Feldkamp, Butler Key Sweep; U-M Secures Playoff Spot

Saturday, May 21

State College, Pa.

1:00 PM

Michigan

38-15, 15-12

Penn State

28-25, 13-17

Michigan

Penn State

5/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: State College, Pa. (Beaver Field)
Scores: Michigan 5, Penn State 4; Michigan 4, Penn State 2
Records: U-M (39-15, 16-12 Big Ten), PSU (28-26, 13-18 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 22 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 1:00 p.m.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Junior RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS) recorded a win and a save and senior co-captain Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) drove in the game-winner in the first game and was 2-for-3 in the second game as the University of Michigan baseball team swept a Big Ten Conference doubleheader at Penn State, 5-4 and 4-2, Saturday afternoon (May 21) at Beaver Field.

Feldkamp has four victories and five saves in the last 24 games, helping Michigan to a 21-3 record during that span.

With the win in the opener Michigan (39-15, 16-12 Big Ten) clinched a berth in the Big Ten Tournament, which opens next week at a site to be determined this weekend. It marks the third straight year that third-year head coach Rich Maloney has guided the Wolverines to the playoffs, the first time U-M has qualified three years in a row since Michigan was the only team to play in the first nine conference championship tournaments (1981-89).

The Wolverines never trailed in the opener, but Penn State (28-26, 13-18) kept battling to get the game tied at 1-1, 3-3 and 4-4. However, U-M was able to take the lead a fourth time in the sixth inning on Butler's second sacrifice fly of the game. The loss eliminated Penn State from Big Ten playoff contention.

Senior RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart HS) worked three innings out of the bullpen to record the win in the opener, and Feldkamp allowed just one hit as he worked two scoreless innings to notch his fifth save of the season.

Feldkamp, 9-3 with five saves, pitched four shutout innings in the second game as the Wolverines bounced back after trailing 2-0 to take the win, scoring twice in the fifth inning and adding an insurance run in the sixth.

Sophomore DH Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./River School) had four hits in the doubleheader including a pair of doubles in the opener, and freshman RF Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) added three hits to pace the 15-hit Wolverine attack. Pickens hit his first homer as a Wolverine in the opener and started the U-M comeback with a double and a run scored in game two.

Michigan grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener as sophomore CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) singled and senior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS) drew a walk. They both moved up a base on a passed ball, and senior LF Butler drove in Rose with his fifth sacrifice fly of the season.

Senior/junior Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason HS) escaped the first inning allowing one run despite the fact the first four PSU batters singled. U-M senior/junior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) tossed out leadoff man Jim Leitgeb trying to steal, and later in the inning RF Matt Lewis singled to tie the game at 1-1.

The Wolverines regained the lead in the top of the second. With two outs and nobody on sophomore shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) singled and freshman Pickens homered to right-center to make the score 3-1.

PSU scored once in the second inning as a leadoff walk to DH Aaron Greenfield turned into a run on a two-out single by Leitgeb. Kunkel made another fine play as he made a late tag on Greenfield then fired to Mahler covering second to nab Leitgeb.

The Wolverines just missed a repeat of events in the third inning as Kunkel singled with two outs and Roblin lined a double off the fence, but Kunkel had to stop at third and PSU starter Alan Stidfole got junior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) hit a fly to left to end the inning.

PSU chased starter Hammond in the third inning on back-to-back singles by Mike Milliron and LF Lance Thompson, and RF Lewis tied the game with a sacrifice fly against Tognetti.

The Wolverines used their two-out attack again in the fifth as Roblin and Scheidt hit back-to-back doubles for a 4-3 lead, but Penn State tied the game again in the bottom of the fifth.

Michigan took the lead for the fourth and final time in the opener with an unearned run as Getz walked and on a 3-2 pitch Bohm's grounder was missed at third for an error with Getz reaching third. Butler delivered the fifth run with his second sacrifice fly of the game the 16th game-winning RBI of his career.

The second game was scoreless until Penn State scored twice against U-M starter Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian) in the third inning with Arin Gelletly and Colin Runt collecting back-to-back RBI singles with two outs.

Michigan got one of the runs back in the fourth as Pickens doubled to lead off the inning and scored as Butler pulled a single inside the first-base bag for his third RBI of the day.

The Wolverines tied the game in the fifth inning as Roblin singled to left and Scheidt was hit by a pitch to start the rally. Mahler bunted the runners over and Roblin scored on a slow roller down the third-base line by Rose. Scheidt scored the go-ahead and eventual winning run on a wild pitch from reliever Steve Cline.

U-M added another run in the sixth as Butler singled and reached second on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt. After moving to third on a grounder he scored as Roblin bounced a single to left.

The defense pulled a pair of late double plays to ice the win behind Feldkamp as Getz took a high-hopper to start a 4-6-3 double play with Mahler and Bohm in the sixth inning, while it was Mahler's turn to start a 6-4-3 game-ending double play in the seventh.

The Wolverines meet Penn State to close out the regular season with a single game Sunday afternoon (May 22, 1 p.m.) with senior/junior LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College) on the mound with his 3-2 record and 4.21 ERA.

N O T E S

In Big Ten baseball action Saturday (May 21) the final two teams joined the playoff ranks as Michigan swept Penn State 5-4 and 4-2 and Ohio State swept Minnesota 2-1 and 3-2. In fact both Michigan and Ohio State jumped from a tie for fifth to a tie for fourth with a game to go, moving ahead of Minnesota. U-M's first win of the day eliminated Penn State from the race. In other Big Ten action Illinois split with Iowa, winning the opener 3-0 but losing the second game to the Hawkeyes 2-1, while Purdue swept Indiana 6-1 and 2-0 and Northwestern swept Michigan State 10-4 and 7-5. Illinois and Purdue go to the final day to decide the regular-season championship and the right to host the Big Ten Tournament starting on Wednesday (May 25).

Big Ten Standings (includes 5/21/05): 1. Illinois 20-11 (.645); 2. Purdue 17-10 (.630); 3. Iowa 18-13 (.581); 4. MICHIGAN (16-12) and Ohio State 16-12 (both .571); 6. Minnesota 17-14 (.548); 7. Northwestern 14-17 (.452); 8. Penn State 13-18 (.419); 9. Michigan State 9-18 (.333); 10. Indiana 8-23 (.258).

Junior RHP Derek Feldkamp pulled into a 16-way tie for ninth place in wins in a season for the Wolverines with his ninth of the season, and he is the last to win nine since current teammate and Sunday's scheduled starter Drew Taylor won nine in 2003.

Feldkamp with a win and a save in the doubleheader Saturday was the first Wolverine to do that since Bobby Wood against Indiana in 2001.

Michigan's leading hitters after 54 games are: catcher Jeff Kunkel (62-for-159, .390), Kyle Bohm (78-for-202, .386), 2B Chris Getz (74-for-196, .378), OF Matt Butler (67-for-186, .360), Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) at .300 (21-for-70) and OF Eric Rose (37-for-124, 298).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423