MINNEAPOLIS – Likely needing to win the Big Ten baseball tournament to reach the program’s first NCAA tournament since 2008, Michigan is halfway home. Upperclassman bats and young arms leading the way, the No. 3 seed Wolverines knocked off tournament No. 2 seed Iowa on Thursday night, 8-5.

Michigan (35-23) now has today off, resuming tournament play Saturday afternoon against either No. 1 Illinois or No. 5 Michigan State at 2 p.m. One win from playing for the Big Ten’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, U-M head coach Erik Bakich isn’t looking ahead.

“We’re treating Saturday’s game like it’s the only game we’re playing this week, just like we did today and just like we did on Wednesday,” Bakich said. “We’ll do whatever we have to do.”

What it took was a bit of everything. In evening the season series with Iowa (39-15), the No. 22-ranked team in the nation, the Wolverines’ offense was spurred by two home runs, two doubles, two sacrifice flies, a sacrifice bunt, a stolen base and a catcher’s interference. Each starter reached base.

The Wolverines also received a good start in a big game from freshman right-hander Ryan Nutof. In his first taste of postseason play, Nutof yielded a leadoff home run to Iowa centerfielder Eric Toole. If any jitters resided, they quickly faded. Nutof retired the next 11 Hawkeyes in a row.

“I got behind, and that set up a fastball count and he hit it, so I wasn’t too discouraged,” Nutof said.

Before Iowa picked up their second hit, Michigan turned a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 lead.

Responding to Toole’s solo shot, Michigan junior DH Cody Bruder opened the second inning with a home run off of Iowa right-hander Blake Hickman. Rightfielder Johnny Slater drew a one-out walk in front of senior catcher Kendall Patrick, who pulled a double down the line. Scoring Slater, Patrick gave Michigan a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Michigan’s lead grew in the third on an RBI single by junior third baseman Travis Maezes before Patrick crushed his fifth home run of the year, leading off a two-run fourth inning for the Wolverines.

“A lot is on the line, but at the same time, it’s one game at a time,” Patrick said. “We’re just on the field and having a little fun.”

The lead stretched to 6-1, Michigan ran into trouble in the sixth.

Able to quickly record the first two outs, Nutof surrendered four consecutive hits, a single followed by a double and a two-run single followed by a run-scoring double as Iowa plated three runs, tightening the game to 6-4. The tying run at the plate, Michigan sophomore right-hander Mac Lozer struck out Iowa shortstop Nick Roscetti to end the threat.

Adding insurance runs, Maezes reached on a fielding error by Roscetti to start the seventh and eventually scored. Bruder drove a run-scoring double into the leftfield corner to give Michigan an eighth run.

Iowa mounted one last rally in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a run and bringing the tying run to the plate with one out. Junior right-hander Jacob Cronenworth stranded two Hawkeyes, recording two outs to secure the win and bring Michigan within two wins of promise.