EAST LANSING — In its first game of the series against Michigan State, the Michigan baseball team employed a slightly different lineup with the return of sophomore centerfielder Jonathan Kim and inclusion of junior designated hitter Joe Longo, focusing on power hitters in the ever-important conference game. But in a matchup that saw just two runs for the Wolverines, the power offense simply never came to fruition. 

Michigan (24-22 overall, 10-6 Big Ten) faced the Spartans (20-22, 8-8) in a neck and neck competition that was characterized by stunted offenses and clean defenses. The Wolverines looked to extend their six game win streak against in-state rivals Michigan State, but despite consistent defensive play, the offense was unable to gain momentum and ended their win streak with a 3-2 loss. 

“Their guy was just really good on the mound today,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said. “We didn’t do much offensively. Really proud of Chase Allen because he was still able to give us that start on the Friday. We just didn’t do anything offensively.”

The Wolverines struck first against the Spartans with a run from sophomore first baseman Mitch Voit in the first inning. Voit stepped up to the plate and poked the ball cleanly down the left field line for a double. Graduate left fielder Stephen Hrustich  then advanced him to third base with a ground out to shortstop. . 

But Voit wasn’t brought home by one of his teammates bats. Instead, he scored a run off of a Michigan State balk. In an inning where only one hit was recorded from Voit himself, Michigan had a Spartan misstep to thank for its lead.

Michigan State took advantage of senior right-hander Chase Allen’s pitching-to-contact mentality and quickly put runners in scoring position. A single to right center from the Spartans answered the Wolverines first inning attack and the matchup was tied 1-1. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Michigan State took the lead as third baseman Dillon Kark homered over the center field wall. Michigans’ defense was forced to simply watch as the ball flew over their heads and the Wolverines dropped to a 2-1 deficit. 

Kim made his return to the starting lineup Tuesday versus Kent State after suffering a hand injury that had him sidelined for over a month. Friday against the Spartans, Kim returned to his early-season leadoff position as Smith looked to take advantage of Kim’s traditional power hitting. 

But his presence at the plate was silent versus Michigan State where he recorded just one hit in four at-bats. Instead, Kim was more impactful in the outfield. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Spartans looked to attack with powerful batters of their own, smashing the ball to center field hoping to extend their 2-1 lead. But Kim’s experience shown through despite his time out of the lineup, when he easily corralled the ball in stride, silencing Michigan State’s offensive attack. 

“We’ve got to get him going and get him back up to game speed,” Smith said of Kim. “But it’s just nice to have him back out there running around.”

In the top of the eighth inning, Michigan tied the game. But once again it wasn’t an explosion from the Wolverines’ offense, but mirroring the first inning, junior third baseman Cole Caruso was brought home from a balk on the Spartan mound. 

As the game progressed, neither team was able to fully take control and extra innings were necessary. Despite Smith employing additional personnel with pinch hitters, the Michigan offense simply couldn’t find a spark at the plate. Michigan State edged ahead in the bottom of the tenth inning with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored one runner, securing the win 3-2.

“It’s just one of those where I just wish we could’ve done more offensively,” Smith said. “We’ve just got to credit them, their guys were on today and shut us down.”

The Wolverines played a clean matchup versus a competitive opponent, but without gaining any momentum on offense and depending solely on Spartan missteps they were unable to fully compete against their opponents. As it enters the remaining two games of the series Michigan will need to find a leader at the plate in order to continue their Big Ten series successes.