ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Interstat) — In a back-and-forth midweek contest defined by a decisive fourth-inning rally and lockdown relief pitching, the Michigan Wolverines outlasted the Bowling Green Falcons 9-6 on Wednesday evening at Ray Fisher Stadium.

The game lived up to its pregame projection as a Michigan victory, though the path to the final score was more turbulent than the Interstat simulator’s forecast of a 7-4 Wolverines win. Michigan, which entered with a 77% win probability according to ELO ratings, improved to 25-16 overall. Bowling Green fell to 13-21.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded in the top of the fourth inning. Trailing 6-5 after Michigan had erased an early six-run deficit, the Falcons mounted a two-out rally against Wolverines starter Grant Bradley. With two runners on, Sam Seidel delivered the biggest blow of the afternoon for Bowling Green, launching a three-run home run to right field. The blast, his fifth of the season, scored Nathan Salvione and Jack Scheiderer and appeared to shift momentum firmly back to the Falcons, giving them a 9-6 lead.

Michigan, however, immediately began chipping away. The Wolverines plated a run in the bottom of the fifth without a hit, as Stephen Greg scored on a bases-loaded walk drawn by pinch-hitter Mullens against Bowling Green reliever Kade Arn. That cut the deficit to 9-7.

The Wolverines then seized control for good in the later innings, fueled by their bullpen. After Preston Barr provided 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, Gavin DeVooght entered in the seventh and stifled the Falcons’ offense. DeVooght threw 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit with no earned runs and two strikeouts to earn the win. His performance, alongside a scoreless 1 2/3 innings from Ethan Papacek and 1 1/3 innings from Joseph Buchanan for Bowling Green, highlighted a afternoon where relief pitching ultimately decided the outcome.

Michigan tied the game at 9-9 in the bottom of the seventh. Colby Turner was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on an RBI single from Mack Jefferis. The Wolverines took the lead in the eighth when Turner came through again, singling through the left side to drive in Greg, who had been hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a groundout.

Bowling Green’s final threat came in the eighth, putting runners at first and second with one out against DeVooght. The right-hander responded by striking out pinch-hitter Cooper McKenzie and then fanning Seidel, the potential go-ahead run, looking to end the inning. DeVooght retired the side in order in the ninth to secure the comeback victory.

Michigan’s Josh Campbell drove in three runs with a key third-inning double during the Wolverines’ initial comeback from the 6-0 hole. Drew Culbertson added two RBIs. For Bowling Green, Seidel’s three RBIs led the offense, which managed eight hits to Michigan’s 11.

The Wolverines host Washington for a three-game series starting Friday. Bowling Green returns home to open a weekend set against Toledo on Friday.