Penn, Kunkel Help Michigan Split Pair With Fighting Illini

Saturday, April 16

Champaign, Ill.

4:05 PM CT

Michigan

19-11, 2-8

Illinois

19-11-1, 8-2

Michigan

Illinois

Penn, Kunkel Help Michigan Split Pair With Fighting Illini

4/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Champaign, Ill. (Illinois Field)
Scores: Michigan 6, Illinois 1; Illinois 4, Michigan 1
Records: U-M (19-12, 2-9 Big Ten), Illinois (20-9-1, 9-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Apr. 17 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 1:05 p.m. CDT

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Senior RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian) and senior/junior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) paced the University of Michigan baseball team to a split in Saturday's (April 16) Big Ten Conference doubleheader at Illinois as the Wolverines took the opener, 6-1.

Matt Whitmore (3-1) provided the split for Illinois with a complete-game four-hitter in the 4-1 win over U-M in the nightcap to keep Illinois (20-9-1, 9-2 Big Ten) alone in first place in conference action. Michigan (19-12, 2-9 Big Ten) moves into a tie for ninth with Indiana (2-9).

Penn (4-1, 2.89) grabbed a share of the team lead with his fourth win of the season and second in Big Ten play as he pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and one run, while catcher Kunkel drove in five of the six runs.

Sophomore/freshman Clayton Richard (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon HS) pitched four shutout innings in the doubleheader, recording the final two outs in the opener and ending the game with a bases-loaded strikeout. Richard worked 3.1 innings in the second game in relief of senior/junior starter Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason HS).

Penn and Illinois first-game starter Jimmy Conroy (5-1) matched shutout innings through five frames with the Wolverines breaking the game open in the sixth with junior 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) starting the winning rally with a double. Senior RF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) was hit by a pitch and senior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS) lined a single to left that scored Getz for a 1-0 Wolverine lead. It was Bohm's fourth game-winning RBI of the season to tie Butler for the team lead. Kunkel followed with a long three-run homer to push the score to 4-0.

Illinois quickly loaded the bases off Penn in the bottom of the sixth on a hit batter, a single and a walk, but junior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) made a great diving catch of a foul ball down the leftfield line for the second out, and Illinois CF Drew Davidson scored on the play to break up the shutout. Penn fanned Chad Frk to end the rally.

The Wolverines added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh as Getz singled and collected his team-leading 18th stolen base of the year, and after Bohm drew an intentional walk it was Kunkel driving in two more runs with a double down the leftfield line. The career-best five RBI game for Kunkel pushes his season total to 19.

With a 6-1 lead Illinois put the first two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Penn recorded his fifth strikeout of the game for the first out of the inning and Richard came on for the final two outs to close out the win in a non-save situation.

Illinois 2B J.R. Kyes homered to lead off the second game against Hammond (1-3) and the Illini added three runs after two outs in the third inning with DH Mike Rohde's two-run single the big hit.

Richard retired the only batter he faced in the third inning and he allowed just two singles while fanning three over the final 3.1 innings. Richard is 0-0 with a 0.46 ERA after 19.2 innings of work with 13 strikeouts.

Junior LF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) provided the Wolverine scoring in the second game with a long solo homer in the fifth inning, cutting the margin to 4-1. The homer set up last-inning dramatics as Kunkel doubled and Scheidt drew a walk to bring Schmidt to the plate as the tying run, but he smashed a liner into the glove of third baseman Frk to end the game.

Getz led the offense with four hits in the doubleheader with Kunkel and freshman DH Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair HS) each chipping in with three hits. Kunkel provided the power with the two doubles and a homer. VanBuskirk was 3-for-4 in the opener for his first three-hit game as a Wolverine.

The Wolverines conclude the weekend series at Illinois with a single game on Sunday (April 17, 1:05 p.m. CDT). Senior/junior LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College), 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA, is expected to be the Wolverine starter.

N O T E S

 In other Big Ten action Saturday (April 16) Northwestern swept Purdue 4-3 and 3-2, Iowa swept Indiana 7-6 and 3-2, and Michigan State swept Ohio State 12-3 and 8-1. Minnesota split at Penn State, winning the opener 5-3 and losing the second game 7-5.

 Illinois leads the Big Ten at 9-2 (.818) with Minnesota (8-3, .727) and Iowa (8-3, .727) tied for second place, while Penn State (7-4, .636) is fourth. Michigan State (6-5, .545) and Northwestern (6-5, 545) are tied for fifth while Purdue (4-7, .364) is seventh, Ohio State (3-8, .333) is eighth and Michigan (2-9, .182) and Indiana (2-9, .182) are tied for ninth.

 Michigan's leading hitters after 31 games are 2B Chris Getz (47-for-115, .409), C Jeff Kunkel (30-for-82, .366), 1B Kyle Bohm (42-for-115, .365), OF Matt Butler (46-for-128, .359) and 3B/DH Derek VanBuskirk (17-for-54, 315).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423