Roberts, Getz Pace Big Ten Tournament Win Over Lions

Wednesday, May 26

Minneapolis, Minn.

3:35 PM CT

Michigan

33-24

Penn State

28-28

Penn State

Michigan

5/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Senior DH Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) and sophomore 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) sparked the Wolverines offense as the No. 3-seeded University of Michigan baseball team defeated No. 6 seed Penn State 7-2 in first-round action of the Big Ten Tournament Wednesday (May 26) afternoon at Siebert Filed on the campus of Minnesota.

The Wolverines (33-24), trailing 2-0 at the midway point of the game, scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game and scored five times in the eighth for the win over Penn State (28-28).

Getz and Roberts, both named to the All-Big Ten first team that was announced while the game was being played, each had three hits in the game and had the hits to tie the game. Getz put the Wolverines on the scoreboard with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and Roberts tied the game with a solo homer in the sixth, his fourth of the year and 13th career homer.

The duo kept the offense alive in the eighth against Penn State's Josh Palm (5-2) as Getz led off the frame with a single through the left side of the infield and followed up with his 15th stolen base of the season. With one out Roberts singled to center, driving in Getz with the eventual winning run. It was the fourth "gamer" of the season for Roberts.

Sophomore Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) pinch ran for Roberts, and the rally continued as sophomore 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) collected his second single of the afternoon. Junior/sophomore catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) lined a double to the opposite field to score Schmidt and Scheidt and the score was 5-2.

Freshman shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) extended his hitting streak to a team-leading nine games with a single to left to knock Palm out of the game and send Kunkel to third base. Freshman LF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) pushed the lead to 6-2 with a squeeze bunt, and later in the inning junior RF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the final 7-2 scoring margin.

Sophomore RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS) allowed just two hits in 3.1 innings of relief to collect his sixth win of the season. Feldkamp (6-5) has pitched 7.2 scoreless innings in two outings vs. Penn State in the last five days and has a win and a save to show for his efforts. He has dropped his ERA to 3.20.

Junior/sophomore LHP Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason HS), a second team All-Big Ten selection, pitched the first 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, and left with the game trailing 2-1. Feldkamp entered the game with two on and two outs and ended the inning with a strikeout.

Hammond was a victim of his own fielding as Penn State scored a run in the third on a single by shortstop Mike Milliron after the Wolverines did not turn a double play as Mahler made a nice play for the forceout on a throw by Hammond. In the fourth the score went to 2-0 after a two-out throwing error by Hammond kept the inning alive and CF Derrick Barr singled in the run.

While Roberts and Getz led the way with three hits each, Scheidt and Kunkel each had two hits, with Kunkel extending his current hitting streak to a season-high eight games.

Michigan's next action in the Big Ten Tournament will be vs. Ohio State on Thursday (May 27, 3:35 p.m. CDT) with senior/junior RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), a first team All-Big Ten selection with a 6-3 record and 4.54 ERA, expected to pitch for the Wolverines.

N O T E S

In Big Ten Tournament play Wednesday Purdue topped Michigan State 6-5 in the first game of the tournament, and with Michigan's 7-2 win over Penn State the schedule for Thursday (May 27) is set with Michigan State (32-25) meeting Penn State (28-28) at 12:05 p.m. in the first elimination game of the tournament, while Michigan (33-24) faces second seed Ohio State (32-23) at 3:35 p.m. and Big Ten champion and first seed Minnesota (35-30) plays Purdue (29-26) at 7:05 p.m.

The Wolverines have 33 wins for the season, the most since the 1999 team collected 34 while winning the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, and winning a pair of games in NCAA Regional action at Notre Dame.

Senior DH Brandon Roberts was 5-for-5 with a walk in his final six at-bats at Ray Fisher Stadium to close out the regular season and was 9-for-13 (.692) for the final series of the year vs. Penn State to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Roberts kept things going against the Nittany Lions in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, going 3-for-4. Roberts is now 8-for-9 with a walk in his last 10 plate appearances for a .889 batting average and a .900 on-base percentage. In his last five games, all against Penn State, he is 12-for-17 (.706), moving his overall batting average to a career-best and team-leading .371 (66-for-178).

Sophomore 2B Chris Getz has 229 at-bats for the season for the fifth best single-season total in Michigan history, and his total of 81 hits tie for the eighth best season total with Brock Koman (81, 2003) and Jason Alcaraz (81, 1999).

The All-Big Ten teams were announced in the press box during the game and the Wolverines had three first team selections, including 2B Chris Getz, DH Brandon Roberts and RHP Jim Brauer. The Wolverines named to the second team were LHP Paul Hammond and junior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS), and OF Matt Butler was named to the third team.

Michigan's leading hitters after 57 games of overall action include: Brandon Roberts at .371 (66-for-178), 1B Kyle Bohm at .359 (74-for-206), Chris Getz at .354 (81-for-229), Eric Rose at .331 (51-for-154), Jeremy Goldschmeding (Allegan, Mich./Allegan HS) at .322 (38-for-118), Matt Butler at .316 (65-for-206), catcher Jeff Kunkel at .311 (51-for-164) and 3B A.J. Scheidt  at .308 (68-for-221).