Michigan loses to No. 24 Oklahoma State in back-and-forth affair

With two runners on base and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, senior second baseman Ted Burton stepped up to the plate. But as the fly ball flew off his bat and into Oklahoma State center fielder Zach Ehrhard’s glove, the Michigan baseball team’s hopes fell just short.

After a close back-and-forth affair, junior left-hander Connor O’Halloran and company eventually proved unable to keep up with the Cowboys’ potent offense. Once again, the Wolverines were close to victory — just not close enough.

In Saturday’s series opener after a Friday rainout, Michigan (21-19 overall) fell to Oklahoma State (29-13), 5-3, despite a solid outing from O’Halloran and the Wolverines offense.

“I don’t have a complaint about the way we played,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “… I thought we competed.”

From the first batter he faced, O’Halloran proved up to the task of pitching against the Cowboys. In the top of the first inning, O’Halloran recorded all three outs himself, catching a fly ball before picking up his first two strikeouts of the game in dominant fashion.

“(O’Halloran) was great,” Smith said. “He is who he is. That’s one of the better pitchers in the country. I just love when he’s out there because he’s gonna compete his tail end off, which he did again today.”

In the second inning, however, O’Halloran wasn’t so lucky. First baseman David Menham blasted the ball to right-center field, scoring Oklahoma State’s first run of the ballgame. Early on, the Cowboys took a 1-0 lead behind their potent offense.

But not for long. In the bottom of the side, the Wolverines showed they were capable of keeping up with Oklahoma State’s bats behind a home run from senior left fielder Tito Flores to tie the game at one. After O’Halloran gave up a run earlier in the inning, the offense made sure to get one back, rallying behind its pitcher.

Scoring one run wasn’t enough for the Cowboys, though. Outfielder Carson Benge hit an RBI groundout to put Oklahoma State up 2-1 in the top of the third inning. The Cowboys’ explosive offense showed itself to be as advertised, quickly turning the game into a question of whether or not Michigan could play catch up.

By the bottom of the inning, the Wolverines attempted to put that question to bed. Burton knocked in junior catcher Gabe Sotres with an RBI single to tie the game at two, proving Michigan was able to stay competitive — even with one of the best teams in the country.

But after a one-two-three inning in the fourth inning from O’Halloran, the Cowboys once again showcased their offensive might with a Benge sacrifice fly, granting them a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth. While the Wolverines continued to play catch up, Oklahoma State continued to set the tone.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Burton continued the pattern. His third hit and second RBI of the day was a solo home run over the left-field wall. Michigan once again proved its ability to bounce back while O’Halloran dealt on the mound in the form of another quick inning to keep the game tied at three.

“We’re never out of the fight,” Burton said. “We’ve come back from deficits all the time, and just our mentality, I love it.”

But in the seventh inning, the Cowboys struck again. Outfielder Zach Erhard blasted an RBI double off the left-field wall before he scored to give Oklahoma State a 5-3 lead, pulling O’Halloran out of the game in the process. Michigan once again found itself falling behind, and this time it was unable to stay afloat after its offense began to go cold — a problem that has plagued the Wolverines all season.

In Saturday’s game, Michigan proved Smith’s affirmations in his team’s capabilities correct. With someone like O’Halloran on the mound paired with an offense playing up to standard, the Wolverines truly can compete with anyone in the country. 

But when one aspect of its game struggles, so does Michigan as a whole. That’s exactly what happened on offense in Saturday’s late innings — and against a ranked team like Oklahoma State, that spelled disaster.