Michigan Baseball picks up third Big Ten series win with two victories over Penn State

The Michigan Wolverines played their fourth Big Ten series of the season, playing host to the Penn State Nittany Lions over the weekend.

Here is a quick recap of what went down.

Game 1: Michigan can’t keep up in series-opening loss

Michigan got off to a strong start with two runs in the first inning, as Jeter Ybarra got the scoring started with a two-run single to put Michigan up by a pair.

Unfortunately, it was all Penn State after that. The Nittany Lions had an immediate response with a three-run second inning. Penn State added runs in the fourth and fifth innings to go up 5-2.

The Nittany Lions then caught fire in the top of the sixth inning to run away with this game. By the time the Wolverines came up to the plate in the bottom of the inning, they were down 11-2.

Joe Longo hit a bases-clearing, three-run double in the bottom of the sixth to make the score look more respectable, but Penn State went on to take this game, 12-5. David Lally Jr. got the loss for Michigan on the mound.

Game 2: Michigan evens up series with back-and-forth win

This game was a doozy, as the Wolverines and Nittany Lions traded blows all afternoon long. Michigan once again got on the board first, as Brayden Jeffries knocked in a run to put the Wolverines up 1-0 in the first.

However, Penn State immediately put two runs on the board in the second to take the lead. Then, Michigan took over the game in the third thanks to a Mitch Voit hit a two-run double, and a solo shot from Ybarra extended the lead to 4-2.

The Wolverines stayed hot in the fourth inning with RBI singles from Jonathan Kim, Jeffries and Voit. Colby Turner then knocked in a run on a groundout to make it 8-2.

Michigan was in complete control after the fourth inning, but Penn State wouldn’t go away. The Nittany Lions immediately jumped on the Wolverines for four runs of their own in the fifth inning, and we all of a sudden had a ballgame.

The Nittany Lions drew closer in the seventh with another run, but Michigan found a way to close out the final two innings to earn an 8-7 win. Will Rogers got the win for the Wolverines.

Game 3: Michigan takes the series with dramatic comeback

Michigan did not get off to a good start in this game, as Penn State took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and then added three more in the top of the third to go up 5-0.

The Wolverines were in a lot of trouble at this point, but a massive third inning got them back in the game. Greg Pace Jr. got the rally started with a two-run shot, and another two-run home run ended up tying the game later in the inning. An RBI groundout by Ybarra made it 5-3, and Cole Caruso tied the game with a home run.

Both teams were quiet for a while after the third inning, but Jonathan Kim ended up being the hero in the game. He put Michigan ahead with an RBI double in the seventh, and the Wolverines held onto the one-run lead to earn a 6-5 win.

Kurt Barr got the win on the hill while Max Debiec got the save.

Looking Ahead

Michigan has a midweek game against Eastern Michigan on the road on Tuesday before hitting the road for a conference series at Oregon. The Eagles are 13-11 on the season, and the two teams will go to battle at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be streaming on ESPN+.