14 — Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Pitching and defense lead the way for
Michigan in sweep of Purdue
Redshirt sophomore left-hander Steven
Hajjar stood on the mound in a tough
position. It was the top of the third inning
of the first game with the score tied, 1-1,
and Purdue had the bases loaded without
a single out or strike. After consulting with
pitching coach Steve Merriman, Hajjar
decided to stay in and pull his team out of
the hole in which they’d found themselves.
One by one, he retired each of the
Boilermakers’ next three batters, letting
out an emphatic roar as he approached
Michigan’s bullpen. After that inning,
the Wolverines would go on to win the
game with eight unanswered runs and a
dominant fielding performance.
Hajjar’s heroics were indicative of
Michigan’s pitching and defense for the
rest of this series, with Michigan holding
Purdue without a run for 22 straight
innings until the Boilermakers scored in
the seventh inning of the third game.
In the first game, Hajjar was relieved
after the sixth inning by junior right-hander
Will Proctor, redshirt junior right-hander
Isaiah Paige and freshman left-hander
Logan Wood, each of whom played an
inning and gave up just a combined two
hits through the rest of the game.
By preventing Purdue from reaching the
plate for the rest of the game, Michigan
asserted its command on both sides of
the ball from the get-go, demoralizing its
opponent for the rest of the series.
Michigan coach Erik Bakich credits
Hajjar’s third inning for leading them to
the win.
“The probability of scoring multiple
runs (in that situation) is extremely
high,” Bakich said. “So for (Hajjar) to
get a strikeout then a pop-up and then a
strikeout was just a momentum-shifting
moment in the game that helped our team
capitalize so that we could score some runs
and separate the game.”
No game exemplified Michigan’s mental
hold on the Boilermakers more than the
third game, with redshirt junior left-
hander Ben Dragani starting on the mound.
Dragani threw an impressive 47 strikes
and five strikeouts on his own, equaling
Hajjar’s total from game one and all totals
from game two.
After
junior
right-hander
Keaton
Carattini relieved Dragani after the fifth
inning, Michigan continued to protect the
plate and position their offense for runs,
including a grand slam by sophomore
catcher/infielder Jimmy Obertop. Carattini
was relieved by senior left-hander Angelo
Smith, who gave up a run in each of the
seventh and ninth innings but closed out a
comfortable 9-2 Wolverine win.
By the final game of the series, Michigan
completed its sweep of Purdue with an
11-6 win. Senior right-hander Blake Beers
started for the Wolverines, retiring the
Boilermakers in each of the first and
second innings.
Michigan ran into trouble at the top of
the third inning when a string of errors
led to three Purdue runs, giving the
Boilermakers the lead. Determined not
to get swept, Purdue put together quality
at-bats and trailed by just one run by the
top of the sixth inning.
That’s when graduate right-hander Joe
Pace stepped onto the mound, focused on
sending the Boilermakers home without a
win. After having given up three runs in
the fifth inning, Pace threw five strikeouts
without giving up any runs, allowing his
team to generate four unanswered scores
to win the game.
To Pace, coaching and defense were
what allowed him to close out the sweep.
“We have seven guys behind me that
are great defenders,” Pace said. “It allows
all of us on the pitching staff to pitch with
the most confidence, so we trust our guys
and it allows us to get on the mound and
let it eat.”
Even with up and down offensive play
for Michigan, the Wolverines’ depth on the
mound allowed them to control the tempo
of the series and will prove to be the key to
their continued success at the top of the Big
Ten.
“We do have unique depth at the starting
pitcher position,” Bakich said. “That’s
part of our strength too is when guys are
called upon to perform in different roles
they execute at that very well whether it’s
starting, relieving, high leverage, margin
or whatever.
“The thing we’ve got consistency in is a
lot of teammates who care more about the
team’s success than their individual stats.
… That consistency is what’s going to be
the reason that we’ve had success this far
and the number one reason why we will
continue to have success in the future.”
ABBAS KAGAL
Daily Sports Writer
Pitching leads Michigan to strong weekend performance
In a 2-1 game on Thursday night,
with two outs in the bottom of the
8th inning and runners threatening
on second and third base, Michigan
senior left-hander Meghan Beaubien
stared down Nebraska’s Cam Ybarra.
Beaubien then fired a pitch toward
the plate, Ybarra barely made contact
and the ball flew high into foul terri-
tory.
Sophomore
infielder
Julia
Jimenez charged in from her third
base post, tracked the foul ball down
and made the catch. The out not
only put the No. 23 Wolverines’ soft-
ball team back in the win column to
begin their six-game weekend series
against Nebraska and Wisconsin,
but it also completed Beaubien’s fifth
career no-hitter.
The
no-hitter
encapsulated
what Michigan’s pitchers would do
throughout its 5-1 weekend: dominate.
