Michigan
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Western Michigan
Cranson, Bobeda Pace Wolverines Over Broncos
3/24/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Site:Â Kalamazoo, Mich. (Hyames Field)
Scores:Â Michigan 9, Western Michigan 5
Records:Â U-M (8-10), WMU (4-9)
Next U-M Game:Â Friday, March 26 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 2 p.m. CST
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Junior classmates Bryan Cranson (Bronson, Mich./Bronson HS) and Rob Bobeda (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt HS) led the University of Michigan baseball team to a 9-5 non-conference win over Western Michigan Wednesday afternoon (March 24).
Lefthander Cranson pitched the first six innings to record his first victory of the season. Cranson (1-3) allowed eight hits and two runs, both earned, as he dropped his ERA to 5.12. He faced four or fewer batters in five of his six innings.
Left fielder Bobeda, the home run hero of the 17-15 win over UNLV on Monday (March 22), collected three hits in the game, including a two-run single in the first inning.
The first four Michigan batters of the chilly afternoon in Hyames Field reached base and three scored. Co-captain Bobby Scales (Roswell, Ga./Milton HS) was hit by a pitch and raced to third on a single by senior right fielder Jason Alcaraz (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS). Co-captain Mike Cervenak (New Boston, Mich./Dearborn Divine Child HS) scored Scales on a double to right-center as Alcaraz reached third. Bobeda followed with his two-run single to center.
WMU rightfielder Kris Gundrum, who led the Broncos with a 3-for-4 game and three RBIs, hit his first homer of the year to cut the Wolverine margin to 4-2 in the fourth inning, but Michigan bounced back quickly.
The Wolverines scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning, with Kalamazoo native Dan Dombos (Mattawan HS) driving in one with a two-out pinch double. Dombos scored on a Scales single.
The Wolverines closed out the scoring in the ninth inning as Bobeda singled and seniors Bryan Besco (Westland, Mich./John Glenn HS) and Mike Seestedt (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Sacred Heart HS) hit back-to-back run-scoring doubles.
Freshman RHP Nick Bellows (Lake Oswego, Ore./Lakeridge HS) made his career debut, replacing Cranson in the seventh inning. Bellows was touched for three runs in the eighth. Senior LHP Robbie Reid (Spanish Fork, Utah/Spanish Fork HS), making his first appearance of the year following the basketball season, got the final two outs in the ninth.
The Wolverines head to Iowa this weekend (March 26-28) to open Big Ten Conference play with four games against the Hawkeyes (8-9). Michigan's home opener is slated for Tuesday (March 30) at 3 p.m. vs. Central Michigan.
NOTES
• Senior third baseman Mike Cervenak's first-inning double was the 49th of his career, pulling him into a second-place tie on the all-time Michigan doubles list with Ken Hayward (49, 1982-85) and Casey Close (49, 1983-86). The record is 53 held by Phil Price (1987-90).
• Seniors Mike Cervenak and Jason Alcaraz each collected two hits at Western Michigan to keep moving up on the all-time 'M' hit list. Cervenak ranks fourth with 229 hits (third place is 240 by Casey Close, 1983-86). Alcaraz snapped his tie for sixth place with Tim Flannelly (1989-91) and enters the Iowa series with 211 hits (fifth place is 215 by Phil Price, 1987-90). The Michigan career hit leader is Ken Hayward (267 hits, 1982-85)
• Senior center fielder Brian Bush (Warren, Ohio/Howland HS) had his hit streak snapped at 12 games at WMU. Bush was 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a sac bunt in his five trips to the plate. Bush remains on top of the batting list for the Wolverines with a .329 average.
