Saturday’s matchup featured a tale of two trends in opposite directions.

Maryland right-hander Logan Koester has been arguably the most impactful offseason transfer portal pickup for the Terps. The George Washington product entered Saturday’s game ranking among the Big Ten’s best in earned run average, opponents’ average and innings pitched. 

Michigan came into the series with the third-worst batting average in Division One.

So when the Wolverines jumped out to a 8-0 lead in the second, to say it was a surprise was an understatement. 

Maryland head coach Matt Swope chalked up the poor inning as being part of the game. 

“It’s just baseball sometimes,” he said. “There’s not many games you’re going to be able to come back from that.”

The home team jumped on Maryland’s ace, tagging him for a career-worst eight earned runs over just 1 1/3 innings, the shortest start of the redshirt senior’s career.  

After the right-hander set down the side in the first, the bottom of the second began with a Collin Priest blast over the left field fence, with the ball nearly falling into the Wolverines’ adjacent softball complex. It was a sign of what was to come on a fittingly dreary, 39-degree day in Ann Arbor.

With six hits over his previous eight games, AJ Garcia stayed hot, dunking a ball down the right field line for a two-run double, extending Michigan’s lead to 4-0. Two-way extraordinaire Mitch Voit upped his team-leading average on a two-run single.

After an 0 for 3 afternoon snapped Stephen Hrustich’s 13-game hit streak on Friday, the left fielder started a new streak in resounding fashion. The Northwestern transfer crushed his Big Ten-leading ninth home run of the season on the last pitch Koester would throw, with the ball sailing over the 395-foot center field wall and striking halfway up the batter’s eye.

Eight of the first nine Wolverines reached base in the second, capped off by Hrustich’s two-run shot. Michigan’s eight-run frame was its second-highest run total in an inning this season.

For as good as Michigan looked at the plate, starter Jacob Denner appeared equally good on the mound. The fifth-year senior, who sits fifth in program history in appearances, finished an excellent March with his best outing of the season. 

The left-hander twirled a season-high 7 2/3 shutout innings of three-hit ball with the only blemish being a Devin Russell solo blast in the fifth. Denner did not allow another hit after surrendering the home run, leaving to a well-deserved standing ovation from the Michigan faithful who braved the cold weather. He added a season-high six strikeouts. Over his past five outings spanning 18 innings, the New Jersey native has allowed only six hits and one earned run.    

The lefty credited the club’s offense and defense for his stellar start.

“We played really clean baseball, no errors, so it made my job really easy,” he said. “But those 12 runs helped a lot.”  

For a team that’s dealt with consistency issues out of the starting role this season, the Wolverines may have re-discovered their ace.  

After collecting a season-high three hits on Friday, third baseman Cole Caruso one-upped himself on Saturday, accruing four hits, including three doubles. First baseman Dylan Stanton stayed hot, matching a season-high with three hits. The senior is hitting .435 over the past six games.

Aside from Russell’s home run, Kevin Keister was the lone bright spot in the order for the Terps.  The shortstop’s two-hit performance was his third multihit game this week. 

Four Maryland relievers combined to allow four runs (two earned) over the final 6 2/3 innings. 

The Terps will look for their 24th consecutive Big Ten series win as they compete in a rubber match for the fourth consecutive Sunday. First pitch is at noon from Ann Arbor.