It was all Michigan all game long, until a Spartan rally in the eighth inning won game two of a three game set against the Wolverines in come from behind fashion, by a final score of 7-6.
U-M’s biggest scoring inning came in the first inning. Senior left fielder Matt Ramsay started the effort with a walk and advanced on a fielder’s choice. The next batter, junior catcher Harrison Wenson, ripped a single to left, scoring Ramsay. Following Wenson, senior center fielder Cody Bruder hit a home run past the 375-foot mark in left-center to make it 3-0.
Michigan added another in the third inning, sophomore third baseman Jake Bivens led the inning off with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error by junior second baseman Dan Durkin. Ramsay would move Bivens to third on a bunt and Bivens would score on a sac-fly from Wenson to make it 4-0.
The Wolverines tacked on another in the fifth inning, Bivens again reached base to start the rally but reached after being hit by a pitch. A sac-bunt moved Bivens to second and a groundout to second advanced him to third. Wenson followed up by doubling to left and making it a 5-0 game.
MSU reached the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to a home run hit by junior catcher Matt Byars, making it a 5-1 ball game. Byars’ third homer of the season extended his hitting streak to a season-long 16 games.
The Spartans then rallied together to push six runs across to take a 7-5 lead over Michigan in the eighth inning. Freshman pinch hitter Dan Chmielewski came in the game for senior outfielder Kris Simonton, and led the inning off with a single. MSU later sent 10 men to the plate for five hits in the inning and seven base-runners.
Michigan wouldn't go down without fighting, a single from freshman second baseman Ako Thomas and a double from Bivens made it a 7-6 game with two outs in the ninth.
Despite having a rocky start, sophomore starting pitcher Ethan Landon went 8.2 innings and allowed five earned runs on ten hits while striking out seven and only walking one. Sophomore Jake Lowery came out of the bullpen and closed the game out in one pitch when Ramsay flied out to center.
Following the win on Saturday, MSU is now 29-11 on the season and 9-5 in league play and the Wolverines now move to 29-11 on the year and 9-4 in the Big Ten standings. The rivals will play the deciding game three in Ann Arbor on Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
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