Beaubien’s outing — where she
also struck out 14 batters — occurred
in the first game of the Wolverines’
double-header against the Corn-
huskers to open the weekend. In the
back-end of the double-header, junior
right-hander Alex Storako was tasked
with following up Beaubien’s stellar
performance in the circle with one of
her own.
She did just that.
Storako pitched a complete game
shutout, surrendered only one hit and
threw 19 strikeouts, tying Beaubien’s
program record that she notched
against Purdue two weekends ago.
“(Beaubien and Storako) were
lights-out,” Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins said of her co-aces’ Thurs-
day night starts. “They were absolute-
ly masterful.”
These performances from Beaubi-
en and Storako keyed the Wolverines’
success against Nebraska.
Not only did the offense struggle
to produce in the double-header,
scoring only two runs each game,
but Michigan also had to contain
Tristen Edwards. Edwards — the
reigning Big Ten Player of the
Week — entered the series with a
.444 batting average, 1.000 slug-
ging percentage, three home runs
and six RBIs. Beaubien and Storako
kept the power-hitter at bay, limit-
ing her to a .143 batting average and
just one RBI while striking her out
three times over the three game
series.
“We weren’t going to let their best
hitter beat us,” Hutchins said
When the Wolverines’ pitching
performance dipped on Friday for
the final game of the Nebraska series,
so did their chances. Beaubien and
Storako combined for an unchar-
acteristic four earned runs and the
offense couldn’t pick up the slack en
route to a 4-5 loss. Michigan’s pitch-
ing rotation got back into form for its
three game series against Wiscon-
sin. Giving up only one earned run
throughout the series, the Wolver-
ines swept the Badgers.
Following a five inning run-rule
shutout from Storako in the first
game of Saturday’s double-header
against Wisconsin, the Wolverines
started senior right-hander Sarah
Schaefer. The start was Schaefer’s
first in-game action since 2019.
Throughout the young season,
Hutchins has stressed the impor-
tance of finding reliable pitching
to compliment Beaubien and Stor-
ako, especially since Michigan is
enduring a compacted schedule
in the shortened season.
On Saturday, Schaefer answered
the call. She posted three shutout
innings, surrendering three hits and
striking out a batter before Storako
came in relief to complete the 3-0 vic-
tory for the Wolverines.
“(Schaefer) was really well pre-
pared, both physically and mentally,”
Beaubien said. “We need her to do a
job, we need everyone to do a job, and
she did her job.”
Added Hutchins: “It’s hard enough
to play the same team three times …
they get on to your pitchers, you’ve
got to have different looks. Schaefer
has a much different look than Stor-
ako, and Storako and Schaefer both
have different looks than Beaubien, so
it can be very effective if we can make
it work.”
Over the weekend, Michigan’s
pitchers certainly made it work. With
slight improvements, but a continued
lack of consistency from batters, once
again the pitchers carried the mantle,
this time to a strong 5-1 weekend.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan’s pitching was once again key in its success this weekend.
PAUL NASR
Daily Sports Writer
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
No. 2 Michigan continues
winning streak on senior day
against No. 10 Minnesota
Staring down his target, senior Nick
Guy readied for his last ever run on the
floor at Cliff Keen. All eyes fell onto him
as he began his charge into the final pass,
yet to stick it this year. Guy leapt into the
air as the crowd fell into a hush. Both feet
came down and landed on the mat, no
movement or lean. The crowd erupted,
celebrating the best performance of the
day on the floor.
The
No.
2
Wolverines’
men’s
gymnastic team (6-0 overall, 5-0 Big
Ten) continued its winning streak over
Minnesota (1-4, 1-4), with a final score of
412.800-384.400.
“If it’s going to be my last night in Cliff
Keen Arena I definitely want to finish at
the highest point I can,” Guy said.
Sunday’s meet against the Gophers
highlighted Michigan’s seniors, who
have been a dominant force so far this
season. Along with senior captains
Cameron Bock and Jacob Moore, Guy
and the rest of the seniors were honored
at the end of the night with plaques and
gifts, surrounded by their family.
“Our captains are a really strong
influence on everyone and how the team
performs,” sophomore Markus Shears
said.
However, on Sunday, this praise did
not come unwarranted. The Wolverines’
seniors took home the top score in every
event besides the high bar and vault,
which were both won by sophomore Paul
Juda.
“They are the glue,” Michigan coach
Kurt Golder said. “I have been with
them for four or five years. They are just
a fantastic group and I am going to miss
the heck out of them. I wish they were
staying another year or even a few more
years beyond that.”
It became clear that this senior
leadership was what motivated the
Wolverines from the get-go, with
Michigan taking a double-digit lead
after the first events concluded. This was
accomplished on the floor with a solid
performance by Moore, who took home
a 14.150, trailing only Guy with a score of
14.250. On pommel horse, the Wolverines
continued their hot streak by taking the
meet’s top four scores. Michigan’s time
on pommel horse was highlighted with
a career-high of 14.050 from Shears, who
trailed only Bock with a 14.200.
