Michigan Baseball: Michigan splits with Northwestern

from MGoBlue.com
http://www.mgoblue.com/baseball/article.aspx?id=137876

Wolverines Split With Wildcats, Tie Big Ten Wins Mark

May 16, 2008
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wilpon Complex)
Scores: #17 Michigan 7, Northwestern 1; Northwestern 2, #17 Michigan 0
Records: U-M (41-12, 25-5 Big Ten), Northwestern (21-27, 14-17 Big Ten)
Next Game: Saturday, May 17 -- vs. Northwestern (Wilpon Baseball), 1:05 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan baseball team tied the Big Ten record for most conference wins in a season, as the Wolverines earned their 25th league win of the year with a 7-1 victory against Northwestern in game one of Friday afternoon's (May 16) doubleheader. The Wolverines (41-12, 25-5 Big Ten) dropped game two to the Wildcats with a final score of 2-0 in the Wilpon Baseball Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.

Senior 1B/C Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS) tied for the NCAA lead in home runs when he launched his 23rd dinger of the year in the bottom of the first in game one. The two-run shot was his fourth in a three-game span and proved to be his 13th game-winning RBI this season for U-M.

The Wildcats jumped ahead 1-0 to lead off the first game, as Jake Owens started the ballgame with a triple and scored one batter later on a groundout to junior 3B Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS).

Northwestern put two more runners on with two outs in the frame, but Wolverine starter Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) induced a bounceout to second to end the threat. Putnam improved his record to 7-0 on the season, working the first five innings. The junior righthander struck out five to tie for the team lead in the category with Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS), as both starters have 65 K's on the year.

Michigan responded in the bottom of the frame with two runs to take a lead it would not relinquish. With one out, fifth-year 2B Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) drew a walk and came around to score on Recknagel's NCAA-leading 23rd home run of the season. The two-run blast cleared the 26-foot Monster in left and marked the third consecutive game with a jack for the senior slugger.

The Maize and Blue tacked on two more in the bottom of the second when Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair HS) and junior CF Kevin Cilso (Novi, Mich./Novi HS) came around to score in the inning. VanBuskirk reached on a fielding error by the third baseman and moved up a bag on a Cislo walk. After sophomore C Chris Berset (Vienna, Va./Heights School HS) reached, the bases were loaded for freshman RF Ryan LaMarre (Jackson, Mich./Lumen Chrisi HS). LaMarre made it a 3-1 game with an RBI fielder's choice that scored VanBuskirk. Cislo came around two batters later when Mahler drew his second walk of the day for a 4-1 lead.

U-M took a 6-1 lead in the third inning with RBI singles by Berset and LaMarre. Berset's base hit scored Putnam, while the single to center by LaMarre brought home VanBuskirk from second, after he walked earlier in the inning.

The Wolverines completed their scoring with one in the fourth as Recknagel came in on an Abraham single to leftfield. Michigan put up three hits in the inning off the bats of Recknagel, Putnam and Abraham.

Sophomore 1B/RHP Mike Dufek (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) replaced Putnam in the sixth inning and faced the minimum in his two innings of work. Dufek induced five groundball outs and one flyout in holding the Wildcats off the bases.

Sophomore LHP Eric Katzman (Harrington Park, N.J./Northern Valley Old Tappan HS) took the tough loss in game two, allowing just two runs (one earned) in 5.1 innings in his third league start of the year.

Northwestern scored on a home run by Tony Vercelli in the second and a fielder's choice in the third that resulted in an unearned run for the only two runs in the ballgame.

Michigan put a rally together in the bottom of the seventh, as VanBuskirk singled to the left side with one out. Cislo then reached when he was plunked in the back, putting runners on first and second with only one out. However, Wildcat starter Erik Jokisch got the final two outs, keeping the Wolverines off the board for the first time this season.

The Wolverines return to the diamond Saturday afternoon (May 17) for a 1:05 p.m. contest with Northwestern in the regular-season finale. It will be Senior Day at the Wilpon Baseball Complex with U-M honoring its three departing seniors -- Mahler, Recknagel and VanBuskirk -- in their final regular-season home game.