Big eighth inning not enough, U-M sent to losers' bracket in 9-5 loss

Michigan baseball fell to 1-1 in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night with a 9-5 loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions. With the defeat, the Wolverines succumb prime position in the bottom half of the conference tournament, and Tracy Smith's squad will instead need to win three games (one over No. 1 seed Illinois and two over Penn State) to advance to the Big Ten Championship Game.

Senior pitcher Chase Allen got the start on the bump for the fourth-seeded Wolverines. Penn State got to Allen in the second inning when Tayven Kelley singled, but Michigan outfielder A.J. Garcia committed an error, which allowed a run to score.

In the top of the fifth inning, junior infielder Cole Caruso doubled, and it was quickly followed by a Will Rogers two-run home run, which gave Michigan its first lead of the game.

However, Penn State answered in the home half of the fifth inning with two runs of its own. Three hits and a trio of wild pitches allowed the Nittany Lions to regain the lead, 3-2.

Both teams went scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings, but the floodgates opened in the eighth frame.

Stephen Hrustich and Collin Priest each drew walks to open the top half of the eighth inning. Sophomore first baseman Mitch Voit then sent a jolt into the Michigan dugout with a three-run home run, giving the Wolverines a 5-3 lead.

Michigan proceeded to load the bases, but the threat ended with a Jonathan Kim strikeout.

Just minutes after relinquishing the lead, Penn State answered with a six-run eighth inning. The Nittany Lions opened the inning with a pair of singles, which was followed by a walk.

Then, Bryce Molinaro launched a grand slam to put Penn State back on top, 7-5. The Big Ten's No. 8 seed then added two more runs to pad the lead.

The Wolverines were unable to get the bats going in the top of the ninth inning, and Smith's squad dropped its first game of the Big Ten Tournament.

Now, Michigan's chances of putting together a deep run decrease drastically. Had the Wolverines won, they would have needed just one more win to advance to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game.

With the loss, though, Michigan falls to the losers' bracket, where it will have to stave off defeat three times to advance to the conference title game.

The trip through the losers' bracket will begin on Friday at approximately 8 p.m. EST. Michigan will face top-seeded and regular-season conference champion Illinois as it looks to avoid elimination.

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