Michigan
Minnesota
VanBuskirk Homer Completes Comeback at Minnesota
4/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- University of Michigan sophomore Derek VanBuskirk's (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) three-run homer in the eighth inning turned the game around as the Wolverines, tailing 6-0 after six innings, roared back to take an 8-6 win over Minnesota in Big Ten Conference baseball action Friday (April 7) in the H.H.H. Metrodome.
The Wolverines (14-10, 2-3 Big Ten) rallied for four runs in the seventh, scored three in the eighth inning on VanBuskirk's homer, and added an insurance run in the ninth on a two-out single by sophomore 2B/RF Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice).
Fifth-year senior LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College) worked 2.1 innings of relief to collect his second win of the season and his 15th career win as a Wolverine. Freshman RHP Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), who had been scheduled to start on Saturday (April 8), worked the final two innings to record his first save as a Wolverine.
Minnesota shortstop Dan Lyons used a two-run double to open the scoring in the game in the third inning off senior RHP Craig Murray (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South), and he scored the third run of the inning on a single by LF Mike Mee.
The Golden Gophers (13-11, 2-3 Big Ten) scored twice in the fifth on a two-run single by RF Sean Kommerstad to chase Murray (3-2) and took a 6-0 lead after scoring once off Taylor in the sixth inning.
The Wolverines (14-10, 2-3 Big Ten), who pulled into a four-way tie for sixth place in the Big Ten with the comeback win, reached the scoreboard in the seventh inning, collecting five singles in a row against Gopher LHP starter Brian Bull.
Pickens started the rally and reached second on a wild pitch. Sophomore 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) beat out a slow roller to third, and the runners advanced to second and third after a throwing error. VanBuskirk singled to drive in Pickens to make the score 6-1 as the Wolverines snapped a string of 22.2 scoreless innings by the Gophers.
Fifth-year senior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) dropped a single into right-center to make the score 2-0, and senior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) singled to load the bases.
DH Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS) knocked in the third run with a grounder to first with Scheidt forced at second on the play, and junior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) knocked in the fourth run of the inning with another grounder, beating the relay to first to stay out of an inning-ending double play.
Taylor faced four batters in the bottom of the seventh and notched his second strikeout of the game.
The winning rally came against Minnesota freshman RHP Tyler Oakes as junior SS Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) beat out a bunt single and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Pickens reached on a throwing error by the shortstop. Recknagel forced Mahler on an attempted sacrifice bunt, but VanBuskirk slugged the next pitch into the seats in left-center for his second homer of the year to give Michigan a 7-6 lead.
When Taylor went to 2-0 on pinch-hitter Tony Leseman to open the bottom of the eighth inning, the wheels started to turn as Wolverine head coach Rich Maloney made several changes, including bringing Putnam in to pitch, moving VanBuskirk from right to 1B, moving Pickens from 2B to RF, and inserting freshman Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi) into the lineup at 2B to replace 1B Recknagel. Cislo got a 6-4 putout for the second out, and Pickens caught a fly in right for the third out.
With two outs and nobody on in the top of the ninth inning senior LF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) was hit by a pitch and then stole second base before Mahler drew a walk. Pickens fell behind 0-2 and then singled on a 2-2 pitch to drive in Schmidt with the final run of the game.
Putnam retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth on a grounder to Cislo and a strikeout, but things got exciting on a walk to Andy Hunter and a single by DH Kyle Baran that brought the winning run to the plate. Catcher Jeff DeSmidt hit a sharp grounder to the right side that defensive replacement Cislo made a diving stop on, and VanBuskirk pulled the throw out of the dirt for the final out.
Junior Rose had opened the game with a single to extend his hitting streak to six games, and he stole second and third but was stranded at third as Minnesota's Bull fanned two batters to get out of the inning.
Pickens lined a shot to left-center that would have been good for a triple except it took one hop over the short fence and Pickens had to return to second on his ground-rule double. He was stranded at second on a groundout and a fly ball.
Murray bounced back after giving up the three runs in the third by striking out the side in the fourth, getting the fourth, fifth and sixth hitters in the order for his first three K's of the game to give him a team-leading 25 on the season.
VanBuskirk and Pickens each had three hits to pace the 11-hit Michigan attack against the Gophers.
The Wolverines continue the weekend inside the Metrodome on Saturday (April 8, 2 p.m. CDT), facing Minnesota in a Big Ten doubleheader with fifth-year senior LHP Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason) at 1-3 with a 4.94 ERA slated to pitch the opener. Either junior RHP Andrew Hess (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central HS) or sophomore/freshman Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) could start the second game. Hess is 1-0 with a 6.58 ERA and Fetter is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA.
N O T E S
In Big Ten action on Friday afternoon Iowa went on the road and beat Penn State by a 6-1 margin and Purdue topped visiting Michigan State, 10-1. The Indiana-Northwestern series in Evanston, Ill., was moved to Saturday-Sunday (DH)-Monday due to potential bad weather, and in night action the Illinois at Ohio State series opened was postponed by bad weather. The only night game was Michigan's 8-6 win over Minnesota to pull the Wolverines into a four-way tie for fourth place.
Big Ten Standings (Includes 4/7/06 action): 1. Northwestern and Ohio State, both 3-1 (.750), 3. Michigan State and Purdue, both 3-2 (.600), 5. Illinois 2-2 (.500), 6. Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Penn State, all at 2-3 (.400), and 10. Indiana 1-3 (.250).
The Wolverines reached the scoreboard in the seventh inning and added the runs in the eighth and ninth for the victory, marking only the second time this season that Michigan won when trailing after six innings.
Junior CF Eric Rose singled to lead off the game vs. Minnesota to extend his hitting streak to six games and his Big Ten streak to five games. He stole two bases in the first inning to push his team-leading total to 13 on the season and his career total to 37. The 37 career stolen bases ties him with Greg McMurtry (37, 1987-89) and Scott Timmerman (37, 1990-93) for 10th on Michigan's all-time steals list. Chris Sabo (39, 1981-83) is ninth.
Sophomore 2B Doug Pickens extended his hit streak to four games with his fourth-inning double, while 1B Nate Recknagel and 1B/RF Derek VanBuskirk each have three-game streaks.
Michigan's leading hitters after 24 games are: SS Leif Mahler (28-for-77, 364), CF Eric Rose (27-for-75, .360), 1B/OF Derek VanBuskirk (28-for-83, 337), 2B/ OF Doug Pickens (28-for-84, .333),1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel (26-for-60, .325) and C Jeff Kunkel (25-for-81, 309).
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
