Michigan
Notre Dame
Wolverines Thumped by Irish in Neutral-Site Matchup
4/20/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Site:Â Comstock Park, Mich. (Old Kent Park)
Score:Â Notre Dame 14, Michigan 4
Records:Â U-M (21-20), Notre Dame (29-9)
Next U-M Game:Â Friday, April 30 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 3 p.m.
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. -- Using three big innings and taking advantage of seven University of Michigan errors, Notre Dame's baseball team posted a 14-4 decision Tuesday night (April 20) at Old Kent Park near Grand Rapids, Mich. A crowd of 3,137 turned out for the neutral-site contest.
After scoring three runs in the first inning, the Fighting Irish (29-9) blew open the game by putting a six spot on the board in the fourth. Michigan (21-20) closed to within 9-4 by scoring twice in the sixth and seventh, but Notre Dame put up one in the seventh and fourth in the eighth to claim its eighth win in its last nine games.
Senior designated hitter Mike Cervenak (New Boston, Mich./Dearborn Divine Child HS) was a bright spot for the Wolverines as he went 4-for-4 with a double and his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center in the sixth inning. Cervenak's double was the 54th of his career, giving him sole possession of first place on U-M's career list.
David Parrish (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Bobby Scales (Roswell, Ga./Milton HS) and Brian Bush (Warren, Ohio/Howland HS) each recorded a double. The Wolverines collected 11 hits to Notre Dame's 14 but committed seven errors, their highest total since making eight miscues against Texas A&M on March 8, 1996.
Junior lefthander Bryan Cranson (Bronson, Mich./Bronson HS) was tagged with the loss, dropping his record to 2-4. Notre Dame starter Scott Cavey (3-1) got the win, and Chris McKeown pitched the final three innings to earn his first save of 1999.
The Wolverines will break for final exams and will not return to action until Friday, April 30, when they start a four-game Big Ten Conference series with Michigan State by playing a 3 p.m. single game at Kobs Field in East Lansing, Mich.
NOTES
• Including his 4-for-4 performance against Notre Dame, Mike Cervenak is 13-for-18 (.722) with three doubles and two home runs in the last four games. He moved to within five hits of tying Ken Hayward (267, 1982-85) for the school's career hits record.
• Mike Cervenak went to the plate in the eighth inning needing a triple to hit for the cycle but "just" rapped a single up the middle. In his first three at-bats, he singled to left in the second inning, doubled to right in the fourth, and homered in the sixth. The homer was the 27th of his career, moving him out of a tie with Barry Larkin (1983-85) into sole ownership of seventh place on Michigan's career list, one dinger behind teammate Bryan Besco (Westland, Mich./John Glenn HS).
