Recknagel, Abraham Pace Wolverine Win Over BCC

Saturday, February 24

Port St. Lucie, Fla.

1:00 PM

Michigan

2-0

Bethune-Cookman

5-6

Bethune-Cookman

Michigan

2/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

PORT ST.LUCIE, Fla. -- Junior Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) hit a homer and a double to drive in four runs as the University of Michigan baseball team used a six-run seventh-inning to take a 9-3 win over Bethune-Cookman Saturday (Feb. 24) afternoon on Field 2 in the New York Mets spring training complex.

The win was the second straight for the Wolverines (2-0), while Bethune-Cookman -- which took a 3-0 lead after the first three Wildcat batters reached base and scored -- dropped to 5-6.

Sophomore Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS), who started the game at third base, collected two hits and pitched the final four innings to earn his first win of the year. Abraham faced the minimum 12 batters in his four innings, allowing one single while pitching three 1-2-3 innings for his sixth career win as a Wolverine.

Michigan's starting pitcher, junior/sophomore Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS), allowed three runs, one earned, in his five innings of work and he allowed just three hits while recording six strikeouts. He retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the seventh inning, the Wolverines chased BCC starter Dustin Blackwell when Abraham singled to the gap in left-center. Junior Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice), who started the game in the outfield and moved to catcher in the sixth inning, extended his career-best hitting streak to 11 games with a single to right.

With one out and runners on second and third, RHP Francisco Gomez replaced starter Blackwell (3-1) on the mound; freshman 1B Mike Dufek (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) hit the first pitch from Gomez for a sac fly, scoring the winning pitcher Abraham for the winning run. Dufek, in his first game as a Wolverine, also chipped in with several fine fielding plays.

Sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi) kept the rally going with an infield single, and co-captain Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield), playing in his 150th game as a Wolverine, doubled inside the bag at third to make the score 5-3.

Senior OF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) chopped a scoring single to short, making the score 6-3, and Recknagel doubled to the corner in left, scoring both Rose and Roblin.

Sophomore Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), who started the game as DH and moved to left in the five-player position switch when Abraham came in to pitch, hit a grounder to short, reaching on a throwing error that plated Recknagel for the final run of the game.

BCC's Blackwell had allowed just one hit, a single by Putnam in the second inning, and had faced the minimum 10 batters with one out in the fourth; the Wolverine bats then exploded to tie the game at 3-3.

The rally in the fourth started when Roblin doubled to left, and Recknagel followed with two long blasts. The first drive was foul, but it gained the attention of the mostly-Michigan crowd; the second shot left the field of play for the first UM homer of the season, and the 14th round-tripper of Recknagel's collegiate career.

Putnam followed with a triple to right, his second of the season, and Abraham doubled down the third-base line to tie the score at 3-3.

Putnam and Roblin each have four hits in the first two games of the season and each has a pair of extra base hits -- Roblin two doubles and Putnam two triples.

The BCC-Michigan series concludes Sunday (Feb. 25) at Noon; the game has been moved to Tradition Field in the Mets spring training complex. Senior RHP Andrew Hess (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central HS) will be on the mound for U-M. Hess is 5-5 as a Wolverine, and will be making his 16th career start; his 43rd career appearance.

N O T E S

Former Wolverine baseball captains that have made appearances at games this weekend include two-time MVP catcher Jeff Kunkel (2003-06) on Friday (Feb. 23), and 2005 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Jim Brauer (2001-05) on Saturday (Feb 24). Kunkel is in the Detroit Tigers camp in Lakeland, Fla., while Brauer, who is from Carmel, Ind. -- the same hometown as U-M starting pitcher Chris Fetter -- is with the Florida Marlin organization and reports to training camp next week.

Scott "Kingpin" Kingston, who was on Rich Maloney's Michigan coaching staff in 2005, was at Saturday's game.

Doug Pickens moved his hitting streak to 11 games Satuday, and sophomore shortstop Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) moved his hit streak to five games with an eighth inning single.

Junior Nate Recknagel, who has already played 1B, catcher and 3B this season, collected his 20th career double in 64 games as a Wolverine. He also boosted his career RBI total to 75 in 112 games, including 30 in 48 games at Oakland University as a freshman.

Michigan's leading hitters after two games are: P/OF Zach Putnam (4-for-7, .571), OF Brad Roblin (4-for-8, .500), 2B Kevin Cislo (2-for-5, .400), 1B Nate Recknagel (3-for-8, .375), OF Eric Rose (2-for-6, .333) and 3B/P Adam Abraham (2-for-6, .333).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734-763-4423)