The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 — 15 

Michigan drops two of three games 
in wild weekend series at Rutgers

JOSHUA BROWN
Daily Sports Writer

When junior left-hander Connor 
O’Halloran gave up four runs before 
recording a single out in Friday’s 
series opener at Rutgers, it was clear 
that the Michigan baseball team 
was in for a hectic weekend.
After 
massive 
momentum 
swings like a weather delay, Michi-
gan coach Tracy Smith being 
ejected and 43 combined runs, 
O’Halloran’s rough start proved to 
be the beginning of the chaos.
This left the Wolverines (19-
16 overall, 7-5 Big Ten) with a 1-2 
weekend record against the Scarlet 
Knights (20-16, 4-5) while yet again 
searching to find their top-end form 
in conference play.
O’Halloran’s rough first inning 
on Friday forced Smith’s hand early. 
He made a risky choice to effec-
tively concede the game in favor of 
keeping O’Halloran available for 
Sunday. Compounding that deci-
sion was his reluctance to burn his 
team’s top relievers in a game that 
started looking like a lost cause.
“I don’t like saying ‘concede it’ 
because we’re still trying to win 
after that,” Smith said. “But the fac-
tors were, in at least my interpreta-
tion of, ‘Hey, maybe he doesn’t have 
his best stuff right now. Let’s (pull 
him from the game) right now when 

the pitch count’s down (and) he can 
bounce back.’ ”
This gamble ultimately paid off. 
While the Wolverines were shut out 
in a 13-0 loss on Friday night, Smith 
deliberately put the weaker reliev-
ers of his thin pitching staff on the 
mound to keep the best ones fresh.
O’Halloran then came back on 
Sunday morning in the resump-
tion of the weather-suspended 
game from Saturday to pitch six 
relief innings, only giving up two 
more runs to earn the win. But 
O’Halloran was only in the position 
for a win because of the resilient 
hitting that brought Michigan back 
from an early 6-0 deficit on Satur-
day.
It was pivotal for the Wolverines 
to knot the game up at six in the 
top of the fourth inning before the 
weather suspension, as they were 
reeling off two poor starts from 
their aces to start the weekend. 
After chipping away with three 
runs in the third inning, a home run 
by senior second baseman Ted Bur-
ton leveled the score.
“Just sticking to the process, just 
staying with it, knowing that we can 
do it and just a lot of big at bats from 
a lot of guys on the team,” graduate 
first baseman Jack Van Remortel 
said. “(Burton) hit that home run, 
that was huge for us. So guys just 
sticking with it, playing as a team 
and trusting it.”
And in Sun-
day’s 
resump-
tion, it was Van 
Remortel’s own 
clutch 
hitting 
that 
brought 
Michigan 
all 
the way back for 
their lone win of 
the series. 
With 
the 
game 
tied 
at 
eight 
in 
the 
eighth 
inning, 
an RBI single 

by Van Remortel gave the Wol-
verines a lead they never relin-
quished. He added two more 
insurance runs in the ninth with a 
two-RBI single, his third hit of the 
game, to stretch the advantage to 
the final score of 13-8.
Coming off the suspended 
game win, Michigan was well-
positioned for the second game 
of the quasi-doubleheader thanks 
to Smith’s decision to withhold 
his best relievers after yanking 
O’Halloran following the first 
inning on Friday. The Wolverines 
had their top three relievers avail-
able in senior right-hander Noah 
Rennard, freshman right-hander 
Mitch Voit and senior left-hander 
Jacob Denner.
 
“We felt like we were in pretty 
good shape going into the third 
game because we had (Rennard), 
Denner and Voit all available, and 
everybody else in the pen,” Smith 
said. “But we just didn’t do a real 
good job offensively. … Not happy 
that we didn’t take the series 
because I felt like we were in a 
pretty good position even after 
the blowout on Friday.”
While the hitting also floun-
dered early, as Michigan missed 
prime opportunities with runners 
in scoring position, Rennard’s 
unraveling in the fourth proved 
costly for the Wolverines’ hopes of 
a series win in their 6-3 loss. Ren-
nard gave up five runs in his 3.2 
innings pitched, with four in that 
fatal fourth inning.
Fittingly 
punctuating 
the 
mayhem of the series, Smith was 
tossed in the sixth inning of Sun-
day’s second game for arguing a 
close play at first involving senior 
right fielder Joey Velazquez, 
heading off in a golf cart with his 
backpack in hand.
In a hectic series, Michigan 
found itself leaving the Garden 
State digging around in the dirt 
for its identity once again.

