All-around inconsistencies lead to blowout loss for Michigan against Xavier

No matter how an offense performs, throwing strikes and controlling the mound is what wins games. And on Tuesday, the Michigan baseball team found itself on the wrong end of that statement, translating to an inconsistent outing across the board.

In the Wolverines’ final home game of the season, Michigan (26-23 overall) was dominated by Xavier (32-20), 14-2, despite a promising start.

Similar to its series against Northwestern, the Wolverines’ offense started hot in the bottom of the first inning. Courtesy of a fly ball into left field from sophomore designated hitter Joe Longo, graduate shortstop Cody Jefferis scored quickly, giving Michigan a 1-0 lead. But that was the only time it led all game long.

Like so many midweek games before, freshman right-hander Kurt Barr took the mound to defend the lead. This time, however, Barr didn’t start off hot. After walking two batters in the second inning, Barr was pulled from the game, and the Musketeers capitalized on his ineffectiveness, scoring a run of its own to tie the game at one.

A strong third inning for Xavier continued its resurgence. Left fielder Andrew Walker doubled to open the inning, ending graduate left-hander Walker Cleveland’s day. As a result, two singles from Xavier batters added two runs to the board, and suddenly it held a two-run advantage over Michigan. After Barr’s early exit, the Wolverines’ pitching struggles showed — and cost it dearly.

“We struggled on the mound, no question,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “That has to be better. It’s just not what we’re looking for. … Tough day all around.”

The Wolverines’ offense showed the same signs of such inconsistency. After loading the bases with no outs, senior left fielder Tito Flores reduced the deficit to one with a sacrifice fly into right field. However, senior right fielder Joey Velazquez was caught stealing at third, reducing the threat for the Musketeers. A subsequent groundout by graduate first baseman Jack Van Remortel put final touches on a third inning that left much to be desired for Michigan.

Xavier’s fourth and fifth innings continued to exploit the Wolverines inconsistencies. A two-out double from Walker scored another run for the Musketeers, extending their lead back to two and erasing Michigan’s prior efforts. Xavier then added to its lead with a single from right fielder Alex Helmin, making matters even worse for the Wolverines — now a three run deficit. Michigan’s failure to execute continued to set it back, and in the middle innings, it proved costly.

Its inconsistencies continued to run rampant the longer the game went on. With runners in scoring position in the sixth inning and only one out, senior designated hitter Jimmy Obertop struck out in a pinch-hit opportunity before Jefferis popped out to retire the side. Once again, the Wolverines failed to bring their runners home, and the scoreboard reflected those failures.

“If you got guys on base and you’re not scoring, that’s typically not going to be good. You can do everything right. You can hit a baseball hard, but hit it at somebody,” Smith said. “We left 10 guys on base. Obviously that didn’t bode well for us today.

Back-to-back home runs by the Musketeers contributed to a nine-run seventh inning that served as the cherry on top to Michigan’s disastrous outing, bringing its deficit to 12 runs after a pair of two RBI hits by pinch hitter Teddy Deters and Walker and a three-run bomb by second baseman Jared Cushing — his second of the inning. 

“We put it over the middle of the plate (and) they hit it out of the park,” Smith said of the high-scoring inning.

And when the smoke cleared, it was evident that the Wolverines have a ways to go before postseason play commences. If they want to last in the postseason, outings like Tuesday’s need to be nonexistent — and fast.