Michigan Overpowers Rutgers, Qualifies for Big Ten Tournament

Thursday, May 19

Ann Arbor, Mich.

8:00 PM

Michigan

27-24, 11-11

Rutgers

40-13, 16-6

Rutgers

Michigan

Clark Elliott (Michigan Photography)

Michigan Overpowers Rutgers, Qualifies for Big Ten Tournament

5/19/2022 11:59:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Kurt Svoboda

» Michigan hit five home runs and was led by Clark Elliott, who hit two.
» Michigan pitchers worked out of jams, stranding 11 Rutgers baserunners in the game.
» All three U-M weekend starting pitchers saw action on the mound in the victory.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team hit five home runs Thursday (May 19) as the Wolverines defeated the Big Ten's first-place team, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, by a score of 9-6 at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.

Michigan's win, combined with other results around the conference, ensures that the Wolverines will qualify for the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha, Neb. next week.

Michigan (27-24, 11-11 B1G) started quickly as Clark Elliott hit his third leadoff home run of the season, crushing a 1-1 fastball 393 feet over the right field wall. Joe Stewart followed with a homer of his own on a titanic home run that came off his bat at 110 miles per hour and traveled 423 feet over the center field wall, giving U-M a 2-0 lead.

Rutgers (40-13, 16-6 B1G) tied the game in the second on a solo homer, a double and a two-out single to center field. Michigan starter Connor O'Halloran consistently wriggled out of trouble through the early going as the lefty struck out five batters and stranded runners on third base three separate times. Rutgers compiled just a 2-for-10 mark with runners on base through four innings.

Michigan reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Ted Burton scored Riley Bertram (double) with a sacrifice fly before Elliott connected for his second home run of the night.

Michigan couldn't hold the momentum as Rutgers capitalized on some bad luck in the fifth to take the lead. O'Halloran got what should have been an inning-ending strikeout with two outs, but the ball got away and Rutgers had a two-out base runner. A walk was followed by a long home run from RU's Jordan Sweeney, his second of the night, and the Scarlet Knights took a 5-4 advantage.

Just as quickly, Michigan reclaimed the lead as Matt Frey launched a double to start the bottom of the fifth and Jimmy Obertop rocketed an opposite-field home run to right to make it a 6-5 game. Two batters later, Joey Velazquez launched a two-run shot of his own -- this one deep over the right-center field wall -- and put Michigan up, 8-5.

Michigan turned to Noah Rennard on the mound and the righty responded with 1.1 innings of one-hit relief in which he struck out three batters and ultimately earned the win.

A bases-loaded walk to Bertram in the sixth made it a 9-5 score and Chase Allen came on to provide Michigan's first 1-2-3 inning as he blanked the Scarlet Knights in the seventh.

Rutgers scored an unearned run in the eighth but Allen again responded by stranding two more runners, bringing the visitors' count to 11 on the night.

Michigan went for the win, bringing in another weekend starter, Cameron Weston, to close the game out in the ninth. The righty retired all three batters he faced to earn his first save in the 2022 season.

Michigan and Rutgers will continue the weekend series on Friday evening (May 21) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium. The game will air live on the Big Ten Network. » Buy Tickets