Michigan
Indiana
Cervenak Sets Hits Record in Split with Hoosiers
5/9/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ray Fisher Stadium)
Scores:Â Michigan 7, Indiana 3; Indiana 2, Michigan 1
Records:Â U-M (27-23, 14-9 Big Ten), Indiana (34-14, 12-11 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game:Â Monday, May 10 -- vs. Indiana (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior co-captain Mike Cervenak (New Boston, Mich./Dearborn Divine Child HS) slugged a game-winning homer to set the all-time school hit record Sunday (May 9) as the University of Michigan split a Big Ten baseball doubleheader with Indiana at Ray Fisher Stadium.
Cervenak's seventh homer of the season snapped a 3-3 tie and pushed the Wolverines (27-23, 14-9 Big Ten) toward a 7-3 opening-game win. Fourth-place Indiana (34-14, 12-11 Big Ten) stayed within range of the third-place Wolverines with a 2-1 victory in the second game.
Cervenak, who tied the record of 267 hits set by Ken Hayward (1982-85) with three hits last Sunday (May 2), shared the record for a week before hitting a 2-2 pitch over the leftfield fence in the fourth inning for career hit No. 268. Moments later Michigan's other co-captain, Bobby Scales (Roswell, Ga./Milton HS), launched his team-leading ninth homer to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and cap off the four-run winning rally.
Junior/sophomore RHP Bryce Ralston (Tacoma, Wash./Curtis HS), touched for three runs on second-inning homers by Doug DeVore and Mark Minor, settled down to earn his team-leading seventh win with his third complete game of the season. Ralston is 5-0 in Big Ten play.
In the nightcap, pitching was the tale as Michigan sophomore Vince Pistilli (Highland, Ind./Highland HS) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Indiana scored twice on DeVore's two-run single. Pistilli took the loss to drop his record to 3-2.
Indiana DH Dan Haegele broke up the no-hitter with his first hit of the series, a double to left-center following a leadoff walk to Sam Incandela, and DeVore followed with his single up the middle.
Michigan managed just three hits of Indiana starter Zack McClellan (7-0) but collected two of the hits with two outs in the bottom of the sixth as senior CF Brian Bush (Warren, Ohio/Howland HS) beat out slow roller to second base and senior 1B Bryan Besco (Westland, Mich./John Glenn HS) doubled him home. Besco collected two of the three hits in the game.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Wolverines faced IU closer Chris Wilson and made it exciting before Wilson earned his seventh save of the season. Scales faced Wilson with two on and two out with a chance to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, but Scales hit a fly ball to left to end the game.
The series concludes with a nine-inning single game Monday (May 10) at 1 p.m. Michigan closes out Big Ten play at Penn State (May 14-16), while Indiana plays at Ohio State (May 14-16).
Lund Has Number Retired
Michigan legend Don Lund, who played, coached and served as an administrator for the Wolverines, had his baseball jersey No. 33 retired in a ceremony between games of Sunday's (May 9) doubleheader. Athletic Director Tom Goss, head baseball coach Geoff Zahn and Michigan's other 'retired baseball numbers' Moby Benedict (No. 1) and Bill Freehan (No. 11) were on hand to honor Lund.
Lund earned three varsity letters in football (1942-44), basketball (1943-45) and baseball (1943-45) and served as Michigan head baseball coach (1959-62). Lund coached Michigan's 1962 national championship squad.
Lund, a first-round draft pick of the NFL Chicago Bears in 1945, played Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers. He was Detroit's farm director for the 1968 World Series winners and returned to Michigan as an assistant and later associate athletic director.
(Note: Junior OF Jay Dines (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), who was wearing No. 33 this season, has switched to No. 8 for the rest of the season.)
NOTES
• Michigan's defense sparkled in the opener as Brian Bush turned in a crucial '8-2' double play, combining with sophomore catcher David Parrish in the middle of IU's three-run rally in the second inning.
• The Wolverines turned three double plays in the opener to tie the school record of 62 DPs in a season, set in 1997.
• Career hit update: Co-captains Mike Cervenak and Bobby Scales each had one hit in the Sunday (May 9) doubleheader as Cervenak set the U-M all-time hit mark (268). Senior RF Jason Alcaraz (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS) was held without a hit.
• Senior Bryan Besco went 2-for-3 with a run-scoring double in the second game of Sunday's (May 9) doubleheader. The double was his team-leading 16th of the season and the 47th of his career, pulling him into a fifth-place tie with teammate Jason Alcaraz (47 doubles, 1996-99) and Jim Paciorek (47 doubles, 1979-82) on the U-M career list. Besco added his 135th career RBI to pull within one of ninth-place Barry Larkin (136, 1983-85) and two of eight-place Jeff Jacobson (137, 1980-83) on the career RBI list.
