Michigan Drops See-Saw Affair as FAU Scores Two in Ninth for Walkoff Win

Tuesday, March 1

Boca Raton, Fla.

6:30 PM

Michigan

5-3

Florida Atlantic

6-3

Michigan

Florida Atlantic

Clark Elliott (Michigan Photography)

Michigan Drops See-Saw Affair as FAU Scores Two in Ninth for Walkoff Win

3/1/2022 10:29:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Kurt Svoboda

» FAU scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning for the walk-off win.
» Michigan claimed a late lead thanks to a three-run eighth inning.
» Ted Burton had four hits, including three doubles.
» Making his first career start, Noah Rennard struck out the side in the first and fanned six of the first nine batters he faced.

Site: Boca Raton, Fla. (FAU Baseball Stadium)
Score: Florida Atlantic 9, Michigan 8
Records: U-M (5-3), FAU (6-3)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, March 2 -- at Florida Atlantic (Boca Raton, Fla.) 6:30 p.m.

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- The University of Michigan baseball team could not hold a late lead Tuesday night (March 1) as the Wolverines fell to Florida Atlantic University by a score of 9-8 at FAU Baseball Stadium.

Trailing by a run in the ninth, FAU was down to its final two outs before three walks, a double and a game-winning single dashed Michigan's hopes of remaining perfect on its current road trip.

Michigan led early, but FAU methodically came back and took the lead in the seventh inning. In the eighth, Ted Burton (four hits) led off with his third double of the game and Alex Fedje-Johnson was then hit by a pitch. With two outs, and with two strikes, Clark Elliott lined a two-run triple down the right-field line, and he soon scored on a hustle double from Joe Stewart to make it an 8-6 lead for Michigan.

FAU scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth, which would factor in the outcome as Michigan had to go through the top of the FAU batting order once more as a result.

A sacrifice fly off the bat of Matt Frey gave U-M a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and Tito Flores extended the lead to 3-0 with a sharp, two-out single to center in the third.

Noah Rennard, making his first U-M start, struck out the side in the first and fanned six of the first nine batters he faced. Rennard ended up going 3.0 innings, allowing five hits and two runs before hitting his pitch-count limit in the early going of the season.

Michigan scored two more in the top of the fourth with Elliott sending an RBI double to the wall in right before FAU got those runs back in the bottom of the frame thanks to three hits to start and a run-scoring double-play groundout.

Two innings later the game was tied as a pair of freshman relievers had command problems, allowing FAU to scratch out three runs over the fifth and sixth innings with only one hard-hit ball.

The leadoff walks continued in the seventh, and it continued to hurt U-M as another free pass resulted in FAU's first lead of the game with a one-out infield single scoring the sixth Owl run.

Burton's four hits led the way for Michigan, while Elliott and Stewart both had a double and triple in the game. All told, U-M hurlers issued nine walks as early-season control issues have been present.

The teams will close out their two-game series Wednesday night (March 2) with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.