Wolverines Sweep Penn State, Secure Berth in Playoffs

Saturday, May 22

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

30-23, 17-12

Penn State

27-25, 16-13

Penn State

Michigan

Wolverines Sweep Penn State, Secure Berth in Playoffs

5/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ray Fisher Stadium)
Scores: Michigan 9, Penn State 2; Michigan 7, Penn State 0
Records: U-M (31-23, 18-12 Big Ten), PSU (27-26, 16-14 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 23 -- DH vs. Penn State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1:00 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team used strong pitching and a 21-hit attack to sweep a Big Ten Conference doubleheader from Penn State, 9-2 and 7-0, Saturday afternoon (May 22) at Ray Fisher Stadium. With the sweep the Wolverines clinched a berth in the six-team Big Ten Tournament.

Mahler reached base safely six times in seven plate appearances in the twinbill with five hits and a walk.

The Wolverines (31-23, 18-12 Big Ten) have won a season-high six straight for the second time this season, and the twin wins pushed Michigan over the 30-win mark for the second straight season and for the ninth time in nine years as a college coach for second-year U-M boss Rich Maloney.

Junior/sophomore LHP Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason HS) and sophomore RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS) combined on a four-hitter in the opener. Hammond (5-1) went the first five innings and allowed three hits and both runs, while Feldkamp recorded his fourth save of the year with four innings of one-hit relief.

In the nightcap senior/junior RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) pitched six shutout innings against Penn State (27-26, 16-14 Big Ten) to move his record to 6-3, and freshman LHP Michael McCormick (Goodrich, Mich./Goodrich HS) worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to close out Michigan's fourth shutout of the season.

Freshman shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) had the best offensive day of his young career, pacing the Wolverines with five hits. He had a 3-for-3 game with a walk in the opener and was 2-for-3 in the second game with a pair of RBI.

Penn State took a 2-0 lead in the opener with run-scoring singles in the second inning by DH Joe Blackburn and RF Brett Showalter. However, the Nittany Lions were limited to just two more singles in the final seven innings of the opener.

Michigan scored three times in the fourth and added five runs in the fifth to take a commanding lead in the opener. Senior DH Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) drove in the first run for the Wolverines, and sophomore 3B A.J. Scheidt's (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) two-run double that gave the Wolverines a 3-2 lead proved to be his fourth game-winning hit of the season.

The fifth-inning rally included six hits off PSU starter Sean Stidfole (6-4) and was paced by a two-run double by junior/sophomore catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) and run-scoring singles by Roberts, Mahler and freshman LF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School).

Brauer (6-3) allowed hits in five innings in the second game but never faced more than four batters in an inning and recorded four strikeouts in the second game while matched up against Penn State's Aaron Tressler (4-3).

The Wolverines scored three unearned runs in the second inning of the second game as Roberts singled to start the rally that included two outfield errors, a run-scoring single by Kunkel and a run-scoring groundout by Mahler. Kunkel's single provided his fifth "gamer" of the season.

Michigan scored twice in the third inning and once in the fourth to close out the scoring in the second game. The final run came after two outs as Mahler notched his fifth hit of the day and scored from first as Roblin doubled to right-center.

Roberts, who was 3-for-5 in the opener, had four hits in the doubleheader and scored the winning run in the second game, while sophomore 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) and junior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point., Wis./Area HS) each had three hits in the doubleheader. Getz has hits in 30 of his last 33 games and Bohm notched his 50th RBI of the season in the opener.

Michigan and Penn State close out the final series of the regular season with a doubleheader Sunday (May 22) starting with a seven-inning game at 1 p.m. The second game will be a nine-inning game. The Wolverines are expected to have juniors RHPs Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart HS), at 4-0 with a 4.66 ERA, and Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian), with a 6-5 record and a 4.46 ERA, as the starting pitchers.

N O T E S

In Big Ten play Saturday Minnesota captured the Big Ten crown for the third straight season by splitting a doubleheader with Ohio State. OSU stayed alive by the winning the opener 10-6, but Minnesota clinched the title with a 7-2 victory in the second game. Michigan used its doubleheader sweep to move into third place, while Michigan State's split with Northwestern dropped the Spartans to fourth. MSU took the opener in 5-4 in 12 innings, but NU's Wildcats won the second game 9-3. Purdue swept Indiana by identical 2-1 scores, jumping ahead of Penn State into fifth place. Illinois won the opener at Iowa 8-6, but Iowa won the second game 9-8 as the two teams remain tied for eighth.

Big Ten Standings (includes games of May 22)

 1. Minnesota# 21-10 .677 2. Ohio State 19-12 .613 3. MICHIGAN 18-12 .600 4. Michigan State 18-13 .581 5. Purdue 17-14 .548 6. Penn State 16-14 .533 7. Northwestern 14-17 .452 8. Iowa 11-20 .355 Illinois 11-20 .355 10. Indiana 9-22 .290 # clinched title; will host Big Ten Tournament (May 26-30)

Members of the 1984 Michigan Big Ten baseball championship team, the last Wolverine and Big Ten baseball team to play in the College World Series, were introduced prior to the start of Saturday's doubleheader vs. Penn State. Team members on hand included captains Rich Bair and Chuck Froning, former Major League pitcher Scott Kamieniecki along with Mark Dadabbo, Dan Disher, Buddy Dodge, John Grettenberger, Ken Hayward, Derek Kerr, Paul Wenson, Randy Wolfe and Kurt Zimmerman. Pitching coach Terry Hunter was back along with his son Scott, who served as a bat boy in 1984.

Senior DH Brandon Roberts moved up another notch on Michigan's career doubles list when he doubled in the sixth inning of the opener. Roberts has 13 doubles for the season and has 47 for his career to tie Jim Paciorek (47, 1979-82) for eighth place on U-M's all-time list. He needs two doubles to tie Casey Close (1983-86) and Ken Hayward (1982-85) for sixth.

Freshman SS Leif Mahler's five-hit day included his first three-hit game. Mahler, who is hitting .291 (23-for-79), has seven multiple-hit games.

Michigan's leading hitters after 54 games of overall action include: 1B Kyle Bohm  at .369  (72-for-195), Chris Getz at .346 (75-for-217), Brandon Roberts at .345 (58-for-168), Eric Rose at .340 (49-for-144), Jeremy Goldschmeding  (Allegan, Mich./Allegan HS) at .325 (38-for-117), Matt Butler at .318  (63-for-198), 3B A.J. Scheidt  at .308 (65-for-211) and catcher Jeff Kunkel at .305 (47-for-154).