Iowa baseball drops extra-inning heartbreaker vs. Michigan in Big Ten Baseball Tournament opener
With plenty of drama and importance linked to their showing in Omaha, the Iowa Hawkeyes wound up playing an extra inning in their Big Ten Baseball Tournament opener.
Several turning-point moments proved to be the difference in a heartbreaking, walk-off 3-2 loss versus the Michigan Wolverines in 10 innings.
Leading 1-0, Hawkeye right-hander Brody Brecht nearly worked Iowa and himself out of a sixth-inning jam. A hit by pitch to Michigan’s Stephen Hrustich, a single from Collin Priest and a walk to Mitch Voit loaded the bases full of Wolverines.
Brecht got Mack Timbrook to fly out to left field and it wasn’t deep enough to tag. The 6-foot-4 righty then struck out Cole Caruso and suddenly Iowa was an out away from escaping the nobody out, bases-loaded jam.
A 1-2 count pitch to Will Rogers was wild from Brecht and skipped away from Hawkeye catcher Cade Moss. Moss went and retrieved the wild pitch, fired it to Brecht, but Brecht couldn’t hang on as he spun to make the tag.
The baseball trickled away from home plate and Priest came around to score to give the Wolverines their first lead at 2-1.
Iowa’s Ben Wilmes tied the game back up at two apiece with his double to right center that plated Will Mulflur. After Michael Seegers’ single, the Hawkeyes had a pair on the corners and the go-ahead run at third base.
Stay hot @wilmes_ben 🌶️#Hawkeyes tie it up! pic.twitter.com/KeWYrujllN
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) May 22, 2024
Moss laid down a bunt, but Wilmes chose to stay put at third base instead of testing the throw. Wilmes was out as Michigan fielded the bunt and forced him out at first base. Then, Andy Nelson popped up to end the inning.
Iowa threatened in the top of the 10th. With two outs, Raider Tello singled to center field and then Davis Cop doubled. Tello got the send sign on the Cop double and was cut down at home plate.
From there, Michigan used three successive walks after a leadoff single by Jonathan Kim to walk off the Hawkeyes. Voit registered the RBI walk-off walk.
Iowa plays on Thursday against top-seeded Illinois in an elimination game at 10 a.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.
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