U-M Eliminates Northwestern from Big Ten Tournament

Friday, May 26

Ann Arbor, Mich.

5:30 PM

Michigan

39-19

Northwestern

26-33

Michigan

Northwestern

5/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team used timely hitting to defeat Northwestern 8-3 Friday (May 26) and remain alive in the Big Ten Tournament at Ray Fisher Stadium. The top-seeded Wolverines (39-19) rode a quality start from sophomore/freshman Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) and timely hitting to eliminate the second-seeded Wildcats (26-33).

Fetter improved to 5-1 after going 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts and one earned run charged to him. Fifth-year senior LHP Ali Husain (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) appeared in his second game of the day, striking out the only batter he faced. Sophomore/freshman RHP Ben Jenzen (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South) close out the game for Michigan for his sixth of the season and got his first career trip to the plate.

Three Wolverines finished the day with two RBI each. Sophomore 1B/OF Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) went 4-for-5 with two RBI, both coming on his ninth-inning home run. Fifth-year senior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) drove a pair across, while freshman DH/P Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South) went 2-for-4 and pitched 0.2 innings from the bullpen.

Northwestern got on the board early with one swing of Antonio Mule's bat. After Fetter struck out two consecutive Wildcat batters looking, Mule' took a 1-1 pitch to deep rightfield.

Michigan came out swinging in the third inning, stringing together six straight hits to go with a leadoff walk from CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) to push across four runs and give the Wolverines a 4-1 lead. Shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) and Recknagel followed Rose with singles to load the bases and chase Northwestern starter Ryan Myers. Kunkel came to the plate and took a 3-1 pitch into leftfield, knocking in two runs before being cut down trying to stretch his hit into a double. Abraham followed with a line shot off the 375 marker in left-center, knocking in Recknagel and setting up sophomore 2B/OF Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) to drive him in from second base in the next at-bat.

The Wildcats recovered some ground, tightening the Wolverine lead to 4-2 after three innings. With two runners on, Caleb Fields threaded a ball through the right side into rightfield. Sophomore RF/1B Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) came up throwing, but Owens crossed the plate just ahead of the ball.

Abraham knocked in his second run of the game in the fifth inning to cushion Michigan's lead, 5-2. With Recknagel on first and Mahler standing on second, Abraham sliced a ball past diving shortstop Tommy Finn and into leftfield for his second hit of the evening, driving in Mahler.

In the home half of the eighth inning, Northwestern cut its deficit to two, scoring on a ball that took a big hop off the glove of senior 3B A.J. Scheidt (West Bloomfield, Mich./Lahser) to make the score 5-3. Abraham moved from designated hitter to the mound to open the eighth and, after two quick outs, put runners on the corners with a walk and a single. Jenzen came on to close the door, but Vercelli hit a bouncing ball to third that took a large hop in front of Scheidt for an error that allowed Wycklendt to score.

Michigan used a three-run ninth inning to cap its scoring and stretch the lead to five. Senior OF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) opened the inning with a three-base shot off the leftfield fence and was knocked home by a Rose single in the next at-bat. Mahler bunted Rose into scoring position, but the extra 90 feet did not make a difference as Recknagel launched his sixth home run beyond the leftfield fence.

After getting his first career hit in the top of the ninth, Jenzen secured the save and the victory with a scoreless ninth inning to give the Wolverines the win and keep their Big Ten Tournament hopes alive.

Michigan will play Ohio State, a 7-3 loser to Minnesota late Friday in the winners' bracket final, in a Game 9 elimination contest on Saturday (May 27). The game will start at 3:35 p.m. at Ray Fisher Stadium.

N O T E S

Northwestern scored a run in the first inning in each matchup with Michigan at Fisher Stadium this season. The Wolverines lost the regular-season series 3-1 before knocking the Wildcats from the Big Ten Tournament.

Michigan's leading hitters after 58 games are: 1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel (72-for-195, .369), SS Leif Mahler (62-for-184, .337), C Jeff Kunkel (69-for-206, .335), CF Eric Rose (61-for-187, .326), 2B/OF Doug Pickens (63-for-207, .304) and LF/DH Adam Abraham (45-for-150, .300).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423