Michigan
Pepperdine
Wolverines Swept Away by Waves
3/7/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Site:Â Malibu, Calif. (Eddy D. Field Stadium)
Score:Â #9 Pepperdine 5, Michigan 3
Records:Â U-M (3-5), Pepperdine (17-1)
Next U-M Game:Â Friday, March 12 -- vs. C.W. Post (Homestead, Fla.), 3 p.m.
MALIBU, Calif. -- The University of Michigan baseball team completed its eight-game, season-opening California swing with a 5-3 loss to Pepperdine University Sunday (March 7) at Eddy D. Field Stadium. The loss, Michigan's fourth in a row, drops the Wolverines to 3-5. Ninth-ranked Pepperdine completed a three-game series sweep and improved to 17-1 with its eighth consecutive win.
Michigan took its first lead of the series by tallying a single run in the top of the first. Bobby Scales (Milton, Ga./Roswell HS) singled to center field, moved up a base as Jason Alcaraz (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS) reached on an error by the second baseman, and scored on Mike Cervenak's (New Boston, Mich./Divine Child HS) base hit to left.
The Wolverines' 1-0 lead held up until the bottom of the third, when Pepperdine scored three times on two singles, two doubles and an RBI groundout. The Waves added single runs in the sixth and seventh off Wolverine starter Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) to increase their lead to 5-1.
Pepperdine starter Jay Adams, who held U-M scoreless over the middle seven innings, was replaced by Stephen Correa to start the ninth, and Michigan immediately jumped on the reliever. Singles by Bryan Besco (Westland, Mich./John Glenn HS) and David Parrish (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) chased Correa as Steve Schenewerk took the mound for the Waves.
Schenewerk struck out pinch hitter Jay Dines (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), and Dan Sanborn (Grand Ledge, Mich./Grand Ledge HS) bounced into a fielder's choice, putting runners on first and third with two outs. Mike Seestedt (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Sacred Heart HS) drove in one run with a pinch-hit single and Brian Bush (Midland, Mich./Midland HS) followed with a base hit to center to make it 5-3.
That was the end of Michigan's rally, however, as Pepperdine closer Jay Gehrke came on to retire Scales on a deep flyout to center and record his seventh save of the season.
Bush and Besco both recorded two-hit days, while Scales extended his season-long hitting streak to eight games with his single in the first inning. On the mound, Korecky went six and two-thirds innings -- the longest outing by a Wolverine starter this season -- in his first career start, and Ryan Kelley (Northville, Mich./Divine Child HS) recorded his fourth straight scoreless outing, going an inning and a third.
Up next for the Wolverines are three games in Homestead, Fla., starting with a Friday (March 12) contest against C.W. Post at 3 p.m.
