Thursday, June 10, 2021

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

After 
taking 
a 
strike, 

sophomore designated hitter 
Ted Burton stepped back into 
the batter’s box and pulled 
the second pitch of his fourth-
inning at-bat over the left-
field wall for a solo home run. 
The homer, and junior second 
baseman Riley Bertram’s third-
inning double, looked like signs 
that the Michigan baseball team 
had figured out Connecticut 
starter Austin Peterson and 
would begin to pile on the 
offense. 

Instead, 
Burton’s 
homer 

would be the second and final 
hit registered by the Wolverines 
in their 6-1 loss to the Huskies. 
Michigan threatened in other 
ways, walking six times and 
getting hit by three pitches, but 
the offense completely failed 
to capitalize on those scoring 
opportunities, hitting 0-11 with 
runners on base. 

“We drew a lot of walks and 

had some hit-by-pitches tonight, 
but we just didn’t hit,” Michigan 
coach Erik Bakich said. “It was 
not a good offensive day for us, 
and that was the difference.” 

The Wolverines put their 

first men on base in the top of 
the third. After two quick outs, 
Bertram’s double brought up 
the top of the order, and when 

sophomore right fielder Clark 
Elliott followed with a walk, 
Michigan threatened a two-
out rally that could change the 
momentum of the game. But 
sophomore 
left 
fielder 
Tito 

Flores, batting far above his 
usual position in the seven-
hole, ended the inning by lining 
out. 

Sophomore 
first 
baseman 

Jimmy Obertop began the top 
of the fifth by getting hit by 
a pitch, but his teammates 
couldn’t 
take 
advantage 
of 

the leadoff baserunner. Fifth-
year center fielder Christan 
Bullock and Bertram struck out 
swinging and Elliott flew out.

“I think guys were trying 

to do a little bit too much,” 
redshirt sophomore left-hander 
Steven Hajjar said. 

Long swings and a lack of 

plate 
discipline 
have 
been 

hallmarks of the Wolverines’ 
worst 
defeats 
this 
season, 

including last night’s. 

When Flores and Burton both 

reached base in the sixth, they 
attempted a double steal of 
second and third in an effort 
to break the 1-1 tie. Flores was 
thrown out at third. Fifth-year 
catcher Griffin Mazur followed 
with a walk, but the second 
flyout of the inning ended the 
threat. 

“I liked our preparation and 

I liked our approach,” Bakich 
said. “We made too much weak 

contact and too many outs in 
the air.” 

The top of the ninth opened 

with yet another flyout before 
Obertop 
and 
Bullock 
drew 

consecutive walks. Michigan 
couldn’t punish Connecticut for 
pitching around them; Bertram 
and Elliott struck out swinging 
to end the game, recording the 
ninth and tenth strikeouts in 
the process. 

The offense now has the 

unenviable task of rebounding 
in the high-stakes, must-win 
game against Central Michigan 
tomorrow. The Wolverines are 
confident in their ability to do 
just that. 

“If we play like we played 

tonight, the season is going to 
be over tomorrow,” Bakich said. 
“If I know these guys the way I 
think I know these guys, they’ll 
respond.” 

Added Hajjar: “I’m expecting 

the bats to be getting hot right 
about now. They’re warming 
them up as we speak, I think, 
and by tomorrow they’ll be red 
hot.”

Quiet offense dooms Michigan as Wolverines fall to UConn

Graduate 
transfer 
catcher 

Griffin Mazur swung and skied a 
pop-up to center field, where it was 
caught and stranded a runner in 
the eighth inning. The out summed 
up the evening for Michigan, as 
the offense sputtered and never 
got going against the Connecticut 
Huskies.

The Michigan baseball team 

(27-18 Big Ten) fell to the Huskies 
(34-17 overall, 13-4 Big East) 6-1 
in the opening game of the NCAA 
tournament.

Redshirt sophomore left-hander 

Steve Hajjar was on the hill for the 
Wolverines and had a solid outing, 
dominating early in the game before 
getting touched up late. Hajjar went 
six innings, allowing four runs 
while picking up nine strikeouts. 
Hajjar used his changeup very 
well, picking up a lot of swings and 
misses during his outing.

“Steve has been really good lately 

and he gave us a chance to win, 
which was a good game through 
five innings,” Michigan coach Erik 

Bakich said. “Then they scored 
two runs on a little squibber. … 
And that’s baseball, but if we were 
doing a better job offensively that 
might not have made such a big 
difference.”

Bakich made two big lineup 

decisions in centerfield and at 
designated hitter. He elected for 
the experience and defense of fifth-
year outfielder Christian Bullock 
and junior infielder Riley Bertram, 
who slotted in at second base and 
moved sophomore infielder Ted 
Burton to designated hitter.

“We decided to play the two 

guys who have played in regionals 
before,” Bakich said. “They bring 
the best defense and they also can 
handle the bat.”

Bertram proved Bakich right in 

his decision to roll with experience, 
coming up with a double to the gap 
in the third inning for Michigan’s 
first hit of the game. After a walk by 
sophomore outfielder Clark Elliott, 
sophomore outfielder Tito Flores 
came up with two on and two out. 
He pulled a line drive into the left 
field corner, but a leaping catch by 
the Husky outfielder prevented 
Bertram and Eliott from scoring to 

keep the game deadlocked at 0.

Bullock, too, delivered fantastic 

defense, including a spectacular 
diving catch in the eighth inning to 
rob an extra-base hit. Bullock also 
registered a walk in the game.

Hajjar ran into a bit of trouble in 

the fourth, where UConn opened 
the scoring. With a runner on 
third and two outs, Flores dove for 
a line drive in an attempt to save 
a run. But he was unable to make 
the diving catch, allowing a run to 
score and giving the Huskies a 1-0 
lead.

Michigan 
responded 
in 
the 

next inning, as the red-hot Burton 
ripped a solo shot to left to even the 
score at 1-1.

“We drew a lot of walks and had 

some hit by pitches tonight but we 
just didn’t hit,” Bakich said. “It was 
not a good offensive day for us and 
that was the difference. … We just 
didn’t have anything going.”

UConn finally did real damage 

to Hajjar in the sixth. A single and 
a perfectly executed hit-and-run, 
where the runner on first stole 
second, forcing Bertram to cover 
second while the batter slapped 
the ball through the vacated area 

between first and second, and 
where Bertram was put the Huskies 
in position to score. An RBI single 
from the next batter gave UConn a 
2-1 lead.

But the damage was not done. 

After catcher’s indifference set up 
second and third for UConn, an 
infield single allowed both runs to 
score, pushing the Husky lead to 
4-1.

Hajjar exited after the sixth, 

making way for graduate transfer 

right-hander Will Proctor. But 
Proctor did not fare better than 
Hajjar. A leadoff double and a bunt 
single set the table for Husky Erik 
Stock— who was already 3-for-3 
on the day. Stock improved his line 
further, launching a double into 
left field and plating both runners, 
forcing Proctor out of the game 
before he got any outs with the 
score 6-1.

 STEEL HURLEY
Daily Sports Writer

Wolverines consistently strand baserunners in loss

JACK WHITTEN
Daily Sports Writer

MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily

Michigan failed to bring it’s baserunners home in the 6-1 loss to the University of 
Connecticut.

MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily

Read more at michigandaily.com

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