Wolverines Overpowered by Purdue in Series Opener

Saturday, May 7

Ann Arbor, Mich.

6:35 PM

Michigan

28-13, 8-10

Purdue

17-22, 10-7

Purdue

Michigan

5/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Outfielders Neal Gorka and Mike Coles launched long home runs to pace Purdue's 7-3 win over the University of Michigan in Big Ten Conference baseball action Saturday night (May 7) at Ray Fisher Stadium. The win for Purdue (17-22, 10-7 Big Ten) extended the winning streak for the Boilermakers to six games, while Michigan (28-13, 8-10 Big Ten) had its winning streak snapped at nine games in overall play and six games in conference action.

Purdue moved into third place in the Big Ten, passing Minnesota (13-10) as the Golden Gophers dropped into fourth by losing two games Saturday at Iowa. The Wolverines, despite losing the series opener, moved up to sixth place and are tied with Ohio State (8-10) as Northwestern (10-13) dropped two games at Illinois for an 0-3 start to the weekend.

Purdue RHP Scott Byrnes (5-3) worked 7.1 innings, allowing six hits and three runs to earn the win, while Chris Toneguzzi worked the final 1.2 innings to collect his fourth save of the season. Gorka opened the scoring in the second inning when he touched Michigan starter senior Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) for his sixth homer of the year, giving the Boilermakers the lead they never gave up.

Purdue pushed the score to 2-0 in the fourth using a triple from 1B Eric Wolfe and a run-scoring single by 3B John Hunter and added two more runs off Brauer (6-2) on Cole's fourth homer of the year in the sixth inning.

The Wolverines scored once in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 2-1 as junior LF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) singled, moved to second base on his fifth stolen base of the year, and scored on a two-out double by junior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS). The double was Scheidt's 13th of the season to tie him for the team lead with senior Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic).

The Wolverines pushed another run across the plate in the sixth inning as junior 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) walked with one out and made it to third on a single by senior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS). Butler, making his first DH start of the season, lined a single to right-center to score Getz.

Brauer struck out the side in his seventh and final inning of the night, but Purdue added another run in the frame with another extra-base hit as LF Andy Dahl singled, stole second base and scored on a two-out double by SS Mitch Hilligoss.

Getz walked with one out in the eighth as the last batter faced by Byrnes, and he scored after reliever Toneguzzi gave up singles to Butler and senior/junior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest). With the score 5-3 Toneguzzi fanned Schmidt to end the inning with the tying runs on base.

Purdue put the game away with two runs in the ninth against senior RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart HS).

Purdue had five extra-base hits out of 11 hits in the game and those hits accounted for four runs and four RBI. Senior co-captains Bohm and Butler along with Scheidt each had two hits to pace the nine-hit Wolverine attack.

Michigan hosts Purdue in a Big Ten doubleheader on Sunday (May 8, 1:05 p.m.) with senior RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian) and senior/junior LHP Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason HS) listed as the tentative starters. Penn is 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA, while Hammond is 2-3 with a 4.04 ERA. The series runs concludes on Monday (May 9, 3:05 p.m.).

N O T E S

 In Big Ten action Saturday in the three single games Purdue beat Michigan 7-3, Ohio State beat Penn State 11-2 and Indiana beat Michigan State 15-2. In the two doubleheaders first-place Illinois beat Northwestern 9-2 and 12-9, while Iowa swept Minnesota 3-1 and 10-9. Illinois scored five times in the bottom of the seventh in the nightcap to go 3-0 on the weekend, while Iowa has a 2-1 edge in the series with Minnesota.

 Big Ten Standings (through 5/7/05): 1. Illinois 17-6 (.739); 2. Iowa 14-9 (.609); 3. Purdue 10-7 (.588); 4. Minnesota 13-10 (.565); 5. Penn State 10-11 (.476); 6. MICHIGAN 8-10 and Ohio State 8-10 (both .444); 8. Northwestern 10-13 (.435); 9. Michigan State 6-11 (.353); 10. Indiana 6-15 (.286).

 Senior RHP Jim Brauer added to his Michigan milestone march with seven strikeouts in seven innings of work as he pushed his career strikeout total to 218 to move into fifth place on Michigan's all-time K's list, passing Pete Helt (215, 1970-73) during Saturday's series opener.

 Brauer moved his career total of innings pitched to 269.0, moving up two notches to third place on Michigan's all-time list by passing Fritz Fisher (263.2 innings, 1961-63) and Steve Howe (265.2, 1977-79). Next up in second place is Brauer's former teammate Bobby Korecky (295.2, 1999-2002).

 Out of the bullpen veterans Phil Tognetti and LHP Ali Husain (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti HS) also added to the top 15 on Michigan's all-time pitching appearnce list. Tognetti made his 63rd career appearance as he ranks seventh on the list, while Husain made pitching appearance number 56 to move into a tie for 13th with former Major Leaguers Steve Ontiveros (56, 1980-82) and Gary Wayne (56, 1981-84).

 Michigan's leading hitters after 41 games are: 2B Chris Getz (60-for-149, .403), Kyle Bohm (60-for-154, .390), catcher Jeff Kunkel (44-for-117, .376), OF Matt Butler (58-for-155, .374), 3B/DH Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair HS) at .328 (20-for-61, 317), OF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS) at .302 (26-for-86), 3B A.J. Scheidt (37-for-123, .301) and OF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./River School) at .297 (30-for-101).