As the meet advanced into the
second round, it became evident that
Minnesota would not be able to keep
up with the Wolverines. Tough falls
and an injury to Andrew Hyde did not
help the Gophers’ efforts in mounting a
comeback. Michigan did not let up and
took the top five highest scores on still
rings. Minnesota’s Ben Eyles made an
effort to stop the Wolverine dominance,
earning the Gopher’s best score of the
day on vault, but Eyles only scored third
overall behind Guy (14.600) and Juda
(14.700).
With only two events remaining,
the Wolverines boasted a 20-point lead
over the Gophers. Bock appeared last on
parallel bars for Michigan, earning the
highest score of the meet (14.550). On
the high bar, Juda capped off a dominant
night for the Wolverines with the top
score of 14.550.
With a 6-0 start, the Wolverines have
high hopes for the remainder of the
season, having started to realize the true
potential of this team.
“Going into the postseason, the teams
to beat are Stanford and Oklahoma, but
I would say we are right with them,”
senior James Read said. “I would say they
should be scared.”
Added Guy: “We are getting into
the process of getting consistent and
knowing that every routine we put up
and every guy that we have in our lineup
is trustworthy and can score well for us.”
An almost perfect meet left Golder
proud of his team and his seniors, but
Michigan recognizes that there remains
a way to go.
“We do not want to peak just yet, but
we are close,” Golder said.
DYLAN OFFMAN
For The Daily
Tough loss shows the danger of two-goal leads
A two-goal lead is the worst lead
in hockey.
It’s an old saying in the sport,
but for the Michigan hockey team,
Monday night’s crushing 3-2 over-
time loss proved it’s one that still
holds true.
Through 40 minutes of action,
the Wolverines looked well on their
way to the Big Ten Tournament
championship game. They scored
an early goal, forced Minnesota to
chase the game and held a com-
manding 2-0 lead.
But that two-goal lead turned out
to be a detriment. Getting a second
goal can cause a team to ease up
defensively and try to coast their
way to the finish. Michigan had its
eyes on that finish line, but Minne-
sota thought differently.
“Anytime you give up a goal, it
gives the team who scores some
life and energy and they fed off of
that,” Michigan coach Mel Pearson
said. “(They) got a bad break, a bad
bounce and scored that second goal
and, from that point on, it’s any-
body’s game.”
The Wolverines gave up an early
third period goal as the puck found
its way through the five hole of
junior goalie Strauss Mann. The
margin for error tightened and sud-
denly, Minnesota had momentum
after finding itself on life support
just moments earlier.
Michigan now clung to a one-
goal lead but responded with a flur-
ry of chances to push the lead back
to two — including a breakaway
attempt from freshman forward
Thomas Bordeleau. But as time
dwindled down, it was the Golden
Gophers who had the momentum.
“We had a couple of real good
looks to expand the lead to 3-1 and
we couldn’t,” Pearson said. “(Min-
nesota) kept hanging around.”
With five minutes to go, a wrist
shot from Minnesota forward
Sampo Ranta took an awkward
bounce and found its way past
Mann again, tying the game at
two.
“I think they were two pretty
weird goals,” junior defenseman
Nick Blankenburg said. “We have
Strauss’s back. Sometimes you just
have those nights.”
The once-secure two goal lead
had evaporated. The goals may not
have been textbook or flashy, but
nonetheless, Michigan had taken
its foot off the gas and allowed
the Golden Gophers to generate a
majority of the chances in the final
minutes. The game had complete-
ly flipped.
Even if it took overtime, it felt
like it was only a matter of time
until Minnesota was going to win
the contest.
The overtime period proved
that to be a correct assumption.
The Golden Gophers dominated
possession and just six minutes
in, Minnesota forward Sammy
Walker buried a rebound attempt
to complete the comeback.
Monday’s stunning defeat rep-
resented a major missed oppor-
tunity for Michigan. As they
entered the third period up 2-0,
it appeared the Wolverines had
done everything they needed to
do to propel themselves to the title
game — and more importantly
have a shot at an automatic bid.
But instead, they stumbled and
the old adage about two goal leads
remained true.
Prior to this game, Michigan
was 12-0 in games when it got
the first goal. Getting out to fast
starts has been a point of emphasis
for the team all year. But against
a talented team like the Golden
Gophers, taking care of that lead
turned out to be a lot more diffi-
cult.
Michigan will still likely make
the NCAA Tournament regardless
of this result. But now, the Wolver-
ines will have to wait until Sunday
to hear their postseason fate.
“I don’t think this is their last
game,” Pearson said. “But you
never know.”
JOSH TAUBMAN
Daily Sports Writer
MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily