Michigan @ IU, Game 1: Lack of offense (again) cost IU, 3-2...

[ptrich]

DH today because of weather.

LHP Ty Bothwell is on the mound for IU with an ERA of 5.21 in 65.2 IP and a WHIP of 1.20 with an OBA of .260. The batting order is the same as it was at Nebraska.

RHP Kurt Barr is on the mound for Michigan with an ERA of 3.67 in 73.2 IP and a WHIP of 1.26.

1st inning:

T1st:

Bothwell put them down in order to include two Ks.

B1st:

Taylor hit a homer to leadoff. Pyne and Mitchell both grounded out. Cerny then singled and Brenczewski flied out to end the inning.

End of 1st: IU 1 Michigan 0

 

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2nd inning:

T2nd:

Bothwell faced the middle of the order and he got the leadoff hitter on a foul out. Bothwell then got a grounder for the 2nd out.

With two outs, Bothwell hit a batter to put UM's first runner on.

A single put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs. Bothwell got a K to retire the side.

B2nd:

It's the 6 thru 8 hitters up with Tibbitts leading off. Tibbitts grounded out for the first out.

Mathison popped up in the infield for the 2nd out. Stadler also popped up in the infield to end the inning.

End of 2nd: IU 1 Michigan 0

 

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3rd inning:

T3rd:

Bothwell faced the 9 thru 2 hitters. Bothwell got the leadoff hitter on a K and UM was back to the top of the order. Pyne made a diving grab of a foul ball to get the 2nd out. A groundout retired the side as Bothwell put them down in order.

B3rd:

It's the 9 thru 2 hitters up with Oliver leading off. Oliver and Taylor both grounded out.

Pyne singled to put a runner on with two outs. Pyne stole 2nd.

Mitchell walked on a full count to put runners at 1st and 2nd with two outs and Cerny at the plate.

Cerny hit a deep fly that was caught just in front of the LF wall and that ended the inning.

End of 3rd: IU 1 Michigan 0

 

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4th inning:

T4th:

Bothwell faced the 3 thru 5 hitters. Bothwell Kd the first two batters. Bothwell then walked a batter on a 3-1 count. A two-out single put runners on 1st and 2nd.

A two-out double scored two runs to give Michigan the lead at 2-1. A groundout retired the side. After two outs to start the inning, they plated two runs.

B4th:

It's the 5 thru 7 hitters up with Brenczewski leading off. Brenczewski and Tibbitts both flied out for two outs. Stadler grounded out and IU went down in order.

End of 4th: Michigan 2 IU 1

 

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5th inning:

T5th:

Bothwell faced the 9 thru 2 hitters. Bothwell Kd the leadoff hitter. Bothwell put them down in order.

B5th:

It was the 8 thru 1 hitters up as IU tries to find some offense. Stadler doubled to lead off.

Oliver grounded out with Stadler taking 3rd and one out.

Taylor singled to score Stadler to tie the game with Pyne up and one out. Pyne hit into a DP to end the inning. Michigan leads the nation in DPs.

End of 5th: IU 2 Michigan 2

 

[Im4iu89]

5th inning:

T5th:

Bothwell faced the 9 thru 2 hitters. Bothwell Kd the leadoff hitter. Bothwell put them down in order.

B5th:

It was the 8 thru 1 hitters up as IU tries to find some offense. Stadler doubled to lead off.

Need some hits. Bothwell pitching well.

 

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6th inning:

T6th:

Bothwell faced the 3 thru 5 hitters and he got the first two batters on a pop up and a groundout. UM challenged the groundout, but the call was upheld.

A two-out single put a man on. Bothwell then walked a batter on a full count to put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs and this inning is similar to the 4th inning when UM got two runs after Bothwell got the first two outs. Bothwell got a groundout to retire the side.

B6th:

It's the 3 thru 5 hitters up with Mitchell leading off. Mitchell hit a grounder up the middle, but UM was in a shift and it ended up being a groundout. Cerny Kd swinging for the 2nd out.

Brenczewski got a two-out single with Tibbitts up. Tibbitts walked on a 3-1 count to put runners at 1st and 2nd with two outs and Mathison up.

UM went to the bullpen and brought in LHP Jacob Denner with an ERA of 4.09 in 72.2 IP and a WHIP of 1.29.

Mathison flied out to the warning track to end the inning, and IU's dearth of runs in early innings continued.

End of 6th: IU 2 Michigan 2

 

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7th inning:

T7th:

Bothwell was relieved by RHP Drew Buhr with an ERA of 3.41 in 34.1 IP and a WHIP of 1.25, and he faced the 8 thru 1 hitters. Buhr got back-to-back infield pop ups for two outs, and a flyout retired the side as Buhr put them down in order.

B7th:

It was the 8 thru 1 hitters up for IU. Stadler grounded out for the first out. Oliver fouled out to 1B for the 2nd out. Taylor grounded out and it was another inning of nothing at the plate as IU went down in order.

End of 7th: IU 2 Michigan 2

 

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8th inning:

T8th:

Buhr faced the 2 thru 4 hitters and he got the first two batters on a foul out and flyout.

The next batter clubbed a solo homer to RF to give UM the lead at 3-2 and all three runs scored by Michigan today have come after two outs. A lineout retired the side.

B8th:

It's the 2 thru 4 hitters up with Pyne leading off. Pyne singled to lead off.

Mitchell reached on a FC with Pyne out a 2nd and Mitchell's speed prevented a DP.

Cerny hit a hard liner to LF that had homer distance but was foul, and then he hit into IU's 2nd DP of the game by UM to end the inning.

End of 8th: Michigan 3 IU 2

 

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9th inning:

T9th:

Buhr faced the 6 thru 8 hitters. After going 2-2 on the leadoff hitter, Buhr walked him to put a runner on.

A FC got the runner at 2nd and one out with IU challenging the play claiming interference with Cerny's throw to 1st. The umps upheld the call with the runner at 1st being safe.

A lineout to LF got the 2nd out with the runner still at 1st. A K retired the side.

B9th:
IU was down to their last three outs with the 5 thru 7 hitters up and Brenczewski leading off. Brenczewski hit a fly with two UM outfielders running into each other and he reached on a double.

Wiggins pinch ran for Brenczewski. Tibbitts Kd for the first out.

Mathison grounded out with Wiggins having to hold at 2nd. Stadler was hit by a pitch to put runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs.

Colopy came in to run for Stadler with Oliver up. Oliver lined out to RF to end the game with a leadoff double wasted with the runner never getting past 2nd.

Final: Michigan 3 IU 2

 

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There will be a longer than normal delay between games with the next one starting at 5 p.m. ET because of BTN scheduling. There could be rain in the area at that time.

 

[Bucket Getter]

This team. 🙄

 

[ptrich]

Who would have thought that this team's weakness going into the end of the regular season would be the hitting with the pitching being pretty good. One was considered the strength of the team while the other was a big question mark going into the season. Our pitching in the Nebraska series was good enough that we could have gotten a sweep there yet we ended up 1-2 because of weak hitting. Our pitching today was good enough to win the game if we could have a strung some hits together, but it was nothing doing.

IU outhit Michigan, 8 to 5, and IU was 8 for 33 for a team average of .242, while Michigan was 5 for 32 for an average of .156. IU was 1 for 11 with runners on and 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and this has become a pattern over the last seven games.

Taylor was pretty much the only offense that IU had today when it came to scoring runs since he went 2 for 4 and he hit a leadoff homer to start the game, and then got an RBI in the 5th for both of IU's RBIs.

Brenczewski was 2 for 4 with a leadoff double in the 9th, but after being replaced by Wiggins as a pinch runner, IU never could get Wiggins past 2nd even though there were no outs at the time.

Pyne was 2 for 4 but his hits didn't lead to anything from a scoring standpoint.

Stadler had a double, but he was stranded on the bases.

There were no errors by either team.

We can't blame the pitching for this loss. When you give up just three runs over nine innings, this team should win that game.

Bothwell - 6.0 IP, 4 hits to include a double and 2 earned runs, 7 Ks, 2 BBs, and a hit batter,

Buhr (L) - 3.0 IP, 1 hit which was a solo homer and 1 earned run, 1 K, and 1 BB.

Game 2 is at 5 p.m. on BTN.