Just 13 pitches and three at-bats into the game, the Michigan baseball team made a call to the bullpen, ending freshman left-hander Wyatt Novara’s day without recording an out. In less than 10 minutes, pitching coach Brock Huntzinger had seen enough, starting a pitcher-by-committee system that the Wolverines relied on for nine innings.
And it didn’t work. In fact, it was an abject failure.
Gambling on an abnormal sequence of pitchers, Michigan (9-16 overall) was slaughtered by Michigan State’s (10-12) prolific batting order en route to a 16-6 loss.
Senior right-hander Chase Allen replaced Novara, facing a loaded bases scenario. Despite facing a jam, Allen wasn’t fazed. He forced Michigan State first baseman Nick Williams to pop up for the first out, and followed up with a double play in the next at-bat. With that, Allen worked the Wolverines out of the jam, holding the game even at zero.
Despite Allen’s strong first inning, he took his foot off the gas. The Spartan batters figured out his pitches, scoring one run in the second inning on an RBI double and another run in the third. Allowing several other hits and two walks, Michigan made another call to the bullpen, as junior right-hander Ricky Kidd took Allen’s place on the mound.
And against his first batter of the day, Kidd walked catcher Sam Thompson, scoring a runner. After his poor start, Kidd came back out for the fourth inning. After loading the bases, Michigan State shortstop Randy Seymour came to the plate with a chance to open up the game.
Roping the ball into the left field corner for a double, Seymour recorded two RBIs. As a third approached home, a bullet from sophomore right fielder Mitch Voit was cut off by senior first baseman Dylan Stanton, who gunned down the runner to end the inning. Regardless, Kidd’s day was over, and freshman right-hander Sachem Ramos took over on the bump.
Ramos started strong, sending the Spartans down in order for the first time in the sixth inning. But he didn’t keep up his play, facing seven batters and allowing two runs in the following frame before being replaced.
Unable to build any momentum on the mound, the Wolverines used a whopping six pitchers after Ramos. They allowed another nine runs in the final two innings, massively increasing the Michigan State lead that was already insurmountable.
Using more arms than innings, none of which lasted more than 2.2 innings on the mound, Michigan’s pitching-by-committee system fell well short of its goal. And like the dreary weather the in-state rivals played in, the Wolverine pitchers displayed an uninspiring o
