Michigan Wins at Purdue, Climbs Into First-Place Tie

Friday, April 21

West Lafayette, Ind.

3:05 PM

Michigan

21-13, 9-4

Purdue

20-12, 7-6

Michigan

Purdue

4/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The University of Michigan baseball team scored four runs in the first inning and freshman RHP Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) made the runs stand up with a 4-3 win in the Big Ten Conference series opener at Purdue Friday afternoon (April 21) at Lambert Field.

The win was the seventh straight in conference play for the Wolverines (21-13, 9-4 Big Ten) and pulled U-M into a tie for first place as Northwestern dropped a 12-1 decision to Penn State later on Friday.

With the loss Purdue (20-12, 7-6 Big Ten) drops into a three-way tie for third place in the conference along with Michigan State and Ohio State.

Putnam (3-0) dropped his ERA to 2.45 on the season and 1.45 in Big Ten play as he pitched his first career complete game. He allowed three runs and seven hits and he struck out a career-best six batters in the win. Two of the three runs were earned.

The Wolverines grabbed the lead in the first inning as junior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) reached on an infield single and moved to third when junior SS Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) singled to left-center with Rose running on the pitch.

Fifth-year senior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) drew a walk to load the bases, and sophomore 2B Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice ) chopped the ball over the head of Purdue starter Jay Buente (4-2). Purdue shortstop Mitch Hilligoss made a fine 6-3 putout on the play as Rose scored the first run of the game.

Sophomore RF Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./.St. Clair) made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to the center, and freshman DH Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South) cleared the bases with a long drive to center that hit off the glove CF Ryne White for a two-base error and the score was 4-0.

Purdue junior RHP Andrew Groves replaced Buente to start the second inning and he fired eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts, but the damage had been done in the first as Putnam held on for the win.

Rose singled in the second inning and collected a pair of stolen bases, moving his season total to 18.

Purdue reached the scoreboard with an unearned run in the second inning as CF White singled to open the inning and was forced at second base on a fielder's choice by catcher Jeff Mojzik. DH John Cummins singled to right and Mojzik took third on a fielding error in right by VanBuskirk. Mojzik scored on a wild pitch by Putnam.

Hilligoss homered to the opposite field just inside the foul pole to open the third inning to cut the U-M lead to 4-2. With one out Putnam walked 1B Eric Wolfe to bring up the cleanup hitter, 3B John Hunter, and he was hit by a pitch. With two outs RF Neal Gorka, the Big Ten co-Player of the Week, hit a grounder up the middle that Putnam deflected the ball into short left-center and Gorka hustled it into a run-scoring double to make the score 4-3. Putnam retired the side as he got catcher Mojzik to pop to Mahler at short.

Senior LF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) singled with one out in the fourth for the first Michigan hit since Rose singled in the second inning, and Schmidt stole second base before Rose drew a four-pitch walk. However, Mahler grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Kunkel and Pickens opened the fifth inning with back-to-back singles, but VanBuskirk hit a fly to right and sophomore 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Senior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser) singled with one out in the sixth and Schmidt put down a bunt but he was called out for interference when he collided with 1B Eric Wolfe. Rose followed with a foulout to first.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh Hilligoss collected his third hit of the game and his 11th hit in his last 14 at-bats. He drove the ball deep to right-center, but Rose kept him to a single and Putnam fanned LF Jordan Comadena and got 1B Eric Wolfe on fly to Rose.

Purdue CF White singled up the middle with one out in the eighth to bring up Gorka, but Putnam got him on a fly to Rose in center for the second out and catcher Mojzik grounded out to Mahler at short to end the inning.

Groves worked a 1-2-3 ninth as he retired the last eight Wolverines in a row and 11 of the last 12 to set the stage in the bottom of the ninth inning.

In the bottom of the ninth DH Cummins lined the ball up the middle and Putnam snagged it for the first out of the inning and then he fanned 2B Dane Wolfe for the second out ,bringing up Hilligoss with two outs and nobody on base. Hilligoss drew a 3-2 walk to keep the game alive for Comadena, who hit a foul pop to Kunkel for the final out.

Junior CF Rose and fifth-year senior co-captain catcher Kunkel each had two hits to account for half of Michigan's eight hits in the series opener at Purdue.

The Wolverines play a Big Ten doubleheader at Purdue on Saturday (April 22, 1 p.m.) at Lambert Field with fifth-year senior co-captain Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason) at 2-3 with a 3.63 ERA slated to pitch the opener and sophomore/freshman Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) at 2-0, 1.85 ERA listed for game two.

N O T E S

In Big Ten baseball action Friday Michigan moved into a tie for first place with its 4-3 win over Purdue combined with Northwestern's 12-1 loss to Penn State. Michigan State rallied in the ninth to beat Minnesota 7-6, and Ohio State defeated Indiana 4-3. In the lone night game on Friday Illinois defeated Iowa 12-3.

Big Ten Standings (Through 4/21/06)

 1. MICHIGAN 9-4 .692 Northwestern 9-4 .692 3. Purdue 7-6 .538 Michigan State 7-6 .538 Ohio State 7-6 .538 6. Minnesota 6-7 .462 Penn State 6-7 .462 8. Iowa 5-8 .385 Illinois 5-8 .385 10. Indiana 4-9 .308

The stolen bases for Eric Rose in the second inning pushed his team season lead to 18 steals (22 chances) and ties him with Rodney Goble (18 steals, 1995) for 10th on U-M's single-season steal list. Rose has 42 career steals to snap the tie for eighth with Steve Buerkel (40, 1989-92). He is two steals away from a tie for fifth place with former teammate Chris Getz (44, 2004-05) along with Barry Larkin (44, 1983-85) and Mike Watters (44, 1983-85). Bill St. Peter (45 steals, 1986-88) is fourth.

Catcher Jeff Kunkel extended his hit streak to eight games with his fifth-inning single. Other Wolverines extending streaks during Friday action were Schmidt to five games and Pickens to four games.

Doug Pickens, who started the game at 2B and finished in RF, collected his fourth game-winning RBI of the season as his infield groundout gave U-M a 1-0 lead it never gave up. Sophomore 1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel leads the team with five gamers.

Michigan's leading hitters after 34 games are: SS Leif Mahler (39-for-108, 361), CF Eric Rose (34-for-96, .354), C Jeff Kunkel (40-for-118, .339), 1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel (36-for-113, .319), 2B/ OF Doug Pickens (38-for-119, .319), 1B/OF Derek VanBuskirk (37-for-122, 303), OF Mike Schmidt (22-for-76, .289) and LF DH Adam Abraham (22-for-77, .286).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423