VanBuskirk Paces Wolverines Over Eastern Michigan

Wednesday, May 9

Ypsilanti, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

Eastern Michigan

5/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Site: Ypsilanti, Mich. (Oestrike Stadium)
Score: #24 Michigan 8, Eastern Michigan 6
Records: U-M (35-10), EMU (24-21)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 12 -- DH vs. Penn State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 2:05 p.m.

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Junior LF Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) had three hits, including a three-run homer, as the University of Michigan Baseball team defeated Eastern Michigan 8-6 in non-conference action Wednesday evening (May 9) at Oestrike Stadium.

The heavy rain at the stadium at the original start time (4 p.m.) turned a scheduled doubleheader into a nine-inning single game. Ironically the original date was scheduled for a single game and turned into a doubleheader due to bad weather earlier this season.

The win for the Wolverines (35-10) was their fourth in five meetings against cross-town rival Eastern Michigan (24-21).

The Wolverines jumped to an early lead, scoring single runs in the second, third and fourth innings. U-M then used a five-run fifth to make the score 8-0.

VanBuskirk, who has back-to-back three-hit games, singled in the second and fourth innings, before hitting his third homer of the year in the fifth inning.

With the switch in the schedule from two games to one, the Michigan pitching rotation changed. The doubleheader starters each pitched three innings and left the bullpen to close out the game.

Freshman LHP Jeff DeCarlo (Medford, Mass./St. John's Prep) made the start -- the second of his career -- and worked three innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts. DeCarlo left the mound with a 2-0 lead and was credited with his first career win.

Freshman LHP Eric Katzman (Harrington Park, N.J./Northern Valley Old Tappan HS) -- who would have started the second game -- replaced DeCarlo in the fourth and worked 2.1 innings, giving up three hits and four runs. The three earned tallies came on a grand slam homer to EMU CF Michael Boyd in the sixth inning.

Boyd -- with a double and a homer -- and 2B Aaron Crooks (two singles) accounted for four of the five EMU hits.

Junior/sophomore Michael Powers (St. Clair Shores, Mich./South Lake) entered the game after Boyd's slam and retired all five batters he faced, collecting four consecutive strikeouts to end his outing.

Freshman Alan Oaks (White Lake, Mich./Divine Child), who started the game in RF, made his pitching debut to start the eighth. He retired the first batter he faced, but hit a batter and walked a batter. Oaks was eventually charged with a run on a wild pitch by junior/sophomore Ben Jenzen (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS). Jenzen closed out the eighth with a strikeout and a fly out.

Sophomore Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS), who made his 45th consecutive start this season at 3B, pitched the ninth, allowing an unearned run. He recorded his first save of the season -- the fourth of his career -- by striking out veteran EMU CF Trumaine Riley to end the game.

The Wolverines took a 1-0 lead in the second inning as VanBuskirk singled with one out for the first U-M hit of the game. He moved to second on his third stolen base of the season and moved to third as he tagged up on a long foul fly to right by Oaks. Sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi) singled to center, driving in VanBuskirk to notch his first game-winner of the year -- the fourth of his career.

U-M added a run without a hit in the third inning, as senior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) drew his second straight walk of the night. Rose then stole second and third, giving him three steals in the first three innings, and scored on a sac fly by sophomore DH Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) to make the score 2-0.

Michigan chased EMU starter Matt Dimich, who was making just his second appearance of the year after surgery, in the fourth inning when junior catcher Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) singled to start the inning. Pickens moved to third on a hit-and-run single by VanBuskirk and scored when Oaks hit a sac fly.

The Wolverines added five runs in the fifth on a three-run homer by VanBuskirk and a two-run homer by SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland).

VanBuskirk had three hits and Pickens had two, as EMU limited the Wolverines to seven hits. The other U-M hits were Cislo's game-winning single and Christian's homer. Pickens has 10 hits in the past five games.

The Wolverines face Penn State in a Big Ten doubleheader Saturday (May 12, 2:05 p.m.) with sophomore RHP Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) at 6-3, 3.88 ERA starting on the mound in the nine-inning opener. Sophomore LHP Mike Wilson (Pickering, Ont./Pine Ridge Secondary) at 7-0, 1.88 ER will start the seven-inning second game.

N O T E S

• Former Wolverine All-American George Foussianes, winner of Michigan's Gerald Ford Award in 1994, will be the featured speaker at the annual Michigan Baseball Banquet, hosted by the Michigan Dugout Club this Friday (May 11) prior to the start of the final regular season Big Ten home series against Penn State. Foussianes (1977-80) played on a pair of Big Ten Championship teams (1978 & 1980) and both seasons found the Wolverines in the College World Series. He led Michigan in hitting as a junior (.369 in 1979), was captain as a senior when he was All Big Ten first team and a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association All-America Third Team. He also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 1980.The banquet will be held on campus at the Junge Conference Center (between the tunnels of Michigan Stadium and Crisler Arena). Reservations can be made and more information is available from Helen Nelson in the baseball office (734-647-4550). The social hour with hors d'oeuvres is slated for 6 p.m. with the dinner to follow at approximately 7 p.m. The cost for adults is $35 and for children under 10-years of age, $15.

• Senior CF Eric Rose had his career-best hitting streak snapped at 28 games. He was 0-for-3, reaching base three times with two walks and on a fielding error. Rose swiped a season-high and career-high four bases to move his team-leading total to 29 and his career record now stands at 85. The total of 29 stolen bases ties him with Chris Getz (29 steals, 2005) for the third-best single season total at Michigan. The record is 38 by Jim Durham in 1987 and Rose already owns the second best season total when he grabbed 32 last year.

• Michigan's leading hitters after 45 games are: C/2B/OF Doug Pickens (62-for-170, .365), 2B Kevin Cislo (38-for-106, .358), P/DH Zach Putnam (58-for-162, .358), 3B/P Adam Abraham (60-for-171, .351), SS Jason Christian (63-for-181, .348),1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) at .348 (56-for-161), CF Eric Rose (53-for-156, .340) and OF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) at .338 (45-for-133).