Christian, Putnam Provide U-M's Punch Over Purdue

Sunday, April 22

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:05 PM

Michigan

26-8, 11-1

Purdue

17-17, 7-8

Purdue

Michigan

4/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) had three hits and scored three runs and sophomore LF Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) drove in three runs as the University of Michigan baseball team defeated Purdue 10-1 Sunday afternoon (April 22) in Ray Fisher Stadium.

The win kept the Wolverines (26-8, 11-1) in first place in the Big Ten, and was career victory No. 175 for head coach Rich Maloney as Michigan's head coach. Maloney is 431-245-1 in 12 seasons; 175-100 in five years as a Wolverine.

The loss dropped Purdue (17-17, 7-8 Big Ten) into a tie for sixth with Iowa. The Hawkeyes took three of four from Illinois this weekend.

Junior/sophomore Chris Fetter (Caramel, Ind./Carmel HS), an all Big Ten first team starting pitcher a year ago, worked the first six innings and allowed six hits and one run. He moved his record for the season to 5-1. It was Fetter's 10th career win and his second against Purdue.

The Wolverines jumped into the lead in the first inning with an unearned run against Purdue starter Dan Sattler (1-3). Christian led off with a walk and reached third base on a ground out and an error that allowed junior 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) to reach. Christian scored on Putnam's sac fly; the RBI proved to be Putnam's second gamer of the weekend and his team-leading seventh for the season.

Michigan added a run in the second on a sac fly by sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi) that scored catcher Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice), who had reached on a single. Cislo leads the Wolverines in conference action with a .439 batting average (18-for-41).

U-M added four runs in the third on RBI-singles by Putnam and sophomore 3B Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS), and a two-run double by junior DH Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair).

Christian hit his third homer of the year to make the score 7-0 in the fourth and -- before the inning ended -- senior RF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) and Putnam each had doubles. Putnam's third RBI of the game gave him the team lead with 35.

Purdue scored off Fetter in the fifth inning on a run-scoring double by catcher Spencer Ingaldson. Ingaldson had six hits, drove in four runs and scored three times in the series for the Boilermakers.

The Wolverines closed the scoring in the seventh inning. Cislo reached on a fielder's choice, and senior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) singled to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. Christian knocked in Cislo with a single and Rose scored on a wild pitch.

Christian paced the 14-hit attack on Sunday, going 3-for-3 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch to reach base five times. He scored three runs and drove in two. Abraham, Christian and Cislo pounded six hits each during the weekend, while Rose and Roblin each had five of the 41 Wolverine hits in the series.

Freshman RHP Mike Dufek (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS), freshman LHP Eric Katzman (Harrington Park, N.J./Northern Valley Old Tappan HS) and senior/junior LHP Brad Seddon(St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) each worked a shut out inning to close out the win.

The Wolverines are off for finals during the week with their next game scheduled for Friday (April 27, 6:05 p.m.) against Michigan State in Oldsmobile Park in Lansing, Mich. Sophomore RHP Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) is slated to start the series opener with his 4-3 record and 3.26 ERA.

The MSU series will include a doubleheader at Ray Fisher Stadium on Saturday (Apr. 28, 1:05 p.m.) and concludes Sunday (Apr. 29, 1:05 p.m.) back at Olds Park. Comcast Local will televise Saturday's twinbill in Ann Arbor.

N O T E S

Sweeps were the order of the weekend, as Ohio State topped Indiana 11-1, Minnesota beat Michigan State 12-2 and Penn State topped Northwestern 6-4 on Sunday (April 22). The home team took all four games in each of those series. Michigan's 10-1 win over Purdue and Iowa's 17-12 win over Illinois gave both teams 3-1 records for the weekend. Home teams were 18-2 in Big Ten action this past weekend (April 20-22).

Big Ten Standings (Includes 4-22-07): 1. Michigan 11-1 (.917), 2. Minnesota 9-2 (.818), 3. Penn State 9-5 (.643), 4. Ohio State 8-6 (.571), 5. Illinois 7-7 (.500), 6. Purdue 7-8 (.467) & Iowa 7-8 (.467), 8. Michigan State 6-9 (.400), 9. Indiana 4-12 (.250), 10. Northwestern 3-13 (.188).

Senior CF Eric Rose extended his career-best hitting streak to 18 games with a seventh-inning single. This is the best streak for Rose since an eight-game streak as a freshman in 2004. He had four six-game streaks during the past two seasons.

1B Nate Recknagel had his streak snapped at 10 games. However, he reached base twice in five plate appearances with a walk and Purdue throwing error. He has reached base 62 times in his last 22 games. Recknagel's on-base percentage is .506.

Michigan's leading hitters after 34 games are: SS Jason Christian (50-for-136, .368), 1B Nate Recknagel (44-for-120, .367), P/OF Zach Putnam (45-for-125, .360), 2B Kevin Cislo (28-for-78, .359), 3B/P Adam Abraham (44-for-131, .336), OF Brad Roblin (44-for-132, .336), C/2B/OF Doug Pickens (43-for-129, .333) and CF Eric Rose (38-for-115, 330).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734-763-4423)