OMAHA, Neb — Michigan 
would not win the national 
championship. Instead, its run 
will be earmarked as another 
remarkable underdog run ruined 
by a perennial power. 
In game three on Wednesday, 
the Wolverines (50-22 overall) 
lost to No. 2 Vanderbilt (59-12) 
8-2. But the game seemed over by 
the fourth inning.
On short rest, Bakich went 
to 
junior 
right-hander 
Karl 
Kauffmann to bring home the 
championship. Early on, he was 
himself. Besides missing a pitch 
up high on Commodores’ Pat 
DeMarco, who hit it out of the 
park for a home run, he struck 
out five and was one out away 
from finishing his third inning.
But a walk, a single, another 
walk and a pitch that had the 
Michigan defense leaving the 
field but the umpire called it 
a ball led to a runner being 
walked in. His first pitch against 
Vanderbilt’s Stephen Scott was a 
two-run single, and just like that, 
the Wolverines were down 4-1. 
“Tonight most of the damage 
was done with two outs, and 
we were just getting that big 
hit, and we were stringing good 
offense together as a team,” said 
Vanderbilt 
centerfielder 
Pat 
DeMarco. “It was team offense 

tonight.” 
And then, similar to the first 
inning, the Wolverines went 
back to the dugout after leaving 
runners on base. They had the 
perfect opportunity to answer, 
to pull themselves back into 
the game, but when they made 
hard contact with the ball, it 
went straight to a Commodore 
defender.
Vanderbilt didn’t let off the 
gas and chased Kauffmann out 
of the game in the 
third inning after 
a leadoff walk, his 
fifth of the game. 
His final line was 
three 
innings-
pitched, five runs, 
five walks, and 
five strikeouts.
But 
nor 
was 
it 
sophomore 
right hander Jeff 
Criswell’s 
night 
who, despite striking out the 
first batter he faced, eventually 
let in two runs in the fourth 
inning, putting Michigan down 
6-1 heading into the fifth.
In the first inning, though, the 
game had a completely different 
picture: Ako Thomas, leading 
off in place of Jordan Nwogu, 
started the game with a single. 
Sophomore center fielder Jesse 
Franklin then singled to put 
runners on the corners before 
junior 
right 
fielder 
Jordan 

Brewer brought in Thomas, and 
it seemed like the floodgates 
were open with the score at 1-0 
and no outs. 
“We came out on the attack,” 
Thomas said. “I think it was 
three hits in a row, scored a run 
first. We just didn’t execute the 
way we were supposed to. We 
were kind of on our heels the rest 
of the game, didn’t maximize our 
opportunities. But we fought our 
hardest out there.”
Added 
Commodores’ 
shortstop 
Ethan 
Paul: “It was the 
first inning and it 
wasn’t like there 
was 
anything 
to really worry 
about. We all trust 
Mason. He’s going 
to give us a good 
outing. 
I 
think 
I just wanted to 
remind him that it’s a big park. 
I wanted him to work down in 
the zone and let our defense 
work. We trust each other in the 
infield, so we wanted to make 
some plays for him.”
But Vanderbilt ace Mason 
Hickman shifted into another 
gear, striking out the next three 
batters in the lineup and setting 
a tone that left the Wolverine 
offense 
unable 
to 
cash 
in. 
Hickman ended the game with 10 
strikeouts through six innings, 

walking three and allowing just 
one earned run. 
The game fell into a rhythm 
after the fourth as both pitchers 
gained control over the game. 
There would be no spark and 
no more rallies. Senior first 
baseman Jimmy Kerr’s hard hit 

fly ball would be caught one foot 
short of a home run and every 
line drive found a defender. 

Vanderbilt 
suffocated 

Michigan and at the end of 
the day, the Wolverines found 
themselves going home empty-
handed.

12

Thursday, June 27, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Michigan’s tournament runs ends with 8-2 loss in CWS final

KENT SCHWARTZ
Daily Sports Writer

ZACHARY GOLDSMITH/Daily
Sophomore catcher Joe Donovan (right) collected two hits in the CWS finals

We just didn’t 
execute the 
way we were 
supposed to.

SPORTS

