Michigan Clinches Home-Opening Series Sweep Over IPFW

Saturday, March 27

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:05 PM

Michigan

11-9

IPFW

2-19

IPFW

Michigan

Michigan Clinches Home-Opening Series Sweep Over IPFW

3/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

March 27, 2010

• Boxscores: Game 1 | Game 2
• Video Highlights:

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wilpon Complex)
Score: Michigan 8, IPFW 0; Michigan 12, IPFW 3
Records: U-M (12-9), IPFW (2-20)
Attendance: 1,120
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, March 30 -- vs. Eastern Michigan (Wilpon Complex), 3 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team completed a three-game sweep of its home-opening series with IPFW, claiming 8-0 and 12-3 wins in a doubleheader Saturday (March 27) at the Wilpon Baseball Complex, home of historic Ray Fisher Stadium.

Freshman centerfielder Patrick Biondi (Woodhaven, Mich./Divine Child) went 6-for-9 on the day from the top of the order and crossed the plate four times thanks to six runs batted in from senior first baseman Mike Dufek (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain), who went 6-for-10.

Sophomore/freshman pitcher Bobby Brosnahan (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) struck out a career-high eight batters in the opener en route to his second straight combined shutout. Junior pitcher Tyler Burgoon (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) got the win in relief in the nightcap, striking out five batters in five scoreless innings.

Biondi led off the first game with a triple to spark a four-run first inning. Michigan took the 4-0 lead with the help of Biondi's triple, a double from senior catcher Chris Berset (Vienna, Va./Heights School) and four singles in the opening frame. Brosnahan struck out the side in the second to keep the early momentum rolling into a two-run second inning for the Maize and Blue.

Berset doubled and came around to score in the fourth, and sophomore third baseman John Lorenz (Frankfurt, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) launched a blast over the monster in leftfield in the eighth to give U-M the 8-0 lead. Junior pitcher Kolby Wood (Eau Claire, Mich./Berrien Springs) spelled Brosnahan with three solid innings, matching a season high with five strikeouts.

Michigan got the early lead in the first inning of the nightcap, using back-to-back run-scoring singles by sophomore designated hitter/catcher Coley Crank (Pinole, Calif./Pinole Valley) and Dufek to take a 2-0 lead. A pair of IPFW long balls turned U-M's lead into a 3-2 deficit in the road half of the second inning.

The Wolverines regained a two-run lead with one run in the third and a pair of scores in the fourth. Sophomore/freshman outfielder Tyler Mills (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Mt. Pleasant) got his first career hit in the midst of a five-run rally in the eighth that gave U-M its 12-3 lead.

Michigan welcomes Eastern Michigan on Tuesday (March 30) for the teams' lone meeting of 2010 in the battle of Washtenaw County. The first batter will step to the plate at 3 p.m.

N O T E S

• With two wins today, the Wolverines have won a season-best six games in a row.

• U-M improved to 8-0 in the all-time series with IPFW.

• Sophomore/freshman LHP Bobby Brosnahan collected a career-best eight strikeouts in the opener. Brosnahan has tossed 12 consecutive scoreless innings.

• Junior RHP Tyler Burgoon retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced out of the bullpen in Saturday's second game en route to his ninth career win.

• Freshman OF Patrick Biondi notched his second four-hit game of the year, going 4-for-4 in the opener. Biondi, who was 8-for-14 (.571) in the series with IPFW, now has hits in 18 of U-M's 21 games this season.

• Senior 1B Mike Dufek was 3-for-5 in each game Saturday as he extended his team-leading hitting streak to 11 games.

• Senior C Chris Berset was 4-for-5 with his first career four-hit game in the nightcap.

• Sophomore DH/C Coley Crank had his career-best hitting streak snapped at eight games by going 0-for-4 in the opener. He bounced back with his second four-hit game of the season in the nightcap.

• Senior RF Nick Urban was 4-for-5 in Saturday's opener, marking the first four-hit game of his U-M career.

• Senior/junior 2B Anthony Toth collected the game-winning RBI in the first inning during the day's first game. It was Toth's first "gamer" of the season and his second as a Wolverine.

• Redshirt freshman OF Tyler Mills recorded his first career hit with a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning of the second game.

Contact: Ryan Sosin (734) 763-4423