning with two outs 
and bases loaded. But they couldn’t capitalize, 
stranding all three runners and ending the game.

Hutchins was less than pleased with the day’s 

performance.

“We had so many poor at-bats,” Hutchins said. 

“We swung at poor pitches and we didn’t have 
anybody step up and give us confidence in our 
lineup.”

But that’s not to say Ohio State’s sole victory on 

the weekend wasn’t well deserved. The Buckeyes 
had triple the number of hits as Michigan and 
stayed dominant in the circle as well.

Ohio State’s right-hander Shelby McCombs — 

the 
third-best 

pitcher 
in 
the 

Big Ten, according 
to 
earned-run 

average — commanded 
the 
circle 
with 
10 

strikeouts, 
neutralizing 

the Wolverines’ offensive 
efforts throughout the day.

“I 
thought 
Shelby 

McCombs 
was 
outstanding 

today,” Hutchins said. “She threw a 
great game against us and she built 
on her confidence. Her presence kept 
getting better and better. But again, when 
you’re facing good pitching you have to 
counter it. And we really just played into 
her game. It was her win.”

However, Saturday’s story was much 

different.

In the pair of games, Michigan outshined 

the Buckeyes across the board.

Seven separate Wolverines pounded out hits 

in both games, contributing to 13 total RBI on 
the day. Senior shortstop Abby Ramirez and 
junior first baseman Aidan Falk registered four 
hits apiece, with Falk bringing in four RBI.

ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer

See SOFTBALL, Page 2B

See BASEBALL, Page 2B

STREAK OUT