Sports

BASEBALL

Michigan’s consistency at bat leads to 2-1 outing against Purdue

TASMIA JAMIL
Daily Sports Writer

When the Michigan softball 
team places runners on base, it 
tends to primarily rely on oppos-
ing defensive lapses and sacrifice 
outs to bring them home. But 
against Purdue over the week-
end, it combined that offensive 
identity with its hitting prowess, 
tallying 21 total hits in the series 
to capitalize on scoring opportu-
nities.
While the Wolverines (22-16 
overall, 8-5 Big Ten) fell short of a 
sweep on the verge of a late come-
back in the second game of the 
series on Saturday, the offensive 
rhythm led to comfortable book-
end wins in a 2-1 showing against 
the Boilermakers (19-24, 3-11). 
Opening the series on Friday, 
Michigan 
pressured 
Purdue’s 
defense early. Facing a full count 
in the first inning, graduate center 
fielder Lexie Blair slotted the ball 
toward center field for a double. A 
fielding error on the play allowed 
Blair to use her speed, sliding in 
to steal third base before a sacri-
fice groundout brought her home. 
In the following inning, graduate 

first baseman Melina Livingston 
belted one over the center field 
wall to give the Wolverines a 2-0 
lead. 
“We scored in the first two 
innings that we played, so that’s 
always good to get some momen-
tum going,” Michigan coach Bon-
nie Tholl said. “They don’t feel 
the burden of having to score 
constantly. They know that their 
teammates were able to come up 
and put things in play, and that’s 
contagious.” 
With an early lead and soph-
omore 
right-hander 
Lauren 
Derkowski controlling the game 
from the circle, the Wolverines 
looked to build on the momen-
tum. They continued to tally hits 
and scoring opportunities, but 
couldn’t capitalize. Finally, in 
the sixth inning, graduate right 
fielder Ellie Mataya’s home run 
broke the game wide open for 
Michigan. 
The Wolverines, feeding off 
of the offensive rhythm, quickly 
loaded the bases. In a position 
where they have struggled most 
of the season — often leaving run-
ners stranded — this time, they 
capitalized on the opportunity. 
Utilizing a passed ball to bring 

the runner home, they extended 
the lead, 4-0. 
While the run capped off 
Michigan’s scoring production 
on Friday, its aggressive at bats 
— finding gaps to consistently 
slot the ball to and maximizing 
on the Boilermakers’ defensive 
lapses for extra bases — created a 

coherent offensive rhythm. That 
rhythm remained in the Wolver-
ines’ favor as they tallied seven 
hits to compliment Derkowski’s 
first career no-hitter and ulti-
mately secure a 4-0 win. 
In the second game of the 
series on Saturday, though, the 
offensive momentum seemed to 

disappear. Michigan attempted 
to drop the ball into the outfield 
but instead landed the ball in the 
Boilermakers’ gloves every time.
“We were trying to do too 
much, not really just letting 
things happen,” Livingston said. 
“Once we started to settle in, try-
ing to get people more relaxed in 
the box … letting things happen 
just sticking to a process.” 
With a shaky performance 
from junior right-hander Jessica 
LeBeau in the previous innings — 
hitting four batters with pitches 
and allowing the runner to score 
on a wild pitch — Purdue took an 
early 3-0 lead.
The Wolverines’ bats finally 
came alive in the fourth inning as 
sophomore left fielder Ellie Sieler 
recorded a double for their first 
hit of the game. And from there 
on, Michigan returned to its Fri-
day form. A double from junior 
catcher Keke Tholl to right field 
resulted in an RBI double in the 
sixth inning, bringing the score 
to 3-2. But it was too little too late 
as the Wolverines took a game 
two loss. 
Heading into the second game 
of the doubleheader on Saturday, 
Michigan picked up where it left 
MARIA DECKMANN/Daily

