Northwestern Pitching Keys Twinbill Sweep of Michigan

Saturday, April 1

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:05 PM

Michigan

12-8, 1-1

Northwestern

4-16, 1-1

Northwestern

Michigan

Northwestern Pitching Keys Twinbill Sweep of Michigan

4/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Juniors Dan Brauer and George Kontos each pitched complete-game victories as Northwestern defeated the University of Michigan baseball team 5-0 and 4-2 in a Big Ten doubleheader sweep for the Wildcats Saturday (April 1) at Ray Fisher Stadium.

The host Wolverines (12-9, 1-2 Big Ten) had their seven-game winning streak snapped as Brauer (1-1) tossed a five-hit shutout in the opener, while Kontos (1-5) pitched a seven-hitter in the nightcap for Northwestern (5-16, 2-1 Big Ten). The complete games were the first of the season for the Wildcats.

Northwestern scored all five runs in the first inning of the opener against Michigan fifth-year senior LHP Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio, Mason) as NU had a run-scoring double by LF Anthony Wycklendt for a 1-0 lead and DH Antonio Mule' followed with a run-scoring single and it was 2-0.

Hammond (1-3) made a nice snag on a grounder up the middle, but he fired the potential double play ball into centerfield as the third run scored, and the final two runs of the game came in on a two-out throwing error.

Hammond settled down and retired 12 batters in a row and allowed just two more hits in the game for a complete-game six-hitter with seven strikeouts, one shy of his career best he recorded earlier this season at Georgia Southern. The complete game was the third in Hammond's career.

Michigan sophomore DH Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) singled in the second inning off Brauer and added another single in the sixth.

Brauer pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning as the Wolverines had two outs and nobody on base before getting a walk by senior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest), a single by junior RF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School), and a walk to junior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield). Brauer caught junior SS Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) on a called third strike to end the frame, one of his seven strikeouts in the game.

Sophomore 1B Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) and Recknagel had back-to-back singles with one out in the sixth, but Brauer reached back for a strikeout and a flyout to end the threat.

Rose reached base three times in the opener with a single and two walks and he added three more hits including a pair of doubles in the nightcap, reaching base six times in eight plate appearances, and he also combined with VanBuskirk on a flyball 8-3 double play in the first inning of the second game.

NU had taken a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game against fifth-year senior LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College) with Wycklendt getting a run-scoring single. Northwestern has scored eight of its 11 runs in the first inning of the three games against the Wolverines.

Rose doubled to lead off the first against Kontos, reached third on a wild pitch, and scored on an infield grounder by Roblin to tie the score at 1-1.

The Wildcats scored three times off Taylor (1-3) in the second inning on four hits as catcher Geoff Dietz snapped the 1-1 tie with a run-scoring double and SS Tommy Finn followed with a two-run single.

Michigan closed out the scoring in the third inning as freshman 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi) walked, moved to second on a passed ball, and reached third after a long foul flyout by freshman SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland). Cislo scored on the second double of the game by Rose.

Sophomore/freshman RHP Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) replaced Taylor after Stanley Finch led off the fourth inning with his second hit of the game, and he worked four shutout innings, retiring all 11 batters he faced and recording five strikeouts. Catcher Kunkel threw out Finch attempting to steal for the 12th out in Fetter's four innings.

The Wolverines had several more scoring chances against Kontos, with the best coming in the fourth inning as Kunkel doubled inside the bag at first to lead off the inning and moved to third on a sharp single to left by sophomore RF Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice). A walk to VanBuskirk loaded the bases with no outs, but Kontos escaped with a popup, a strikeout and a flyout.

Rose had four hits in the twinbill, while Recknagel had two in the first game and Kunkel had two in the second game to account for eight of Michigan's 12 hits on the day.

The Wolverines host Northwestern on Sunday (April 2, 1 p.m. EDT) with freshman RHP Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS) slated to make his first career start. Abraham is 2-1 with a 3.44 ERA, and he shares the team lead with seven appearances, all out of the bullpen.

N O T E S

With hits in both games of Saturday's doubleheader loss to Northwestern junior CF Eric Rose is the lone Wolverine to come out of the action with a hitting streak as he has hits in three straight games.

The Northwestern sweep over the Wolverines was the only one on Saturday as Indiana beat Michigan State 12-7 after MSU took the first game 2-1, Iowa topped Ohio State 7-1 in the opener before OSU bounced back 6-4, Penn State beat Minnesota 12-2 in the first game before the host Gophers took the second game 5-0 and Illinois beat Purdue 3-2 in the opener before Purdue came back 10-4.

Big Ten Standings: 1. Northwesterm, Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State at 2-1 (.667); 6. Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue at 1-2 (.333).

Michigan's leading hitters after 21 games are: SS Leif Mahler (26-for-72, 361), CF Eric Rose (22-for-61, .361), OF Doug Pickens (23-for-70, .329), 1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel (22-for-67, .328), C Jeff Kunkel (22-for-70, 314) and 1B/OF Derek VanBuskirk (21-for-69, 304).