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The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | April 17, 2017
Michigan 5, Oklahoma 2
April 13
April 14
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Michigan 14, Oklahoma 4
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Before
this
weekend,
Michigan
baseball
coach
Erik Bakich billed his team’s
showdown
against
No.
18
Oklahoma as a “heavyweight
fight”. The Wolverines showed
they were more than prepared
for
this
battle,
sweeping
the Sooners in commanding
fashion and notching their first
ranked win of the season in the
process.
Over the course of the sweep
in which it outscored Oklahoma
25-8, No. 13 Michigan (6-3 Big
Ten, 29-7 overall) allowed just
15 hits and a .161 average – the
lowest totals the Wolverines
have allowed in a three-game
series this season.
While Oklahoma (5-4 Big
12, 27-12 overall) lacked No.
2 starter Jake Irvin (5-0, 1.30
earned run average) – a potential
first-round pick in next season’s
MLB Draft – Michigan was also
shorthanded. The Wolverines
were without junior left-hander
Michael Hendrickson, a regular
weekend starter, who was given
an extra day of rest. However,
with junior right-hander Alec
Rennard’s dominant start on
Saturday, that void was filled.
On Thursday, junior left-
hander Oliver Jaskie recorded
seven
strikeouts
in
seven
innings – his longest start of
the season – while the next
day, junior right-hander Ryan
Nutof rebounded from a three-
run first inning to put away
the Sooners over five straight
scoreless
innings.
In
the
series finale, it was Rennard’s
turn. The transfer from Santa
Rosa Community College has
assumed a variety of roles for
Michigan this season, including
spot starter, long reliever and
closer, and against Oklahoma,
he made a weekend start for the
second time this season.
Despite striking out the first
two batters he faced, it wasn’t all
smooth sailing for Rennard on
Saturday. He threw 43 pitches
through the first two innings –
needing 12 pitches to strike out
Oklahoma leadoff hitter Ben
Hollas – and allowed a run in
the second inning on two bloop
singles and a wild pitch.
“After
that
first
batter,
however many pitches it was,
I was like ‘I gotta make the
adjustment and find a way to
improve,’” Rennard said. “You
can’t let every hitter go 10 or 15
pitches deep. It was just making
better pitches early on so I
could get them to swing at it,
get them to ground out, fly out,
get them off balance.”
Added Bakich: “That’s kind
of a storyline with our staff.
We seem to find our groove and
find our rhythm and settle in.”
Rennard
certainly
found
his groove. Over the next four
innings, he threw an efficient
45 pitches, not allowing a hit
the rest of the way. Saturday
saw Rennard at his best – a
self-described “location guy”
who lacks the velocity to blow
hitters away, he instead relied
on his ability to attack the
strike zone and force outs by
inducing soft contact.
“I don’t think I have a power
fastball that’s going to blow by
you,” Rennard said. “I’m going
to beat you by pitching smarter
than you, put (pitches) in and
out on both sides of the plate,
keep it low but try to outsmart
you rather than overpower
you.”
The weekend also saw an
impressive performance from
Michigan’s
bullpen,
which
allowed just two runs in total.
Perhaps the most important
contribution came from senior
right-hander
Mac
Lozer.
Throughout the season, Lozer
– who has allowed just two hits
in 8.1 innings – has excelled at
snuffing out rallies.
In both of his appearances
against
Oklahoma,
Lozer
entered with runners on base,
and left them stranded both
times. He finished off the
Sooners on Friday with three
strikeouts for his first save of
the season, and relieved junior
right-hander
Jayce
Vancena
to strand a Sooner runner on
second in the seventh inning of
the series finale.
“Our starters do such a great
job, and if they get into a little
sticky situation, that’s what
I’ve been doing for years,”
Lozer said. “Alec had a great
outing, and Jayce is one of our
best pitchers. I’m glad I could
help them out just like any
other pitcher.”
Added Bakich: “For him, it’s
his intangible skill set as much
as his physical skill set. He’s
obviously a very good pitcher –
good fastball, good slider, good
command of both. But I think
it’s his mindset in there and the
attack that he has. He knows
he’s coming into a fight.”
Hendrickson
is
slated
to
pitch Tuesday against Michigan
State, and is likely to return to
the weekend rotation. But the
depth of Michigan’s pitching
staff, both in the rotation and
in the bullpen, gives it the
versatility
that
has
proven
invaluable so far, and it gave
the Wolverines the boost they
needed to secure their biggest
series win of the season.
JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer
“After that first
batter, however
many pitches it
was, I was like ‘I
gotta make the
adjustment and
find a way to
improve.’ ”
“That’s kind of a
storyline with our
staff. We seem to
find our groove
and find our
rhythm and settle
in.”