YPSILANTI — Junior right-hander Ricky Kidd saw five batters in the first inning. He left the inning with two homers, a double and two strikeouts to his name — an accurate description of the continued inconsistencies Michigan baseball pitching staff has faced.
The Wolverines looked for relief in four other pitchers, but the damage was too deep to recover from. Eastern Michigan (7-13 overall) ran away with the win early on in the game to dominate Michigan (7-14), 4-15. The Wolverines’ offense only created action in the third inning, while they faltered on the mound.
Early in the bottom of the first inning, Kidd saw an early demise. With three runs against him, he never recovered. Following a similar pattern, in the fourth inning, Kidd loaded the bases with no outs. After a fielding error from Timbrook, a fielder’s choice gave Michigan two outs at the cost of two runs. Eagles runners occupied second and third bases, but Kidd dug his hole a little deeper. A double to junior right fielder Joe Longo sent a runner home, giving Eastern Michigan the lead, 7-3.
The struggles on the mound transferred to the plate with only a glimpse of offensive strength from the Wolverines.
Those three runs came from the initial momentum for Michigan’s offense in the third inning. Graduate second baseman Mack Timbrook earned the first RBI for the Wolverines’ on a groundout to first, pushing graduate shortstop Kyle Dernedde home. Longo was still on second when sophomore first baseman Mitch Voit stepped to the plate and delivered a home run.
While the Michigan offense attempted to string something together, the bullpen continued to decline.
Freshman right-hander Sachem Ramos saw few pitches coming into relief for Barr. Similarly, he left the game after giving up a run, leaving senior right-hander Chase Allen to clean up. However, Allen’s version of clean turned messy, loading the bases in the sixth inning. The Wolverines held the Eagles to a single run due to the defense making smart and simple plays to end the scoring.
And Michigan saw its fourth pitcher of the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. This season, the Wolverines’ bullpen grew accustomed to making last-minute changes in the hopes of getting a different result. The conclusion on Tuesday presented the same tale.
The mercy rule quickly took effect when Eastern Michigan scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, denying Michigan any opportunity to rally.
The Wolverines didn’t succeed in their attempt to add another victory to their record before this weekend’s inaugural Big Ten matchup. And in yet another inconsistent defeat, Michigan’s arms failed once more.
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