Brauer, Bulter Lead Michigan Past Illini in Series Opener

Friday, April 16

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

17-12, 6-3

Illinois

10-18, 3-6

Illinois

Michigan

Brauer, Bulter Lead Michigan Past Illini in Series Opener

4/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior OF Matt Butler's (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) two-run double opened the scoring in the third inning and the University of Michigan baseball team never trailed behind the pitching of senior/junior Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) in a 6-3 Big Ten win over Illinois Friday afternoon (April 16) in the opener of a four-game weekend series at Ray Fisher Stadium.

Brauer (2-2) pitched 7.2 innings and allowed eight hits and three runs as he earned his ninth career win for the Wolverines (17-12, 6-3 Big Ten). Brauer held a 6-1 lead before Illinois DH Ryan Rogowski's two-out two-run single knocked him out of the game in the eighth inning.

Junior RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart) closed out the eighth inning and retired three of the four batters he faced in the ninth inning to record his second save of the season.

Michigan scored twice in the third inning against Illinois starter Joe Ziemba (1-5) as freshman CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS) beat out a grounder to deep shortstop for the first Wolverine hit of the game, and he moved to second as sophomore 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) served a single to left. Butler, who leads the team with 29 RBI, drove in Rose and Getz with a double to right and he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple. Butler's double proved to the game-winning hit, his team-leading seventh "gamer" of the season.

Brauer was working on a two-hit shutout after five innings, but Illinois (10-18, 3-6 Big Ten) cut the lead in half in the sixth inning as shortstop Eric Eymann led off the inning with a single, stole second base and scored on a single by 3B Chad Frk. Frk had three of the eight Illini hits in the game.

The Wolverines bounced back in the bottom of the sixth with four runs as Butler beat out a bunt to open the frame and junior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS) lined his team-leading 13th double into the gap in right-center. Sophomore 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) singled to drive in both runs and the score was 4-1.

Sophomore shortstop Jeremy Goldschmeding (Allegan, Mich./Allegan HS) lined a two-out single to left to drive in Scheidt with the third run of the inning, and he collected his fifth stolen base of the season before scoring on a single to center by freshman LF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School).

Butler and Rose each went 2-for-3 to lead the Wolverines.

The Wolverines are scheduled to host Illinois in a Big Ten doubleheader Saturday (April 17, 1 p.m.) with sophomore RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS), with a 3-3 record and a 2.06 ERA, pitching the first game and junior RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian), with a 3-1 record and a 3.95 ERA, throwing the second game.

N O T E S

In Big Ten action Friday the Wolverines remained in second place with the 6-3 win over Illinois. Michigan State topped Ohio State by a 10-7 margin to remain in first place, and Minnesota stayed in the second-place tie with Michigan by beating Penn State 7-2. In the other games Iowa beat Indiana 7-3 and Northwestern used a 10th-inning homer ot beat Purdue 7-6.

Big Ten Standings (after Friday's Games)

 1. Michigan State 7-2 .778 2. MICHIGAN 6-3 .667 Minnesota 6-3 .667 4. Ohio State 5-4 .556 Penn State 5-4 .556 6. Northwestern 4-5 .444 Purdue 4-5 .444 8. Illinois 3-6 .333 Indiana 3-6 .333 10. Iowa 2-7 .222

The Michigan win over Illinois gives the Wolverines a five-game winning streak for the second time this season, the longest winning streak at Michigan for second-year head coach Rich Maloney.

Junior RHP Phil Tognetti has appeared in each of the last three games, recording two wins (Iowa, Central Michigan) and a save (Illinois) while pitching a total of 4.2 innings and allowing three hits and one run. He leads the Wolverines in appearances (15) and is 3-0 with two saves and a 3.68 ERA for the season.

Chris Getz extended his overall hitting streak to eight games with his second-inning single vs. Illinois on Friday (April 16) and he has hit in six straight Big Ten games.

Freshman OF Brad Roblin, who leads Michigan in hitting in Big Ten action with a .474 (9-for-19) average, has a seven-game hitting streak in Big Ten games.

Michigan's hitting leaders after 29 games are: 1B Kyle Bohm at .402 (45-for-112), Jeremy Goldschmeding at .349 (30-for-86), OF Eric Rose at .348 (23-for-66), Matt Butler at .343 (36-for-105), 3B A.J. Scheidt at .333 (39-for-117), Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) at .333 (26-for-78) and Chris Getz at .321(36-for-112).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423