Michigan baseball opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 10-0 run-rule win over Rutgers on Tuesday night at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. Cade Montgomery handled the center of it, throwing a complete-game shutout with six strikeouts over seven innings as Michigan moved on in the bracket.
Cade Montgomery controls Rutgers
Montgomery allowed one hit and two walks in seven scoreless innings, and Rutgers never found a clean way to extend the game. Michigan entered at 33-22, while Rutgers came in at 26-29, and the difference showed in a game that ended after seven innings because of the run rule.
Brayden Jefferis started the scoring with a two-out home run in the first inning. Michigan then kept adding pressure, and Colby Turner drove in three runs while going 3-for-5 at the plate.
Jefferis, Turner and the power surge
Cooper Mullens doubled and scored on a Turner single in the third inning, giving Michigan another early push. The Wolverines carried a 4-0 lead into the seventh before the offense broke the game open for good.
Then came the finishing burst. Evan Haeger and Noah Miller hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh, and Michigan scored six runs in the inning to end it.
Michigan waits for Wednesday night
The power output spread across the lineup. Brayden Jefferis, Evan Haeger and Noah Miller each homered, while Montgomery’s command kept Rutgers from ever building a rally against the Michigan staff.
Michigan will face the winner of Washington and Ohio State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, May 20, at 9 p.m. CT. The quick finish matters in a short tournament, because seven innings instead of nine leaves the pitching staff fresher for the next round.
