Michigan Baseball: Michigan splits with Indiana

from MGoBlue.com
http://www.mgoblue.com/baseball/article.aspx?id=135754

U-M Splits Doubleheader at Indiana, Collects 30th Win

April 26, 2008
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Sembower Field)
Scores: Indiana 2, #23 Michigan 1; #23 Michigan 11, Indiana 4
Records: U-M (30-9, 17-2 Big Ten), Indiana (17-24, 5-14 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Sunday, April 27 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 1 p.m.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan baseball team earned its 30th win of the season with an 11-4 victory at Indiana in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon (April 26) at Sembower Field. The Wolverines (30-9, 17-2 Big Ten) dropped the opener, falling 2-1 on a walk-off RBI single in the bottom seventh inning.

Junior P/DH Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) had a hit in each of the two games to extend his career-best hitting streak to 16 games, while classmate 3B Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS) had four hits and four RBI on the day, driving in the lone Wolverine run in game one. Senior 1B/C Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS) provided the power in game two, going 4-for-4 with three RBI, two runs scored and his 17th home run of the season, tying him for second place on U-M's single-season list.

Michigan scored at least one run in all seven innings in game two, with three in the sixth and three in the seventh to put the game out of reach. The Wolverines took an early 1-0 lead when junior SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland HS) scored from third on a bloop single into rightfield off the bat of Recknagel. Christian opened the game with a walk, then stole second and third to set up the 1-0 advantage.
However, the lead was short-lived as the first four Hoosiers batters reached and scored for a 4-1 IU advantage. After the four runs came around with only out in the inning, senior/junior RHP Michael Powers (St. Clair Shores, Mich./South Lake HS) was called in from the bullpen. Powers induced a fly ball to centerfield for the second out, but with Tyler Rogers on first gave up a double into the gap in right-center. Sophomore Alan Oaks (White Lake, Mich./Divine Child HS) came up with the ball and sent it to fifth-year senior 2B Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep), who Mahler relayed the ball to Wolverine catcher Chris Berset (Vienna, Va./Heights School) to cut down Rogers at the plate for the third out of the inning.

The Maize and Blue tied the game with solo home runs in each of the next three innings. Oaks pulled U-M within two, 4-2, with a solo jack to straightaway centerfield in the top of the second. Recknagel made it a 4-3 game with his third-inning homer that bounced off the top of the Indiana scoreboard 370 feet away from home plate in right-centerfield. Abraham knotted the game at 4-4 with his home run in the fourth frame, as he sent a laser over the rightfield wall. It was his third off three hits in the game.

In the fifth, Recknagel gave the Wolverines the lead with a two-out single into leftfield to score junior CF Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi HS) for 5-4 advantage. The run proved to be the game-winner, giving Recknagel his team-leading ninth game-winning RBI of the season.

Michigan went on to score six more runs, and Powers kept the Hoosiers off the board during his 5.2 innings pitched. Powers stuck out five and allowed only two hits to earn his fifth win of the season.

In the doubleheader opener, junior RHP Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) pitched 6.1 solid innings, striking out five and allowing two runs (one earned) in his first loss of the year.

Indiana put up the first run of the ballgame in the third inning, when Evan Crawford scored from second on a two-out double by Chris Hervey. The run was unearned due to a dropped foul ball early in the frame.

Michigan tied the game in the top of the fifth when Abraham drove in pinch-runner Kenny Fellows (Holt, Mich./Holt HS) from third with a single to leftfield. Recknagel reached on a one-out walk and was replaced by Fellows. During Putnam's ensuing at-bat, coach Rich Maloney put on the hit and run, pulling the Hoosier second baseman to the bag. Putnam found the gap between first and second, allowing Fellows to move up to third and setting up the game-tying run.

However, in the bottom of the seventh, Jerrud Sabourin singled to lead off the inning and was replaced by pinch runner David Treager. A sacrifice bunt moved Treager to second and, following an intentional walk, Crawford sent the ball right back up the middle to score the run from second for the 2-1 win.

The two teams conclude their four-game series Sunday afternoon at Sembower Field with a 1 p.m. first pitch.