Strong Starting Pitching Leads Wolverines to Two Wins

Saturday, March 27

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Noon

Michigan

6-9

Oakland

5-9

Oakland University

Michigan

Strong Starting Pitching Leads Wolverines to Two Wins

3/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ray Fisher Stadium)
Event: Michigan Classic
Scores: Michigan 6, Oakland 2; Michigan 17, Detroit 2
Record: Michigan (7-9)
Next U-M Games: Sunday, March 28 -- vs. Detroit (noon), vs. Oakland (3 p.m.) in Michigan Classic (Ray Fisher Stadium)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team's offense exploded for 23 runs and 32 hits and the starting pitchers allowed just one run in 14 innings as the Wolverines beat Oakland, 6-2, and Detroit, 17-2, in Michigan Classic action Saturday (March 27) in Ray Fisher Stadium. Oakland beat Detroit 4-2 in the day's first contest.

Brauer, who missed most of 2003 due to injury, fanned a career-best 13 for his first victory since May 18, 2002.

Senior/junior RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) was the pitching highlight of the second win for the Wolverines (7-9) as he struck out a career-best 13 batters in the win over Detroit (1-12), his first win of the season and eighth in his career.

Sophomore RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS) was impressive in the opener, pitching seven scoreless innings in his first start of the season and allowing Oakland (5-9) just four hits as he evened his record at 2-2 for the season. Feldkamp's 2.08 ERA is tops on the squad among pitchers with more than 20 innings.

Junior RF Matt Butler's (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) two-run single in the third inning of the opener proved to be his team-leading third game-winning RBI of the season as it capped a four-hit inning. The Wolverines had loaded the bases on consecutive singles by sophomore shortstop Jeremy Goldschmeding (Martin, Mich./Allegan HS), junior DH Nick Rudden (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) and freshman CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS).

Michigan moved the lead to 6-0 after seven innings before Oakland scored twice in the eighth inning and had the bases loaded when junior RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart HS) closed the door to earn his first career save.

The Wolverines scored three times in the second inning against Detroit as redshirt freshman catcher Matt Rademacher (Bay City, Mich./Central HS) opened the inning with a single and advanced on a bunt single by Goldschmeding. Freshman LF Brad Roblin's (Wayland, Mass./River School) single was the game-winner in the second game, and sophomore 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) drove in two with a two-out single to right.

Junior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS) was 3-for-4 against Detroit with a run-scoring single in the fifth and a pair of doubles. His blast in the seventh inning hit the fence in left.

Senior DH Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS), playing in his 149th game as a Wolverine, knocked in three runs in the second game, and Rose, playing in his seventh game as a Wolverine, had a double, a triple and a sacrifice fly to drive in three runs against Detroit. Rose was 4-for-8 in the doubleheader.

The Wolverines face Detroit (noon) and Oakland University (3 p.m.) in Michigan Classic action Sunday (March 28). Senior RHP Bobby Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS), with a 1-1 record and a 7.27 ERA, and junior RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian HS), with a 1-1 mark and a 3.55 ERA, are listed as the probably starting pitchers.

N O T E S

Jim Brauer's 13 strikeouts in seven innings, were the most for a Wolverine since Bobby Korecky fanned 13 in a nine-inning complete-game shutout (7-0) at Texas-San Antonio on March 8, 2002.

Freshman shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) became the sixth Wolverine to collect career hit number one during the 2004 season. Mahler, a defenisve replacement vs. Detroit, had a run-scoring single in Michigan's six-run eighth inning.

Junior/sophomore catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) was 4-for-6 on the day to grab the team batting lead at .432. He was 2-for-4 in the opener and entered game two as a defensive replacement at first base and went 2-for-2 in the eighth inning. Kunkel led off the eighth with a single and scored the first run of the frame as a righthanded batter, and he doubled in the sixth run of the inning (17th of the game) hitting lefthanded.

Sophomore 2B Chris Getz and junior OF Matt Butler each collected his team-leading fifth stolen base in a double steal in the second inning vs. Detroit. Getz and Butler have pulled off a double steal three times this season.

Kyle Bohm had his nine-game hitting streak snapped in Saturday's opener vs. Oakland, but he bounced back with a 3-for-4 game against Detroit. Bohm had two doubles in the game to push his team lead to eight, and it was his third three-hit game of the season. Bohm has hits in 14 of the 16 games this season.

Michigan's hitting leaders after 16 games are: Jeff Kunkel at .432 (19-for-44), 1B Kyle Bohm at .397 (25-for-63), 3B A.J. Scheidt at .385 (25-for-65), Jeremy Goldschmeding at .378 (14-for-37), OF Eric Rose at .375 (9-for-24) and Matt Butler at .333 (16-for-48).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423