HOWELL, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn (2-16, 2-5) baseball team concluded their season series against the Cleary Cougars (14-12, 3-5) on Tuesday (Mar. 28) at Lake Trust Stadium. UM-Dearborn won the first game 2-1, but dropped the nightcap 14-6.
Game One
UM-Dearborn needed a team effort in game one as the Wolverines played small ball early to get on the board first. After Nathan Mack was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the second. Mack stole second to give the Wolverines a runner-in scoring position with nobody out. Mark Schaaf laid down a SAC bunt to advance Mack to third and was met by a flurry of high-fives in the home dugout. The next batter, Matthew Balash, ripped a single to right to score Mack and give the Wolverines the 1-0 lead.
The Wolverine starter Jack Cronyn found himself in some trouble in the top of the third as the Cougars loaded up the bases with only one out. Cronyn induced a ground ball back to the mound and quickly delivered the ball to the plate for the force out; Max Tomaszewski fired the ball over to first base as the Wolverines erupted from the dugout to get out of the jam and complete the inning-ending double play.
UM-Dearborn capitalized on its momentum in the third to add some more insurance. Matthew Williams hit a deep drive to right-center for a one-out triple. The next batter, Tomaszewski, sent a deep fly to center field to score Williams on the sacrifice fly.
Cleary worked the bases loaded again in the fifth, and the Wolverines made the call to the bullpen in favor of Ian Gundersen. The first batter Gundersen faced grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to again work themselves out of a jam. Gundersen would throw the final two innings in relief of Cronyn, helping the Wolverines to a 2-1 victory.
Game Two
UM-Dearborn raced out to a 3-0 lead in the backend of the doubleheader as Max McLennan and Mark Schaaf both tallied RBIs in the second and third inning.
However, the wheels fell off as Cleary would score 12 unanswered runs over the next 3 ½ innings.
UM-Dearborn added a run in the bottom of the seventh when Mack ripped a double to left center to score Williams. Williams recorded an RBI of his own in the bottom of the eighth when he singled home James Forner to make it 13-5. The Wolverines scored their final run in the bottom of the ninth when Balash singled up the middle to score Grant Ingersoll.
Nathaniel Wandrie got the start for the Wolverines, throwing 3.2 innings and scattered three runs on four hits and a pair of strikeouts. Gundersen was credited with the loss in game two giving up two runs (one earned) in 1.1 innings of work. Matthew Silka and Josh DeChane both made appearances in relief.
