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

