Michigan baseball will have to play Iowa again after Big Ten tourney loss

Michigan baseball lost to Iowa on Saturday night which means a second game between the two teams Sunday with the winner advancing to the Big Ten title game. 

The Michigan baseball team would have advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game with a win over Iowa on Friday. Yet after slashing at an extremely effective rate in the first two games, the Wolverines couldn’t get runners in and fell to the Hawkeyes 7-3.

After scoring 22 runs in the first two games of the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan baseball stalled on offense plating three runs after getting a total of 10 hits.

Michigan stranded three runners in the first and second innings, including a bases-loaded situation but was unable to capitalize. Chase Allen was solid on the mound and allowed just two hits and an unearned run but still lost the decision.

Iowa went ahead 3-0 but a two-run single on a pinch-hit by Jordon Rogers got Michigan baseball back within a run, yet the Hawkeyes tacked on four more in the top of the seventh to make it 7-2.

Jimmy Obertop tried to spark the Wolverines in the bottom of the eighth and hit a solo home run but it was too little too late and Iowa won 7-3.

What’s next for Michigan baseball

The Wolverines are still alive for the Big Ten title and they will need to win twice on Sunday to win the tournament and reach the NCAAs.

First, Michigan will play Iowa again and the start time there depends on the result on tonight’s game between Rutgers and Indiana.

If Rutgers, the No. 2 seed loses tonight, then Michigan will play in the morning at 9 a.m. CST. However, if the Scarlet Knights win, then it would move the U-M game to 1 p.m.

Either way, it will be win or go home for the Wolverines and hopefully, that brings out the best in them as it did on Thursday and Friday.