(OMAHA) - The University of Michigan baseball team took another early lead and rode the arms of Tommy Henry and Jeff Criswell as the Wolverines defeated No. 2 ranked Vanderbilt, 7-4, on Monday night in the first game of the College World Series Finals at TD Ameritrade Park. Monday's victory marked Michigan's 50th win of the season, the most in program history since 1987 when the Wolverines set a school record with 52 wins. Michigan got on the board in the first inning for the fourth time during the 2019 College World Series. Sophomore Jordan Nwogo led off the top of the first with a walk, but was thrown out trying to get to third base on a base hit by Jesse Franklin, who took second on the out. He scored quickly as junior Jordan Brewer sent a double into the right-field corner. One out later, senior Blake Nelson roped a single through the left side that scored Brewer for a 2-0 Wolverine lead. Michigan starting pitcher Henry came out strong in the bottom of the first and tossed just seven pitches and let the defense work to record three quick outs. Vanderbilt got two runs back in the bottom half of the second as the Commodores took advantage of three base hits and a passed ball to cut Michigan's lead to 4-2. Vanderbilt cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Michigan took control in the seventh, when Brewer legged out an infield single and senior Jimmy Kerr sent a long home run over the fence in left field for a 6-2 Michigan lead. The shot, his third at the College World Series, was Kerr's seventh homer of the NCAA postseason and set a new Michigan record for home runs at the CWS. Henry threw 8.1 innings with eight strikeouts to earn his 12th victory of the season which tied teammate Karl Kauffmann and former Wolverine Rich Stoll for the most in a single season. Henry scattered seven hits and walked one. Michigan is now one win away from clinching its third national title and its first since 1962. The Wolverines and Commodores will play again on Tuesday at 7 PM Eastern Time in the second game of the best-of-three series.
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