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Vanderbilt downs Michigan, sets up winner-take-all Game 3 in College World Series
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Michigan has suffered its first loss of the College World Series.
Tuesday night, Vanderbilt knotted the championship series with Michigan at 1-1, posting a 4-1 victory over the Wolverines in Game 2. The Commodores win sets up a winner-take-all Game 3 on Wednesday night.
Pitching was the story through the first four innings of the contest, as neither team was able to bring a runner across the plate. Vanderbilt was the first on the board in the top of the 5th, on an RBI groundout from Austin Martin, giving the Commodores a 1-0 lead.
It marked the first time in Omaha the Wolverines did not score in the 1st inning and did not get the first run on the board in a game.
Vanderbilt followed the 1-run 5th inning with two more in the sixth, with both runs crossing the plate on a pair of wild pitches from Michigan reliever Jack Weisenburger. The Commodores added some insurance with a solo home run from Phillip Clarke in the 7th inning to take a 4-0 lead.
Michigan did threaten in the bottom of the 7th, scoring one run on an RBI single from Ako Thomas. The Wolverines were able to put two more runners on the bases with Jordan Brewer at the plate, representing the tying run.
Brewer struck out, though, leaving the runners stranded. It was the end of Michigan’s scoring for the night.
The big story was from the mound for Vanderbilt, as Kumar Rockman was nearly unhittable in 6.1 innings of work. He surrendered just 1 run on 3 hits and had just two walks in the contest. He punched out 11 batters on his way to the victory. Tyler Brown finished off the effort, going the final 2.2 innings, allowing just 1 hit while striking out 2 hitters.
Isaiah Paige was the losing pitcher for Michigan, giving up 3 hits and 1 run in 4 innings pitched.
Michigan and Vanderbilt will now go head to head one final time in Omaha, with a championship on the line. Game 3 is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday night and the game will air on ESPN.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB