Michigan
Coastal Carolina
Oaks' Big Day Not Enough in Loss to Coastal Carolina
3/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Site: Conway, S.C. (Watson Stadium)
Event: Centex Homes Invitational
Score: Michigan 9, Coastal Carolina 11
Records: U-M (8-6), CCU (15-2)
Next Game: Wednesday, March 19 -- vs. Oakland (Ann Arbor, Mich.), 3 p.m.
Boxscore
CONWAY , S.C. -- Despite four home runs off of Wolverine bats, the University of Michigan Baseball Team dropped an 11-9 decision Sunday (March 16) to Coastal Carolina University in the finale of the Centex Homes Invitational. Sophomore Alan Oaks(White Lake, Mich./White Lake HS) hit a pair of the long balls -- his first two of the season and fourth of his career -- to net a five RBI afternoon.
After falling behind 3-0 after the first inning, the Maize and Blue jumped on the board with a two-run shot off the bat of senior tri-captain LF Derek VanBuskirk(St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair HS). VanBuskirk took a 3-2 pitch the other way, scorching a laser over the right-centerfield wall to score junior 3B Adam Abraham(Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS), who walked to lead off the inning. The homerun was VanBuskirk's first of the season and seventh of his career.
Two batters later, Oaks tied the score at 3-3 with his first jack of the game which also carried over the rightfield wall. It was the first time this season the Wolverines have hit two homeruns in the same inning.
The Chanticleers again took a three-run lead in the bottom third when Adam Rice hit a three-run homerun over the wall in leftfield to move the score in CCU's favor at 6-3.
Michigan answered in the top of the fourth though. VanBuskirk walked to leadoff the inning and was moved to second on a sophomore Mike Dufek(Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) single. Oaks drove in his second run of the ballgame with a single to left that brought VanBuskirk across the plate to bring U-M within two a 6-4.
Following a sacrifice bunt by freshman CF Ryan LaMarre(Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi HS) that moved up the runners, junior Kevin Cislo(Novi, Mich./Novi HS) brought Dufek home with a sac fly to left cutting the Chanticleer lead in half 6-5.
Coastal Carolina added a run in the bottom half of the inning, bringing the score to 7-5 into the top of the fifth. Michigan answered back quickly in that inning as Abraham connected for his 12th career bomb, a long solo shot that traveled into the batting cages behind the leftfield wall. VanBuskirk and Dufek drew walks in their successive at bats, bringing Oaks back to the plate with one out.
The sophomore, who came to the plate with four hits in his last four at bats, made it five straight, launching a no-doubter over the wall in left to give the Wolverines their first lead of the ball game, 9-7, and Oaks his fifth RBI of the day.
In the bottom of the fifth, Coastal cut the Wolverine lead to 9-8. After a one-out single by Derek Martin, Rico Noel sac bunted him over to second then Scott Woodward singled him over to third with two outs.
Martin came home after a wild pitch by junior Mike Wilson(Pickering, Ontario/Pine Ridge Secondary) which sent Woodward racing towards second. Senior C Nate Recknagel's (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS) throw down to second was high and sailed into CF scoring Martin from third.
Coastal then tied and took the lead in the seventh. Tyler Bortick singled to lead off the inning then came around to score on a double off the bat of Derek Anderson, tying the ballgame a 9-9. The next hitter for the Chanticleers sac bunted Anderson over to third for the first out of the inning. With Anderson at third and only one out, Woodward lifted a ball into centerfield which scored the eventual winning run.
Coastal added one more in the bottom of the eighth to complete the scoring.
The Wolverines open their home schedule on Wednesday (March 19) with a 3 p.m. start against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. It will mark the opening of U-M's newly renovated Ray Fisher Stadium inside the brand-new Wilpon Baseball Complex.
N O T E S
After collecting his first two hits of the season on Saturday (March 15), sophomore OF/RHP Alan Oaks smashed two homers and a single against Coastal Carolina on Sunday(March 16) and knocked a career-best five runs. Oaks is the first Wolverine to hit two homers in a game since Eric Rose (2004-07) hit two at Oregon State in NCAA Super Regional action last year (June 11, 2007). Oaks doubled his career home run total from two to four and Sunday's three-hit game was the fourth multi-hit game of his career.
Michigan collected a team season-high four homers in the 11-9 loss at Coastal Carolina Sunday with the two from OF Alan Oaks and one each from senior co-captain LF Derek VanBuskirk and junior 3B/RHP Adam Abraham.
Abraham, who had his hitting streak snapped at 10 games on Friday (March 14) vs. Presbyterian, had four hits on the weekend and has hits in 13 of U-M's 14 games this season. Abraham is second on the team in hitting at .379 (22-for-58).
Senior 1B/catcher Nate Recknagel extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a third-inning single vs. Coastal Carolina on Sunday and he was 2-for-5 in the loss. Recknagel hit .600 for the weekend (9-for-15) with a double, three homers and nine RBI, but his home run streak was snapped at four consecutive games and the loss Sunday was the first in his six catching starts.
Recknagel has hits in 13 of the first 14 games played by Michigan this season and has hits in 112 of his 139 games as a Wolverine along with 26 homers and 122 RBI. Recknagel leads the team in hitting .396 (21-for-53), homers (6) and RBI (20).
Sophomore 1B/RHP Mike Dufek moved his batting average to .346 (9-for-26) with a 2-for-3 game with two walks against Coastal Carolina on Sunday. It was Dufek's second career multiple-hit game.
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 615-1726
