Michigan Baseball: Michigan splits with Ohio State on Saturday

from MGoBlue.com
http://www.mgoblue.com/baseball/article.aspx?id=136464

Fetter Helps Michigan to Doubleheader Split With Ohio State

May 3, 2008
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wilpon Complex)
Score: #22 Michigan 6, Ohio State 1; #22 Michigan 2, Ohio State 3
Records: U-M (33-11, 19-4 Big Ten), OSU (24-20, 11-11 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Sunday, May 4 -- vs. Ohio State (Wilpon Complex), 1:05 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan baseball team earned a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon (May 3), as the Wolverines captured the first game, 6-1, but U-M dropped the second contest, 3-2, to Ohio State in the Wilpon Baseball Complex, home to Ray Fisher Stadium.

Junior RHP Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) improved to 8-1 for the 2008 season, tossing his fourth no hitter of the year in the 6-1 win in the first game of the day's double dip. Fetter struck out three and allowed only four hits, holding the Buckeyes scoreless over the final six innings.

At plate, junior SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland HS) led the Wolverine (33-11, 19-4 Big Ten) charge, going 3-for-6 on the day with a home run, two RBI and a pair of runs scored.

In the opening game, Ohio State scored in the first inning for the second straight time when J.B. Schuck scored on a sac fly off the bat of the DH Ryan Meade for the 1-0 Buckeye lead.

With runners on second and third, Fetter ended the inning, getting Ryan Dew to foul out to junior 3B Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS).
Heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Wolverines had just three hits; however, they connected for four in the fifth, resulting in two runs and a 2-1 advantage.

Junior CF Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi HS) led off the frame with an infield single, beating out a throw by the second baseman Cory Kovanda. Christian then drew a walk to put runners on second and third with no outs. Fifth-year senior 2B Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) cut the deficit to 2-1 when he drilled the ball to the base of the rightfield wall for his team-leading 15th double of the year.

With runners on second and third, OSU then intentionally walked senior 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS), loading the bases for the junior DH, Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS). Putnam delivered with a long fly ball to leftfield, scoring Christian from third to put the Maize and Blue ahead, 2-1.

Michigan extended its lead in the bottom of the sixth when the Wolverines pushed four runs across in the frame. Following a leadoff infield single by senior LF Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair HS), senior/junior Kenny Fellows (Holt, Mich./Holt HS) came in to pinch hit for and was walked on four straight pitches.

Freshman RF Ryan LaMarre (Jackson, Mich./Jackson HS) then attempted a sac bunt, but the OSU third baseman sent a wild throw to first, which scored VanBuskik and moved Fellows to third and LaMarre to second with no outs.

During the ensuing at bat, Cislo and Fellows worked the suicide squeeze to perfection for a 4-1 U-M advantage. LaMarre advanced to third on the play and came home one batter later when Christian launched a 3-2 pitch off the Indoor Track Building in rightfield for a two-run shot and a 6-1 Wolverine lead.

In game two, the Buckeyes again scored in the top of the first. OSU's first three batters reached -- two of which came around to score for a 2-0 lead. Tony Kennedy started the inning with a single and was moved up to second on a catcher's interference call, resulting Kovanda's awarding of first.

J.B. Shuck then followed with a single into right to load the bases, setting up Justin Miller for an RBI bounce out to second base for a 1-0 lead. The Buckeyes added a second run on an RBI single by the Meade to push the OSU lead to 2-0.
Michigan tied the ballgame in the bottom of the fifth two runs on three hits. Putnam and Abraham starting things off with a pair of singles and were advanced a base on a sac bunt by VanBuskirk.

A balk by OSU started Dean Wolosianksy scored Putnam and moved Abraham to third, cutting the Buckeye lead to 2-1 with one out in the frame. After a shallow fly to right field resulted in the second out, pinch hitter Mike Dufek (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) tied the game at 2-2 with a double up against the left-center field wall.

The game remained tied a 2-2 until the top of the seventh, when the Buckeyes scored the game-winning run on Miller's second RBI of the game.

Kovanda doubled down the leftfield line to lead off the frame and back-to-back singles brought him around as OSU earned the doubleheader split with the 3-2 victory.