Michigan Holds Off Michigan State to Win Series Opener

Friday, April 29

East Lansing, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

23-12, 5-9

Michigan State

17-19, 6-7

Michigan

Michigan State

Michigan Holds Off Michigan State to Win Series Opener

4/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

LANSING, Mich. -- Fifth-year senior RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) allowed two runs and nine hits in eight innings, the Wolverine offense grabbed a 9-0 lead and the University of Michigan held off a ninth-inning rally to beat Michigan State 9-7 in Big Ten Conference baseball action Friday night (April 29) at Oldsmobile Park.

Brauer (6-1) recorded his third career victory over Michigan State (17-19, 6-7 Big Ten) as the Wolverines (23-12, 5-9 Big Ten) gained eighth place alone, breaking the tie with Ohio State as the Buckeyes fell into last place with a 10-1 loss to Indiana. Michigan State is tied for sixth place with Purdue.

The Wolverines scored two runs in the fourth inning and added five more runs in the fifth against MSU starter Tim Day (4-4) and added two runs off freshman RHP Mark Sorensen in the sixth inning for a 9-0 lead. Sorensen, the son of former Wolverine Major League pitcher Lary Sorensen (1974-76), allowed just four hits and fanned four working the final four innings of the game to keep the Spartans close enough to battle back.

MSU batted around in the ninth and scored five runs and had the winning run at the plate when Wolverine junior RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS) fanned C/1B Erik Morris for the final out of the game. Morris had singled and scored in his first at-bat of the inning facing U-M junior RHP Jeff Niemiec (Livonia, Mich./Catholic Central).

Michigan junior 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) reached on a two-base error to open the fourth inning and scored on a single by senior/junior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS). Kunkel moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on an error and he scored the second run on a groundout by junior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS).

Sophomore DH Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./River School) started the five-run fifth with a single and collected his 12th stolen base of the year. Roblin made a break toward third on an attempted steal and sophomore CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS) singled to left and the score was 3-0.

The Wolverines loaded the bases on an infield single by senior RF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) and a bunt single by Getz. Rose scored the fourth run of the game on an error and Kunkel knocked in the fifth run with a fielder's choice grounder to the right side.

Junior LF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) singled in the fourth run of the inning, and sophomore shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) singled to left to score Kunkel with the fifth run of the inning and seventh run of the game.

Michigan pushed the lead to 9-0 in the sixth inning on consecutive singles by Rose, Butler, Getz and senior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS), with Getz and Bohm driving in the runs. Kunkel bounced into a double play and Getz was caught at the plate trying to advance on a short wild pitch with pitcher Sorensen making the tag after taking a toss from catcher Erik Morris.

Brauer was working on a two-hitter with two outs in the sixth inning before CF Ryan Sontag and SS Troy Krider collected back-to-back singles, with Krider extending his hitting streak to 24 games, but Brauer got RF Adam Tripp to ground out to Scheidt at third base to end the inning.

Sontag, Krider and Tripp each collected three hits in the game to spark the MSU offense, with Sontag scoring twice, Krider collecting a two-run double in the ninth and Tripp hitting RBI singles in the eighth and ninth innings.

Rose, Butler, Getz, Bohm and Kunkel each had two hits to pace the 13-hit Wolverine offense, with Schmidt and Roblin collecting stolen bases and Kunkel logging the "game-winning" RBI back in the fourth inning.

The four-game series moves to Ann Arbor for Saturday's (April 29, 4:05 p.m.) doubleheader at Ray Fisher Stadium. The U-M starting pitchers for the doubleheader are expected to be 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 Michigan (9-7 at MSU) and Indiana (10-1 at Ohio State) were able to win on the road. The home teams captured three wins with both first-place teams (Illinois and Minnesota) losing. Penn State topped Illinois 3-2, while Purdue beat Minnesota 5-2 and third-place Iowa dropped a 6-5 decision at Northwestern.

 Big Ten Standings (through 4/29/05): 1. Illinois and Minnesota (12-5, .706); 3. Iowa (11-6, .647); 4. Penn State (9-8, .529); 5. Northwestern (8-9, .471); 6. Michigan State and Purdue (6-7, .462); 8. Michigan (5-9, .357); 9. Indiana (5-12, .294) and 10. Ohio State (4-10, .286).

 The Wolverines have collected back-to-back wins on Friday nights vs. Ohio State (Aprill 22) and MSU (April 29), and Michigan is 4-3 in night games so far this season.

 Michigan has won four straight and five of six after dropping eight of 10 games in a two-week span at the start of the Big Ten season.

 Fifth-year senior Jim Brauer became the 14th Wolverine to record 20 career wins with his win at MSU on Friday. The win was Brauer's second of the year in Big Ten play and sixth of the season. He moves into a tie for 12th on Michigan's all-time win list with Bill Shuta (20 wins, 1981-84) and Chris Lutz (20, 1986-88).

 Brauer matched his season-best effort with eight innings pitched at MSU to push his career total to 262.0 innings, good for fifth place on Michigan's all-time list as he passed Gary Wayne (261.0 innings, 1981-84) during the game.

 Brauer became the eighth Wolverine pitcher to record 200 strikeouts during his win vs. Ohio State last week (April 22) and with four Ks at MSU on Friday (April 29) he moved his career strikeout total to 211, good for sixth on Michigan's all-time strikeout list.

 Catcher Jeff Kunkel collected an infield single in the second inning, extending his personal season-best hitting streak to eight games heading into Saturday's (April 30) doubleheader vs. Michigan State, but his streak of games with a double was snapped at six games.

 Michigan's leading hitters after 35 games are: 2B Chris Getz (53-for-126, .414), Kyle Bohm (49-for-132, .371), catcher Jeff Kunkel (35-for-97, .361), OF Matt Butler (51-for-143, .357), OF Eric Rose (21-for-66, 318); 3B/DH Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich../St. Clair HS) at .317 (19-for-60, 317), and OF Brad Roblin (24-for-80, .300).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423