Michigan walks off Washington baseball 8-7 in Ann Arbor

The Washington Huskies let a Big Ten win slip through their fingers in Ann Arbor on Friday afternoon, falling 8-7 to Michigan after the Wolverines mounted a late rally and scored four runs in the ninth inning.

After coach Eddie Smith's team scored four times in the top of the eighth to take a 7-4 lead, reliever Tommy Brandenberg wasn't able to seal the victory. Over 2 1/3 innings, the senior surrendered 5 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks to take his first loss of the year, allowing a run-scoring double to center fielder Evan Haeger before walking left fielder Josh Campbell to load the bases.

Then, Brandenberg was removed by Smith in favor of Carson Boesel, who threw just three pitches and let up a bases-clearing double to pinch-hitter Joonsung Park to end the contest.

At the plate, Washington was led by the usual suspect, left fielder Jackson Hotchkiss. The sophomore went 2-for-4 with a walk and 4 runs batted in, most of which came on his 14th home run of the year, a three-run blast in the third inning. First baseman Casen Taggart also left the yard with a solo shot in the second inning as part of a 2-for-4 day with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Reliever Slade Moore earned the win after working a scoreless ninth inning with a walk and 2 strikeouts, while third baseman Brayden Jefferis led the way at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored.

With the loss, the Huskies dropped to 18-23 on the year and 8-11 in conference play. The two teams will return to the field on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. PT.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies fall 8-7 in walk-off fashion at Michigan