Mahler's Extra-Inning Winner Caps Sweep of Buckeyes

Saturday, April 15

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:05 PM

Michigan

18-12, 6-4

Ohio State

20-9, 6-4

Ohio State

Michigan

4/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ray Fisher Stadium)
Scores: Michigan 7, Ohio State 1; Michigan 2, Ohio State 1 (8 innings) 
Records: U-M (19-12, 7-4 Big Ten), OSU (20-10, 6-5 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 16 -- vs. Ohio State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1:05 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan used a pair of three-run homers in the opener and an extra-inning pop-fly single by junior shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) in the nightcap to sweep a Big Ten baseball doubleheader from Ohio State, 7-1 and 2-1 in eight innings, Saturday (April 15) in front of 1,956 excited fans at Ray Fisher Stadium.

Senior LF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) and freshman DH Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS) provided the power with the three-run homers in the first game for the second-place Wolverines (19-12, 7-4 Big Ten). U-M has won five straight conference games while winning six of the last seven games against baseball archrivals Minnesota and Ohio State (20-10, 6-5 Big Ten).

Fifth-year senior co-captain Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason) pitched a complete game in the opener, allowing five hits and just the one run to go with five strikeouts as he moved his record to 2-3 on the season. Hammond leads Michigan with 33 strikeouts.

In the second game the Wolverines jumped ahead in the first inning against OSU RHP Jake Hale (1-3) as junior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) drew a walk, stole second base and scored on a single by sophomore 2B Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice).

Sophomore/freshman RHP Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), who pitched the first seven innings, allowed seven hits and one run in the no-decision. The run driven in by LF Joe Zizzo in the third inning was the first run allowed by Fetter in four Big Ten outings covering 18 innings. He dropped his overall ERA to 1.85, but his conference ERA jumped to 0.50.

The winning rally in the second game was started by senior co-captain 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) as he singled up the middle. Schmidt, who had three hits including his team-leading seventh homer in the opener, moved Scheidt to second with a sacrifice bunt. Following an intentional walk to Rose, Mahler hit the first pitch into short right for the gamer. Mahler had turned an inning-ending 6-3 double play in the top of the eighth before winning the game in the bottom of the eighth.

Senior RHP Craig Murray (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South), who had started the Big Ten series opener in each of the past two weekends, pitched the top of the eighth and recorded his team-leading fourth win of the season.

Michigan had a chance to win the game in regulation as fifth-year senior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) was thrown out at the plate by OSU RF Wes Schirtzinger after a potential game-winning single by sophomore RF Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair).

In the third inning of the first game Abraham and Kunkel had back-to-back singles with one out and Schmidt fell behind 0-2 to OSU LHP Cory Luebke (4-3). Schmidt battled back and homered on the ninth pitch of the at-bat for a 3-0 lead and the game-winning RBI.

Mahler walked to lead off the third inning and sophomore 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) singled to left before Abraham hit his second homer of the year to make the score 6-0.

OSU scored on Hammond in the top of the sixth on a two-out single by Schirtzinger, but Michigan answered in the bottom of the sixth as VanBuskirk tripled and scored on a Kunkel single for the final 7-1 margin.

The Wolverine pitching staff dropped its Big Ten ERA to 2.94, having allowed just five runs during the five-game Big Ten win streak that included a pair of 2-0 wins at Minnesota.

Kunkel and Schmidt each had three hits in the doubleheader to account for six of the 16 Wolverine hits in the twinbill.

The Wolverines close out the weekend series again Ohio State in a Big Ten single game on Easter Sunday (April 16, 1:05 p.m.) at Ray Fisher Stadium. Junior RHP Andrew Hess (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central) with a 1-0 record and a 5.08 ERA is slated to start for the Wolverines.

N O T E S

Michigan football All-American Braylon Edwards, U-M's all-time leading receiver, threw out the first pitch before the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Ohio State. Edwards, the first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns a year ago, caught passes in 38 straight games and finished with 252 receptions for 3,541 receiving yards and 39 touchdowns as a Wolverine.

In Big Ten baseball action Saturday Michigan used its sweep of Ohio State to vault into second place in the standings, while Michigan State swept Penn State 9-5 in eight innings and 6-4 in nine innings. First-place Northwestern swept Illinois 7-3 and 7-6 in 12 innings. Minnesota split at Iowa, winning 5-2 in the opener with Iowa taking the second game 3-1. Indiana topped Purdue 3-2 in the opener before the Boilermakers took the second game 5-2.

Big Ten Standings (Through 4/15/06)

 1. Northwestern 9-2 .818 2. MICHIGAN 7-4 .636 3. Ohio State 6-5 .545 Michigan State 6-5 .545 Purdue 6-5 .545 6. Iowa 5-6 .455 Minnesota 5-6 .455 9. Indiana 4-7 .364 Penn State 4-7 .364 10.Illinois 3-8 .273

Sophomore 1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel extended his hitting streak to nine games in the opener on Saturday but had the streak snapped in the second game. SS Leif Mahler had his streak snapped at seven games, going 0-for-2 in Saturday's opener vs. Ohio State.

The stolen base for Eric Rose in the second game, his 39th career steal, pulls him into a tie for ninth place on U-M's career stolen base list with former Wolverine All-American third baseman Chris Sabo (39, 1981-83).

Michigan's leading hitters after 31 games are: SS Leif Mahler (36-for-101, 356), CF Eric Rose (31-for-89, .348), C Jeff Kunkel (36-for-107, .336), 1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel (34-for-103, .330), 1B/OF Derek VanBuskirk (36-for-110, 327), 2B/ OF Doug Pickens (35-for-107, .327) and OF Mike Schmidt (20-for-68, .294)

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423