Michigan Tops Michigan State Behind Brauer, Tognetti

Friday, April 30

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

23-15, 0

Michigan State

21-19, 0

Michigan State

Michigan

4/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team jumped to a 6-1 lead behind veteran righthanded pitchers Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) and Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart HS) and topped archrival Michigan State 8-4 in the opener of a four-game Big Ten series Friday (April 30) at Ray Fisher Stadium.

Getz went 3-for-4 with a walk and scored three times from the leadoff spot in the order.

The Wolverines (23-15, 11-6 Big Ten) kept at a share of first place with Minnesota as the Gophers blanked Purdue by a 7-0 margin Friday evening in Minneapolis. The weekend series with the Spartans (21-19, 8-9 Big Ten) continues with a twinbill at MSU on Saturday (May 1, 1 p.m.) and closes with a single game back at Fisher Stadium on Sunday (May 2, 1 p.m.).

Senior/junior Brauer (4-2) grabbed a share of the team lead in wins as he pitched 5.2 innings to collect his third consecutive Friday win in conference play. Brauer allowed eight hits and had three strikeouts in the win as he earned his 11th career victory. Michigan is 4-1 in its five series openers in Big Ten play.

Meanwhile, junior Tognetti (4-0) notched his team-leading fourth save as he worked the final 3.1 innings and allowed just one hit.

Sophomore 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) paced the Wolverine attack with three hits and three runs scored, while junior RF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) and freshman SS Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) each had two hits.

MSU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a single by 2B Oliver Wolcott, a double by RF Travis Gulick and a run-scoring grounder to Mahler at short. Wolcott had four of MSU's nine hits and Gulick, who leads the Spartans with a .357 batting average, added a two-run triple in the fifth and scored the fourth MSU run.

The Wolverines scored twice in the first inning despite the fact that MSU pitching ace Bryan Gale (3-3) struck out the side. Getz singled to open the first and Butler followed with a walk. After a pair of strikeouts junior/sophomore catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) lined a two-run double to the gap in right-center for a 2-1 Michigan lead. The double was Kunkel's third "game-winner" of the season.

Gale fanned six in his four innings of work, and just four of the six runs he allowed were earned.

Michigan added two runs in the third with freshman Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./River School) and Mahler driving in the runs. Roblin's bid for a bases-loaded single became a run-scoring fielder's choice on an 8-6 force play at second base, and Mahler followed with a single.

In the fourth inning it was Getz with a single and Butler with a HBP to open the inning. They pulled off a double steal to advance to second and third base, and both scored on a two-run single by junior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS). Bohm leads the Wolverines with 39 RBI.

The Wolverines answered MSU's three-run fifth that cut the lead to 6-4 on a two-out rally that featured a two-out single by Getz, a wild pitch by reliever Dan Noble and a run-scoring single by Butler.

The final run came in the seventh as Mahler reached on an error, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS) and moved to third on a passed ball. Butler collected another RBI single as he moved his season RBI total to 36.

Michigan heads to Kobs Field in East Lansing for a Big Ten doubleheader at Michigan State on Saturday (May 1, 1 p.m.). Sophomore RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS), at 4-4 with a Big Ten-leading 2.05 overall ERA, will pitch in the opener with junior RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian), at 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA, pitching the nightcap.

N O T E S

In the two Big Ten games Friday afternoon Michigan beat Michigan State 8-4 and Ohio State topped Indiana 11-6 in a game in Bloomington, Ind. In night action Penn State beat Illinois 8-1, Minnesota beat Purdue 7-0. Northwestern was rained out at Iowa and will have to play a pair of doubleheaders this weekend.

Big Ten Standings (Includes April 30)

 1. MICHIGAN 11-6 .647 Minnesota 11-6 .647 3. Ohio State 10-7 .588 Penn State 10-7 .588 5. Purdue 9-8 .529 6. Michigan State 8-9 .471 7. Illinois 7-10 .412 Indiana 7-10 .412 9. Northwestern 6-10 .375 10. Iowa 5-11 .313

Michigan's leading hitters after 38 games include: 1B Kyle Bohm at .394 (56-for-142), Jeremy Goldschmeding (Allegan, Mich./Allegan HS) at .359 (33-for-92), Matt Butler at .336 (46-for-137), Brandon Roberts at .333 (39-for-117), Chris Getz at .327 (49-for-150), Eric Rose at .312 (29-for-93), 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) at .311 (47-for-151), and Jeff Kunkel at .303 (33-for-109).