off in the sixth inning of the first 
game. After scoring on a throw, 
senior third baseman Audrey 
LeClair hit a triple before coming 
home on an RBI single in the fifth 
inning. 
“Audrey is a gamer,” Livings-
ton said. “She’s a high energy 
player, so when we get her at high 
energy, the team can really feed 
off of that.” 
The offense did exactly that. 
With two outs in the fifth inning, 
Keke’s triple for an RBI double, 
followed by a fielding error that 
brought her home, extended the 
Wolverines’ lead to 5-0. While 
Michigan didn’t score for the rest 
of the game, it tallied hits in back-
to-back innings to maintain the 
offensive flow and pressure the 
Boilermakers’ defense on its way 
to the series-clinching victory. 
Whether it was power hits or 
smart base running, the Wolver-
ines found multiple ways to score 
throughout the weekend, taking 
advantage of the opportunities 
presented to them by Purdue’s 
defense. Regardless of the loss in 
the second game, Michigan dem-
onstrated its ability to find con-
sistency at bat — something it has 
struggled to find all season long.

Michigan falls just short, finishes 
second at NCAA Championship

IAN PRCHLIK
Daily Sports Writer

In the narrow landscape of 
NCAA men’s gymnastics, one 
program sits atop the throne. 
Stanford has dominated the 
past four years, winning nation-
al championships in 2019, 2021 
and 2022. The lone year with-
out a Cardinal championship 
was 2020, canceled due to the 
COVID-19 pandemic. 
On Saturday, the No. 2 Michi-
gan 
men’s 
gymnastics 
team 
(22-9 overall) had the opportu-
nity to change that narrative at 
the NCAA Championships Meet 
— but ultimately fell short.
Despite setting a new season 
record with a total team score of 
419.889, the Wolverines fell just 
short of Stanford, as the Car-
dinal won yet another national 
championship. Stanford main-
tained its seat atop the sport, 
and Michigan settled for second 
fiddle to the Cardinal’s 422.458 
points.
“I’m super proud of our fresh-
men,” Michigan coach Yuan 
Xiao said. “Fred Richard, and 
also Landen (Blixt) are two guys 
that give the team so 
much confidence.” 
The freshmen rightly 
earned Xiao’s praise as 
Richard was the hero 
for Michigan. He won 
individual titles in par-
allel bars and high bars 
to boost him to the all-
around title.
While 
Richard, 
became a three-event 
national champion, fel-
low freshman Blixt and 
senior Adam Wooten 
paced the Wolverines’ 
floor 
routine, 
both 
scored 14.233s which 
pushed Michigan ahead 

of Oklahoma for second place. 
Richard lost the execution-score 
tiebreaker to Kleuber in his floor 
routine, an impressive 14.800, 
but remained pleased with his 
performance.
“When you compete for the 
team and you succeed, every-
body feels like they succeeded,” 
Richard said. “It’s a whole differ-
ent feeling.”
Michigan’s success during the 
first day of the meet as they set 
their then-season-record score 
of 413.992 to advance to day two 
for a shot at the finals.
“I think a lot of things went 
well on day one, we just knew 
we had to qualify … and we did 
that,” Senior Adam Wooten said. 
“A lot of day one was conserv-
ing our energy and keeping our 
minds right.”
The calm and positive energy 
put forth by the senior leader 
was evident in the Wolverine’s 
day two performance, when they 
set another team record en route 
to their runner-up finish.
“Once we got to day two, one 
thing we did well was to stay 
loose, stay calm, and roll with 
the punches as they came,” Woo-
ten said. “That really helped us 

minimize mistakes and react 
pretty well when we did have 
the couple mistakes that we 
had.”
The most minor of mistakes 
remained between the Wolver-
ines and the national champi-
onship. A sub-par routine from 
Richard on the pommel horse 
and a trio of falls on Michigan’s 
high-bar routine were the dif-
ference. However, Michigan’s 
program is building something 
that Xiao is excited about.
“Last year we were 10 points 
behind the number one team 
which is Stanford,” Xiao said. 
“This year we closed the gap to 
one or two points. It was a big 
gap that we closed.”
Growth and progress will 
remain imperative for Xiao’s 
program, which is looking to 
return to the success it found in 
back-to-back national champi-
onships in 2013 and 2014 when 
Xiao was an assistant coach. 
“We’re working hard and 
are happy with where we are 
at,” Xiao said. “So in the next 
two years, we can bring the 
trophy back to Michigan.” 
For now though, second 
place will have to do.

