Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - In a three hour, 23 minute contest, Rutgers baseball suffered a 12-5 setback in the Sunday series finale at No. 21 Michigan at the Wilpon Complex. The Wolverines took all three games in the first Big Ten series between the teams.

RU (23-25, 6-12) collected nine hits on the day, with fifth-year senior John Jennings (Berkeley Heights, N.J.), senior R.J. Devish (Beachwood, N.J.) and freshman Luke Bowerbank (Bernardsville, N.J.) picking up two apiece. For Devish, he now has 50 runs scored this season to lead the Big Ten. Junior Gaby Rosa (Perth Amboy, N.J.) also had a productive game with a two-run double and two walks, as fifth-year senior Chris Suseck (Flemington, N.J.) and junior Tom Marcinczyk (Middlesex, N.J.) reached three times of their own. The offense drew eight walks overall.

Freshman Serafino Brito (Oakland, N.J.) (5-4) made his second conference start, but took the loss in a three-inning start. In relief, redshirt junior Max Herrmann (Rutherford, N.J.) worked three effective innings. Junior Christian Campbell (Sayreville, N.J.) contributed a scoreless frame.

The Wolverines (34-12, 12-5) scored runs in both the first and second innings to take an early 3-0 advantage.

In the top of the third, RU pushed across two to make it a one-run game. Devish stroked a single and advanced on a muffed pickoff throw to second base. Rosa then drew a walk in the next at bat, subsequently drawing a backside pickoff throw from the catcher that went astray down the right field line. Devish scored on the play and Rosa advanced to third, scoring on an RBI grounder by Suseck.

However, Michigan responded with three two-out runs in the next half inning, with two being unearned. Carmen Benedetti next hit a two-run home run in the fourth to make it an 8-2 game.

The Scarlet Knights did not back down and scored three in the fifth to chip into the deficit. Bowerbank and Devish both hit singles and came around on a double to the left field corner by Rosa. Later on, Suseck scored on a two-out error. That would be as close as Rutgers would come, as UM tacked on four more after that to make it 12-5.

Ryan Nutof (6-1) earned the win with 2.1 innings of relief. Offensively, Benedetti led all players in the game with three RBIs. The Wolverines scored in each of the first six innings.

The Scarlet Knights have no upcoming midweek games and will resume action Friday at Maryland.

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