12 Wednesday, July 3, 2019 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS The one out that doomed Michigan’s championship dream The selection show was projected on a screen for all gathered around to see. Upon seeing their school name put into a bracket slot, the Michigan baseball players erupted in a cheer. Some jumped to their feet in joy while others looked around for recipients to their high-fives, because the Wolverines were one of the last four teams into the NCAA Tournament after a turbulent end to their season jeopardized their spot. Though a long shot, it was a chance for a shot at the title, and a chance was all they needed. Twelve games later, one of the last teams in was poised to be the “last one out.” But that title eluded them after a meltdown in game three of the College World Series finals. And it all originated from the game- changing third inning. That’s not to say Michigan would have won if it had given up zero runs at the bottom of the third, but with a 1-1 game at that point, the team was one out from keeping it that way. In a game where the Wolverines could only muster two runs, the third inning collapse defined the game. By the end of it, all of the smiles and jubilance from the Wolverines’ dugout were traded for grim looks and sighs. “I just think that Vanderbilt got 5 two-out RBIs tonight,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “We’ve been doing that all postseason and they did that tonight.” Karl Kauffman had pitched two innings. Despite allowing a home run in the second inning, the junior right-hander looked steady on the mound. He started the third as he had finished the second — with a strikeout. A groundout to third base all but reaffirmed that Kauffman had recollected himself after allowing the dinger. Then it came — the breakdown. Three pitches outside, one pitch too low; Kauffman dealt a 4-0 walk. A single down the middle off an 0-2 count escalated the situation. A strike would have ended it, shutting down the threat. Instead, the Wolverines put a runner in scoring position, prolonging the chance for the Commodores to take the lead. And after two more walks, they did. “We issued a couple too many free passes,” Bakich said, “especially with two outs, and then they capitalized and got the big two out hit.” Kauffman walked Vanderbilt’s Philip Clarke to load the bases, sparking three teammates to trot down the warning track. It was time to heat up the bullpen. A second walk ended the stalemate. The Commodores were in control and now led, 2-1, only for the very next pitch thrown to be hit down the middle and widen the gap, 4-1. A prompt visit from sophomore catcher Joe Donovan and a popout in the next at-bat stopped the bleeding. But the damage was done. It boiled down to one out. They were one out from ending the third inning threat, one out from keeping Vanderbilt from taking the lead, one out from potentially being the last one out — the College World Series champions. “They just played better than us tonight,” Bakich said. “That’s why they’re the champs.” TIEN LE Daily Sports Editor Looking back at the historic wins that shaped the Wolverines’ run Behind every deep tournament run are the wins that shaped the team. It was no different for the Michigan baseball team’s historic – and, at times, improbable – run. They don’t tell this team’s whole story. Nothing could. But they’re a good place to start. The Daily takes a look back of some of this season’s defining wins. March 8 – Michigan 7, No. 2 UCLA 5 There’s a lot of talk in sports about “statement wins.” That’s what this was. In a tough road environment against then-No. 2 UCLA, which spent most of the season as the best team in the country, junior left-hander Tommy Henry struck out ten over six innings of two-run baseball. Michigan scored four runs in the first inning, tacking on two in the third and one more in the eighth for insurance. This was the win that showed a flash of what this team could become, what they would become: a national contender. In the face and on the home turf of arguably the toughest competition the Wolverines faced all season, Michigan dominated the game. They never trailed. It wasn’t the last time the two teams met this season either. May 23 – Michigan 5, Illinois 4 One strike away. Team 153 was one strike away from an early end to its season, one strike away from not making a postseason appearance at all, one strike away from this magical run. Luckily, sophomore designated hitter Jordan Nwogu had other ideas. Michigan was down, 4-3, to Illinois in the bottom of the ninth inning. A loss to Ohio State the day before meant that falling to the Fighting Illini would send the Wolverines home for good. Nwogu stepped up to the plate with two on and two out. With Michigan’s season on the line, he launched a two-run double to left center, and the Wolverines walked off with a 5-4 victory. It was exactly the catalyst they needed. Since that win, the Wolverines have been hot. But it’s more than that. That was the win that introduced them to what Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin called their “playing personality”: free and loose, having fun, and playing to win – not just playing not to lose. “We saw the end of our season right in front of us,” said senior first baseman Jimmy Kerr during the College World Series. “That kind of made the whole team appreciate every single game that we’ve had together since then. And that’s kind of the bigger picture. It’s not that we’re playing in a Regional, Super Regional, College World Series championship; it’s just that we get another game with each other.” June 9 – Michigan 4, No. 1 UCLA 2 UCLA’s lineup was the best in the country. No one had been able to stop them all season. Michigan had as good as lost the game already. Instead, the Wolverines pulled out a 4-2 victory to head to the College World Series. Henry, sick with the flu and pneumonia, and still recovering from the biceps tendonitis that rendered him inconsistent throughout much of the second half of the season, pitched seven innings of two run-baseball — containing a Bruins batting order that seemed practically unstoppable. Sound familiar? The first time Michigan played UCLA, it was just a flash of the team they could be. Three months later, they had gone even further. June 15 – Michigan 5, Texas Tech 3 The first time Michigan and Texas Tech met, it was proof of how far the Wolverines still had to go to be an Omaha contender. They were swept and outscored 29-10 over three games. Three months later, the Wolverines were an entirely different team — their bats hot, their pitchers cool and their defense firing on all cylinders. The Red Raiders provided the perfect litmus test: had Michigan really learned from its mistakes, and could it really compete at the highest stage in collegiate baseball? The answer to both questions was an emphatic yes. The Wolverines got off to a quick start as a sacrifice fly from junior right fielder Jordan Brewer scored Nwogu in the top of the first. They tacked on three more in the third as Kerr launched a two-RBI triple down the right field line and scored on a single from senior third baseman Blake Nelson. Texas Tech made it close, scoring two runs in the bottom of the third and adding another in the bottom of the sixth, but Michigan was unshaken. They added a run in the top of the seventh when sophomore center fielder Jesse Franklin scored on an error for insurance, then cruised to a 5-3 victory on the backs of solid pitching from junior right-hander Karl Kauffmann (7 innings, 8 hits, 3 runs) and sophomore right- hander Jeff Criswell (two solid innings of one-hit relief). The Wolverines had made a statement: they were more than just a Cinderella team, and their run amounted to more than just luck. Michigan, at long last, was a national contender again. ABBY SNYDER Daily Sports Writer We issued a couple too many free passes ... ZACHARY GOLDSMITH/Daily Junior right-hander Karl Kauffmann started game three of the CWS championship