It's always good to beat Ohio State. But Thursday's win for the Michigan baseball team was extra sweet.
In the final series of the regular season, Ohio State swept Michigan. It put the Wolverines squarely on the bubble heading into the Big Ten Baseball Tournament.
After a run-rule win over Rutgers on Tuesday, Michigan suffered a setback on Wednesday against Washington, setting the stage for a must-win game against Ohio State on Thursday.
The Wolverines' NCAA Tournament hopes were likely hanging in the balance. A loss probably would have meant the bubble burst. Instead, Michigan shut out a second opponent in the past three games, thanks to an absolute gem from freshman Shane Brinham.
Brinham had a 5-4 record coming into the night. With Michigan playing its third game in three games, with another looming on Friday against Nebraska, in Omaha, Brinham did exactly what the Wolverines needed him to do. Not only did he provide a quality start, but he also finished the game, saving the bullpen for another night.
Michigan now enters the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament Friday at 5 PM CST against second-seeded Nebraska, a team fighting to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament as a top-16 seed.
The win over Ohio State was the 34th of the season for Michigan, which won seven of its 10 Big Ten series during the regular season. Brinham's sixth win of the season saw him surrender just five hits to the Buckeyes, who did leave two runners on base in the second inning. He also had 11 strikeouts.
In the top of the third, Michigan made the Buckeyes pay. Noah Miller singled in two runs. Miller brought home another run in the eighth. Ohio State put a runner on base in the bottom of the ninth, but the Buckeyes weren't able to muster any runs as Brinham shut the door in the second complete game shutout for a Michigan starting pitcher in three days.
Michigan baseball entered the week among the last four teams in the projected NCAA Tournament field from D1 Baseball. After two wins in three days, the Wolverines have to feel better about their chances, but a win on Friday against Nebraska would erase any concern heading into selection Sunday.
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