U-M Lights Up OSU in First Fisher Stadium Night Game

Friday, April 22

Ann Arbor, Mich.

6:35 PM

Michigan

22-12, 4-9

Ohio State

18-14, 4-9

Ohio State

Michigan

4/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ray Fisher Stadium)
Score: Michigan 11, Ohio State 3
Records: U-M (22-12, 4-9 Big Ten), OSU (18-14, 4-9 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Saturday, April 23 -- DH vs. Ohio State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1:05 p.m.

• Boxscore

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Fifth-year senior RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) struck out 10 and sophomore CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS) had three hits including two singles in the eight-run fifth inning as the University of Michigan baseball team topped Ohio State 11-3 in the first night game played at Ray Fisher Stadium.

The Wolverines (22-12, 4-9 Big Ten) won their third game in a row and fourth in five games and pulled into a tie for eighth place with Ohio State (18-14, 4-9 Big Ten) in the Big Ten standings with the win in front of 2,539 chilly fans in a game televised nationally on ESPN.

Brauer (5-1) allowed five hits while working the first 7.1 innings to record his first win since March 25 vs. Oakland University. Brauer is 12-2 in his last 14 decisions over the past two seasons, and the win was his fourth career victory over OSU. Junior RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS) closed out the win in a non-save situation, allowing one hit over the final 1.2 innings in his fourth consecutive relief appearance.

The Wolverines scored a pair of unearned runs off OSU starter Dan DeLucia (2-3) in the third inning and put the game away with a season-best eight-run fifth inning. The Wolverines had scored six runs in an inning three times for the previous bests of the year. Rose was in the middle of both rallies as he doubled to lead off the third and singled twice in the fifth inning. He scored twice and drove in another run.

The Wolverines played "small ball" to take the lead early in the game. After Rose led off the third with a double, senior RF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) put down a sac bunt to move Rose to third, but a throwing error allowed Rose to score and Butler moved to second base. Junior 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) moved him to third with a sac bunt and senior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS) hit a sac fly to score Butler with the second run of the game.

Sophomore DH Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) opened the fifth with a walk and Rose beat out a bunt for a single. Butler put down another sac bunt and this time it was the pitcher DeLucia firing the ball away, and both Roblin and Rose scored with Butler moving all the way to third.

Getz singled to drive in Butler, Bohm walked and senior/junior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) dropped a double down the line in right for a run. The Wolverines closed out the fifth inning with three consecutive two-out hits by sophomore shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep), Roblin (a double) and Rose.

The final run for the Wolverines came in the sixth as Bohm hit a double, moved to third on a fly ball and scored on a wild pitch.

After allowing a second-batter single to OSU's Mike Rabin in the first inning, Brauer retired 15 consecutive batters until catcher Eric Fryer led off the sixth inning with his first homer of the season. Brauer dropped his ERA to 2.20 in the game as two of the three runs he allowed were unearned in the eighth inning.

The Wolverine defense turned an inning-ending double play in the seventh inning with one out and OSU runners on the corners as junior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) started the 5-4-3 relay that included Getz and Bohm.

Junior LF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) added some early-inning excitement with his blast off the "blue monster" in dead center. Schmidt was credited with a triple, but his bid to circle the bases was cut short at the plate by an excellent Buckeye relay that included CF Rabin, 2B Jason Zoeller and catcher Fryer (8-4-2).

Rose paced the 11-hit Wolverine offense with his three hits, while Bohm and Mahler each had a pair.

Saturday's (April 23) doubleheader with Ohio State has been moved to 1:05 p.m. (from 4:05 p.m.) due to expected inclement weather. The U-M starting pitchers for the doubleheader are senior RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian) at 4-1, 2.89 ERA, and sophomore/freshman LHP Clayton Richard (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon HS) at 0-0, 0.46.

N O T E S

• In Big Ten action Friday only three of the five games were completed with two games suspended by bad weather. Michigan topped OSU 11-3 on ESPN, while Illinois topped Indiana 8-3 and Minnesota battled back to beat Northwestern 9-8 as the Gophers and Fighting Illini remain on top of the standings. Iowa is leading Penn State 5-4 in the seventh inning and Purdue has a 6-1 lead at Michigan State in the fifth inning. The suspended games will be completed before the start of the scheduled doubleheaders at MSU and Iowa.

• Big Ten Standings (includes three Friday finals): 1. Illinois and Minnesota (10-3, .769); 3. Iowa (8-4, .667); 4. Penn State (7-5, .583); 5. Michigan State (6-6, .500); 6. Northwestern (6-7, .462); 7. Purdue (5-7, .417); 8- Michigan and Ohio State (4-9, .308); 10. Indiana (3-10, .231).

• Fifth-year senior Jim Brauer became the eighth Wolverine pitcher to record 200 career strikeouts with his third of the night against Ohio State in the first game under the lights at Ray Fisher Stadium. Brauer kept moving up the career strikeout chart, finishing with 10 Ks to move to sixth with 207 strikeouts. Brauer moved ahead of former Major Leaguer Wolverines Ross Powell (201, 1987-89) and Gary Wayne (205, 1981-84).

• Brauer's win, his first of the year in Big Ten play and fifth of the season, was career win 19 and he moved into 14th on the U-M career win list, one shy of 20 career wins, which would tie him for 12th. Brauer went 7.1 innings vs. OSU to push his career total to 254.0 innings, good for sixth place as he passed Brian Steinbach (248.2, 1995-98) and Pete Helt (248.2, 1961-63).

• Catcher Jeff Kunkel collected a run-scoring double in the eight-run fifth inning against Ohio State, marking the sixth straight game in which he has had a double. Kunkel has a personal season-best seven-game hitting streak heading into Saturday's doubleheader vs. Ohio State.

• Former Wolverine OF Chris Gust (1983-86), who homered twice in a Big Ten playoff game against Wisconsin to spark a 12-11 comeback win and an eventual Big Ten championship in 1986, was on hand to throw out the first pitch. Other pre-game festivities included Detroit area celebrity Karen Newman singing the national anthem, alumni lettermen in front of the dugout as the Wolverines took the field and the recognition of retired number lettermen Moby Benedict (#1), Bill Freehan (#11) and Don Lund (#33). The game aired nationally by ESPN drew 2,539 fans to the first night game at Ray Fisher Stadium.

• Michigan's leading hitters after 34 games are 2B Chris Getz (51-for-123, .415), Kyle Bohm (47-for-127, .370), C Jeff Kunkel (33-for-92, .359), OF Matt Butler (49-for-138, .355), 3B/DH Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich../St. Clair HS) at .317 (19-for-60, 317), OF Eric Rose (19-for-61, 311) and OF Brad Roblin (23-for-76, .303).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423