Michigan baseball trounced by Iowa,13-3, in first game of Big Ten tournament

Michigan baseball is just one loss away from elimination in the Big Ten tournament.

The sixth-seeded Wolverines suffered a 13-3 loss in eight innings to third-seeded Iowa in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday afternoon, and will need to win on Wednesday in order to remain in the tournament.

Michigan got on the board first in the top of the second with an RBI single from Mitch Voit, but the Hawkeyes took over from there. Kyle Huckstorf hit a sacrifice fly to tie it in the bottom of the inning, followed by a two-run single from Sam Hojnar in the fifth. Brayden Frazier then broke the game open in the fifth, extending the lead to 7-1 with a grand slam.

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A solo homer from Tito Flores steered Michigan in the right direction in the sixth, but a three-run shot from Sam Peterson kept Iowa firmly ahead in the bottom of the seventh.

Despite the nine-run deficit, Flores did not go down without a fight. The senior outfielder tripled to deep right field in the eighth, then scored on a fielding error.

The comeback effort ended there, however.

The Hawkeyes added two more runs in the eighth on a passed ball and an RBI single for a 10-run lead, ending the game due to the NCAA's run rule.

LHP Connor O'Halloran was credited with the loss, giving up seven runs over five innings and finishing with seven strikeouts. Michigan finished with as many hits (four) as errors.

The Wolverines will face the loser of No. 2 Indiana and No. 7 Illinois, who played Tuesday afternoon, at 8 p.m. Wednesday, on the Big Ten Network.

A loss almost certainly ends Michigan's season, as its 26-27 regular-season record won't earn an NCAA tournament berth.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan baseball facing elimination after 13-3 loss to Iowa