Wolverines Retain First Place by Sweeping Boilermakers

Saturday, April 22

West Lafayette, Ind.

1:05 PM

Michigan

22-13, 10-4

Purdue

20-13, 7-7

Michigan

Purdue

Wolverines Retain First Place by Sweeping Boilermakers

4/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Lambert Field)
Scores: Michigan 6, Purdue 2; Michigan 7, Purdue 2
Records: U-M (23-13, 11-4 Big Ten), Purdue (20-14, 7-8 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 23 -- at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), 1 p.m.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Senior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser) and junior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) each had five hits as the University of Michigan baseball team swept Purdue 6-2 and 7-2 in Big Ten Conference doubleheader action Saturday (April 22) at Lambert Field.

The wins, the eighth and ninth straight in conference play for the Wolverines (23-13, 11-4 Big Ten) keep the Wolverines in a tie for first place in the conference as fifth-year senior LHP Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and sophomore/freshman RHP Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) each earned a victory. Northwestern (11-4 Big Ten) collected a pair of close wins over Penn State on Saturday, 3-2 and 5-4.

With the loss Purdue (20-14, 7-8 Big Ten) suffered its first series loss in Big Ten play in the last eight heading back to the Ohio State series a year ago and drops into a tie for fifth place with Minnesota and Illinois.

Hammond (3-3, 3.54 ERA) pitched six innings in the opener, allowing 10 hits while striking out two, while Fetter (3-0, 1.85 ERA) allowed a run on two hits in his five innings of work in the nightcap.

Senior RHP Craig Murray (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South) closed out both wins, working a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts in the opener and allowing one run on three hits in two innings in the second game with no save opportunity involved in either game. Murray allowed a solo homer to Purdue SS Mitch Hilligoss, who entered the weekend series leading the Big Ten in hitting, with two outs in the sixth inning of the second game for his only run allowed.

CF Rose opened the first game with a double to right-center and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior SS Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep). Fifth-year senior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) singled to left to drive in Rose with the first run of the game.

Sophomore 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) doubled to open U-M's second inning and he moved to third on a grounder to the right side by freshman DH Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS). Senior 3B Scheidt singled in Recknagel with a bloop to short right to make the score 2-0, but he was thrown out trying to stretch the play into a double.

Senior LF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) walked with two outs, stole second base, and scored the third run when Rose reached on a throwing error. Rose stole second, his 19th steal of the season, and advanced to third on a throwing error, but Mahler grounded out to end the inning.

Purdue CF Ryne White and DH John Cummins opened the third inning with singles to put runners on the corners, and 2B Eric Osborn squeezed in the first run of the game for Purdue. Hammond got out of the inning with a strikeout and a groundout. Cummins paced the Purdue attack on the day with four hits.

Scheidt homered to left with one out in the fourth to make the score 4-1. It was Scheidt's third homer of the season and the 13th of his career to tie Schmidt as the active career home run leaders for the Wolverines.

White and Cummins singled again in the fifth inning off Hammond to put runners on the corners for the second time in the game with Osborn heading to the plate. Osborn put down a two-strike bunt for a run-scoring single to make the score 4-2 with no outs. However, Hammond got Hilligoss to ground into a 6-4 force for the first out and ended the inning as LF Jordan Comadena grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play started by Mahler.

DH Abraham, who had four hits in the twinbill, doubled to open the sixth inning and was replaced as a runner by junior OF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School). Scheidt bunted Roblin to third base, and he scored on a wild pitch just before Schmidt walked to chase the Purdue starter Dan Sattler (3-5).

Michigan added its final run of the opener on a bases-loaded walk by Schmidt in the seventh inning.

In game two the Wolverines grabbed the lead for the third straight game in the series as Rose singled, stole second base, moved to third on a Mahler sacrifice bunt, and scored on an infield single by sophomore 2B Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice).

The Wolverines scored twice in the second inning on a long two-out, two-run double by Mahler to make the score 3-0.

Fetter faced the minimum nine batters through three innings with a double play and a caught stealing helping out, but Purdue reached the scoreboard in the fourth inning on a solo homer by freshman CF Alex Jaffee, the first homer of his career.

The Wolverines used power to answer the Purdue power as Abraham launched a long three-run homer of his own in the top of the fifth inning following singles by sophomore RF Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) and Recknagel to make the score 6-1.

Rose chased Purdue starter Brent Coudron (3-4) with a solo homer to open the sixth inning. It was the first homer of the season for Rose and it closed out the Michigan scoring for the day.

Rose and senior co-captain 3B Scheidt each had five hits in the doubleheader sweep and DH Abraham had four hits as the three accounted for 14 of U-M's 25 hits on Saturday against Purdue and each of the three had a home run.

The Wolverines close out the Big Ten weekend series at Purdue on Sunday (April 23, 1 p.m.) at Lambert Field with junior RHP Andrew Hess (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central HS) listed as the starter for the Wolverines with a 2-0 record and a 4.65 ERA.

N O T E S

In Big Ten baseball action Saturday Michigan and Northwestern used sweeps to remain tied for first. Michigan swept Purdue, 6-2 and 7-2, while NU topped Penn State 3-2 and 5-4. Ohio State split at Indiana, winning the second game 11-4 after IU took the opener 5-3. Michigan State stayed tied with OSU by splitting with Minnesota. MSU won the opener 9-8 while Minnesota took the second game 20-6. Illinois used a 4-3, 10-2 sweep of Iowa to move from a tie for eighth to a tie for fifth.

Big Ten Standings (Through 4/22/06)

 1. MICHIGAN 11-4 .733 Northwestern 11-4 .733 3. Michigan State 8-7 .533 Ohio State 8-7 .533 5. Purdue 7-8 .467 Minnesota 7-8 .467 Illinois 7-8 .467 8. Penn State 6-9 .400 9. Iowa 5-10 .333 Indiana 5-10 .333

The stolen bases for Eric Rose, one in each game of the doubleheader, give him 20 for the season tying him with Mike Watters (20, 1985) for sixth on Michigan's single-season stolen base list. Rose pushed his career stolen base total to 44, tying him for fifth place on Michigan's career stolen base list 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 and Rodney Goble (52 steals, 1992-95) is third on the list. Jim Durham (1986-89) holds both stolen base records for the Wolverines with 38 in 1987 and 74 for his career.

Senior 3B A.J. Scheidt was 2-for-2 in the opener Saturday and 3-for-4 in game two for a 5-for-6 doubleheader (.833) that included multi-hit games 53 and 54 in his career as a Wolverine.

Catcher Jeff Kunkel extended his hit streak to 10 games with two singles in the opener and one in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. He went 2-for-3 in the opener for the 50th multi-hit game as a Wolverine and he collected his first game-winning RBI of the season. Kunkel is U-M's active career leader with 13 game-winning RBI.

Doug Pickens, who started both games at 2B and finished in RF, collected his second "gamer" of the weekend and shares the team lead (5) with 1B Nate Recknagel.

Michigan's leading hitters after 36 games are: CF Eric Rose (39-for-106, .368),
SS Leif Mahler (41-for-114, 360), C Jeff Kunkel (43-for-124, .347), 1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel (39-for-119, .328), 2B/ OF Doug Pickens (39-for-126, .310), LF/DH Adam Abraham (26-for-84, .310) and 1B/OF Derek VanBuskirk (39-for-130, 300).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423