Rutgers baseball completed a three-game series against the Michigan Wolverines, winning two of three games over their Big Ten rivals. The Scarlet Knights improved their overall record to 20-16 (4-5 Big Ten) and are now eighth in the Big Ten standings.
On Friday, the Scarlet Knights kicked off their three-game series at Bainton Field, defeating the Wolverines 13-0. Game two started at noon on Saturday but got suspended in the 4th inning due to inclement weather. The teams resumed game two on Sunday morning, with the Wolverines defeating the Scarlet Knights 13-8. Approximately thirty minutes after the conclusion of Game Two, the Scarlet Knights defeated Michigan 6-3 in the series finale. Rutgers baseball outscored the Wolverines 27 to 16 in the three-game series.
Game 1
Rutgers freshman pitcher Christian Coppola stole the show for the Scarlet Knights in game one. Coppola pitched eight shutout innings, striking out 12 batters and letting up five hits. The Scarlet Knights produced 13 runs on 18 hits with zero errors behind Coppola. Rutgers scored four runs in the first inning, which was plenty of support for Coppola. Following Coppola’s stellar performance, the Big Ten Conference named him Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
Got the first Big Ten series W of the year ✔️
Did with pitching, did it with the bats and did it with defense. #TCD pic.twitter.com/U9BBhuW04e
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 16, 2023
Game 2
The Scarlet Knights dropped game two Sunday morning, losing 13-8 to the Wolverines. Rutgers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, with Chris Brito’s grand slam in the first inning and Evan Sleight’s two-run home run in the second. The Wolverines came back in the fourth inning to tie the game before the game got suspended due to weather conditions.
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The game resumed Sunday morning, still in the fourth inning. Michigan hit a two-run home run to break the tie and take an 8-6 lead. The Scarlet Knights tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI double from Hugh Pinkney. With sloppy defense from the Scarlet Knights, Michigan scored three unearned runs in the top of the eighth inning to secure the victory for the Wolverines.
Game 3
Rutgers baseball defeated Michigan 6-3 in the series finale on Sunday. Rutgers right-handed pitcher Drew Conover pitched seven shutout innings, striking out six batters and letting up three hits. The Scarlet Knights had a productive fourth inning, producing four of their six runs. The Wolverines tried mounting a comeback in the top of the eighth inning but were unsuccessful, giving Rutgers the victory.
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