Michigan
Ohio State
Buckeyes Win Two of Three, Scales Streak Hits 17
4/10/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ray Fisher Stadium)
Scores:Â Ohio State 7, Michigan 4 (competion of suspended game); Ohio State 13, Michigan 6; Michigan 7, Ohio State 4
Records:Â U-M (18-15, 6-5 Big Ten), OSU (21-7, 6-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game:Â Sunday, April 11 -- vs. Ohio State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior co-captain Mike Cervenak's (New Boston, Mich./Dearborn Divine Child HS) sacrifice fly in the fourth inning of the third game provided Michigan with a 7-4 win over Ohio State in finale of Saturday afternoon's (April 10) baseball marathon at Ray Fisher Stadium. Ohio State (21-7, 6-1 Big Ten) ran its winning streak to 14 games by beating Michigan (18-15, 6-5 Big Ten) 7-4 in Friday's suspended game and 13-6 in the opener of the scheduled doubleheader.
Senior second baseman Bobby Scales (Roswell, Ga./Milton HS) ran his career-best hitting streak to 17 games by getting a hit in all three games Saturday afternoon. He was 0-for-1 on Friday before the game was suspended in the third inning at 0-0. Scales was 2-for-3 in the first game, homered in the sixth inning of game two, and singled during 'M's winning rally in the third game.
In the opener Michigan battled back against OSU ace Justin Fry, scoring three runs in the seventh inning to tie the game at 3-3 and knock Fry out of the game. Sophomore catcher David Parrish (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) had a two-run single to cut OSU's lead to 3-2 and Scales tied the scored with the single that chased Fry.
OSU catcher Tom Durant snapped the 3-3 tie with a grand slam homer in the ninth off freshman closer Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS), who took the loss (1-3). Durant had two homers and drove in six of OSU's seven runs.
In the middle game of the day, OSU scored five times in the first inning to beat senior RHP J.J. Putz (Trenton, Mich./Trenton HS). Senior DH Dan Sanborn (Grand Ledge, Mich./Grand Ledge HS) hit his first homer of the season in the second inning and Scales hit his third homer in the sixth.
The Wolverine rallied for three runs to pull within 8-5 in the fifth inning and had the bases loaded with one out when Parrish, as a pinch-hitter, sent a rocket up the middle. However OSU second baseman Chad Ehrnsberger dove to his right, snagged the hot bouncer and started a fast 4-6-3 double play to halt the rally and save the game for the Buckeyes.
OSU added three in the sixth and two in the seventh to ice the second game, 13-6.
In the nightcap, Ehrnsberger hit a pair of two-run homers for OSU but Michigan sophomore RHP Vince Pistilli (Highland, Ind./Highland HS) pitched the complete-game victory.
Parrish led off the fourth inning with a solo homer, his second of the season, to tie the score 4-4. Scott Tousa (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS) and Scales singled and Jason Alcaraz (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS) was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Cervenak's winning sac fly. Senior centerfielder Brian Bush (Warren, Ohio/Howland HS) capped the rally with a two-run single.
Alcaraz paced the Wolverines in the regularly scheduled doubleheader, collecting five hits in seven at bats.
The series concludes Sunday (April 11) with a single nine-inning game starting at 1 p.m.
NOTES
• Saturday's 7-4 Michigan win was Geoff Zahn's 99th career win as head coach of the Wolverines.
• Marathon baseball day at Ray Fisher Stadium -- 1st pitch: Noon; Last out: 7:02 p.m.
• Bobby Scales leads the team with his .362 batting average, and his current hitting streak is 17 games. He started out the season with a 12-game streak and has hits in 30 of the 33 games played this season.
• Co-captains Bobby Scales and Mike Cervenak are the only Wolverines to start all 33 games.
• Michigan has won 12 of its last 17 games.
• Career hit list update: Alcaraz had six hits Saturday and Cervenak had two. Cervenak is third on Michigan's career hit list with 245 and Alcaraz is fifth with 235. All-time hit leader Ken Hayward (267 hits, 1982-85) was at Ray Fisher Stadium Saturday for the first time since his last game during 1985 Big Ten playoffs.
