(OMAHA, Neb.)—Texas Tech entered the College World Series as one of the premier hitting teams in the country, ranking in the top-20 nationally in batting average, slugging percentage, runs, and doubles per game. Opposing pitchers had a 7.07 ERA against the Red Raiders heading into Saturday’s opening round matchup, which helped give their pitching staff some wiggle room for most of the season. Michigan was going to have to work similar postseason magic that they were able to channel just six days earlier when they defeated UCLA, the nation’s top-ranked team, for the second time in three days to punch their ticket to Omaha. Jordan Nwogu was confident they could continue their winning ways.
“After beating UCLA, I think we knew that we could compete with anyone in the country, and anyone here.” Nwogu said.
Nwogu helped Michigan get going early on in the game, and Michigan never looked back as they outlasted Texas Tech to win their first College World Series game since 1983.
Nwogu got Michigan going early, and hit a leadoff single to left field. He followed it up by advancing to second base on a passed ball thrown by Micah Dallas, who would allow six hits and four runs in the three innings he pitched. Jordan Brewer would put Michigan on the board with a sacrifice fly to right field that brought in Nwogu from third.
The battle then became Michigan fending off the relentless batting attack of the Red Raiders, which includes six players batting over .300. Karl Kauffmann was up for the task. He would have a very steady outing for the Wolverines. Although he gave up three runs, he threw for seven innings and time-and-time again got Michigan out of an inning even after the occasional hit from Texas Tech.
“We have a goal that we are going to stay here for the full two weeks,” Kauffmann said. “We started on a high-note. It’s nice, but we’re not done yet.”
Michigan would add more runs to their total before Texas Tech had time to rebuttal the sac-fly in the first. With two outs and nobody on, Jesse Franklin was walked and Brewer singled to left to put runners on first and second bringing up the team’s leader in RBI’s—Jimmy Kerr.
Kerr would hit a two RBI-triple to right field, bringing the Michigan lead to 3-0. Blake Nelson would follow that at-bat with an RBI-single to bring in Kerr. The Wolverines controlled the game from the start.
Texas Tech had to stop the bleeding before Michigan began to pull away, and Brian Klein answered the call. He pulled a two-run shot down the right field line that just cleared the wall to bring Texas Tech back within two runs.
They inched even closer after putting Kauffmann in a pickle to begin the bottom half of the sixth inning. Texas Tech had runners on second and third base when Dru Baker hit a sacrifice groundout to second base that scored Josh Jung from third. Even with the shaky inning from the Michigan starter, they stuck with him and he would deliver for the rest of his outing.
A few more Texas Tech mistakes would help push Michigan’s lead in the top half of the following frame. Franklin started the inning with a leadoff walk, and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch from John McMillon. Nelson stepped in for Michigan, and hit a tough ground ball to Jung at shortstop, whose throw over to first got away from Cameron Warren—bringing in Franklin from second base to give the Wolverines an insurance run in the seventh inning.
Jeff Criswell would come in relief for Michigan in the eighth, and would strike out four batters and give up just one hit in his two innings. After getting runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Brian Klein struck out for the final out of the game. The Michigan Wolverines continue their tear by winning their opening game of the CWS, after almost missing out on the field of 64 to earn a spot in Omaha.
Klein finished with two RBI’s and two hits to go with his home run for the Red Raiders. Kerr would end with two RBI’s as well, and Nelson went 2-4 with an RBI for the Wolverines. Texas Tech now awaits Arkansas in an elimination game on Monday at 1:00 p.m., and Michigan follows that game with a matchup against Florida State in the winner’s bracket at 6:00 p.m.