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

Fred Richard wins parallel bars, high bar, all-around NCAA titles

When the Michigan men’s gym-
nastic team won its third straight 
regular season Big Ten title on 
March 18, freshman Fred Richard 
wasn’t in the building.
In fact, he wasn’t even in the 
country. Richard was in Germany 
competing for Team USA as the 
Wolverines squared off against 
Illinois for the conference title. On 
Saturday, Michigan once again 
faced the Fighting Illini with hard-
ware on the line. This time, Richard 
was in the lineup — and he made an 
impact.
In his first NCAA Champion-
ship, Richard won the parallel bars, 
high bar and all-around titles.
“College meets, energy wise, 
(are) just a whole different experi-
ence,” Richard said. “It’s so fun.”
Richard has been dominant all 
season. The true freshman was 
crowned the Big Ten all-around 
champion just a couple weeks 

prior, named Big Ten Freshman 
of the Year and owns the top score 
among Wolverines in three of the 
six events. Coming into the NCAA 
Championship, Richard was fresh 
off dominating performances in the 
NCAA Nationals Qualifier and the 
Big Ten Championship. 
After a career best on the floor, 
Richard stared down the pommel 
horse. Michigan ranks in the top 
four in the country in each event 
except pommel, where it is only 
eighth. Richard has been one of the 
Wolverines’ best performers in the 
event; his services were badly need-
ed if Michigan looked to claim a 
national championship. He scored a 
12.83. It was the lowest score among 
his teammates and third lowest of 
the event. 
“I didn’t know if I’d still win the 
(all-around) after the pommel,” 
Richard said.
But 
Richard 
bounced 
back 
strong. Despite his freshman status, 
Richard’s presence is mature. He 
has taken on a difficult role in his 
freshman year and, despite missing 

part of it competing overseas right 
before, led the Wolverines to a 20th 
Big Ten Championship.
“It’s not an easy job to be the 
all-around,” Michigan coach Yuan 
Xiao said.
And with the absence of last 
year’s all-around, senior Paul Juda, 
in 2023, Richard has had to step up 
into this already-difficult role in the 
shadow of a Nissen-Emery award 
recipient. 

At the root of this maturity is 
Richard’s routine, which borders on 
professional. The freshman doesn’t 
let vices get in the way of his per-
formance on the floor and is clear 
about his intention to put gymnas-
tics first.
“Some guys think their training 
is only the three hours, four hours 
that they’re in the gym but then 
they (start) eating bad food, not 
sleeping as well, partying,” Richard 

said. “… While (I’m) in college, still 
maintaining everything towards 
getting better at the sport, I think 
that mentality is what separates 
me.”
It was on Saturday, April 15, 
where that separation was evident. 
Despite an all-time low score in the 
pommel, Richard scored back to 
back 14.6s on the rings and vault. 
As he jumped up to the chalk-laden 
parallel bars, Michigan sat precari-
ously in third; it had bounced back 
well in rings, but a low pommel 
score still rang softly in its ears. 
Richard eased the noise with a 
meet-high 15.000 on the parallel 
bars. The freshman had brought his 
team back into the top two, solidi-
fied his position at the top of the 
all-around charts and earned him-
self an NCAA championship for the 
event. 
As Fred Richard’s feet hit the mat 
for a final time, he had secured his 
second and third titles. His high bar 
routine anchored the Wolverines 
event, and while Richard’s 14.433 
topped the meet, it wasn’t enough 

to vault Michigan past Stanford.
“I just felt super proud,” Richard 
said. “All five of us on our high bar 
rotation did amazing.”
Richard’s high bar performance 
is not only indicative of his ability 
to make in-meet adjustments, but 
to redeem himself from previous 
meets’ mistakes. Friday, in NCAA 
Qualifiers, he had fallen on high 
bar. Saturday, he was the high bar 
champion.
“(The high bar score) is like a 
redemption 
moment,” 
Richard 
said.
The freshman ended with a 
score of 85.998, clearing his near-
est competitor by more than two 
points. Despite an uncharacteristic 
pommel horse, Richard became 
the 14th Michigan gymnast to be 
crowned the all-around champion, 
and third to take home three cham-
pionships in one night. 
Despite a late, valiant push, the 
Wolverines finished second overall 
behind Stanford on Saturday. 
But freshman Fred Richard is a 
national champion. 

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

JENNA HICKEY/Daily
EMILY ALBERTS/Daily

LUCAS SZENTGYORGYI
Daily Sports Writer

LILA TURNER/Daily

SOFTBALL