Michigan
7-7
Oakland
1-14
Putnam Picks Up Victory as Wolverines Stop Grizzlies
3/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan freshman Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) allowed two hits and two unearned runs in the home opener and collected his first win as the Wolverines defeated Oakland 14-5 in collegiate baseball action Friday afternoon (March 24) in Ray Fisher Stadium.
The Wolverines (7-7) used a four-run third inning and a five-run fifth inning to collect nine of their 15 runs as sophomore OF Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) continued his offensive surge by going 3-for-5 while junior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) was 2-for-3 with four RBI. VanBuskirk has hit at a .500 clip (14-for-28) in the past seven games to push his season average to .333.
Sophomore 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion), a transfer from Oakland, was 2-for-6 in his first rematch with the Golden Grizzlies, and his two-run double in the third inning proved to be the "game-winning" hit as it gave U-M a 3-2 lead.
Putnam, who dropped his ERA to 4.22, allowed a pair of singles in five innings in his first Fisher Stadium start as a Wolverine, and he had three 1-2-3 innings. In his two starts, over his last two outings this season, Putnam has allowed three hits and the two unearned runs, and he has had nine strikeouts in nine innings.
Junior/sophomore Dan Lentz (Farmington Hills, Mich./Brother Rice), sophomore/freshman RHP Michael Powers (St. Clair Shores, Mich./South Lake) and senior RHP Jeff Niemiec (Livonia, Mich./Catholic Central) followed Putnam to the mound, and the bullpen allowed just two more hits and three runs (one earned) during the chilly afternoon.
The Grizzlies (1-14), coached by Ann Arbor's Dylan Putnam, took advantage of two Wolverines errors in the first inning to grab a 2-0 lead. The rally was started on a two-out single by 1B Kevin Carkeek, and the runs scored on a throwing error. Carkeek had two of the four Oakland hits during the game.
Michigan held a 5-2 lead heading into the fifth inning, and VanBuskirk started the rally with a single and Putnam drilled a run-scoring double to center for his first hit as a Wolverine.
Fifth-year senior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt that turned into a single when the ball hit the third base bag to stay fair, and senior OF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) doubled to left, driving in Putnam. Freshman 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi) cleared the bases with a triple and the score was 9-2. Cislo scored the fifth run of the inning on a sac fly by CF Rose.
Rose drove in runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and Schmidt knocked in runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh. The Wolverines batted around in both the fifth and sixth innings.
VanBuskirk had three hits, his fifth multi-hit game in the last seven played, and six other Wolverines, including leading hitter SS Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep), had two hits to pace the 19-hit U-M attack. Mahler has 11 hits in his last five games.
The Wolverines host Oakland in a doubleheader Saturday (March 25, 1 p.m.) with senior Craig Murray (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South) and fifth-year senior co-captain LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College) listed as the probable starters. Murray is 2-1 with a 3.26 ERA, while Taylor is 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA.
N O T E S
Three non-freshman Wolverines made their Fisher Stadium debuts in the 2006 home opener, with junior/sophomore Matt Fisher (Westchester, N.Y./Westlake HS) collecting a pinch hit single to lead off the eighth inning, sophomore/freshman catcher Dave Mika (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) smacking a pinch single later in the eighth inning, and sophomore/freshman Kenny Fellows (Holt, Mich./Holt HS) making his outfield debut as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning.
Three true freshman regulars made their Fisher debuts. Starting 2B Kevin Cislo singled in his first at-bat at 'The Fish," Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS) had a pinch single in his initial appearance in AA, and defensive replacement Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland HS) got a hot shot grounder to short in his first step on the field and later fanned in his only at-bat.
Shortstop Leif Mahler extended his hit streak to three games with a run-scoring single in the third inning.
The 19 hits vs. Oakland on Friday were the most for the Wolverines since getting 21 in an 18-12 win at Eastern Michigan last season (March 30). U-M had 18 hits in the win over Pacific two weeks ago in Waco, Texas (March 12).
The Wolverines made four errors in the home opener vs. Oakland after making just 10 errors in the first 13 games of the season. They entered the game having made a total of four errors in the last six games.
Michigan's leading hitters after 14 games are: SS Leif Mahler (21-for-53, 396), CF Eric Rose (17-for-50, .340), 1B/OF Derek VanBuskirk (16-for-48, 333), 1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel (14-for-42, .333) and OF Mike Schmidt (6-for-19, .316).
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Putnam, Zach (1-0)
L: Aaron Hines (0-4)
Batting:
2B: Rob Merkle 1
RBI: Andy Shepherd 1 ; Kevin Chalifour 1
SH: Andy Shepherd 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tim Doig 1 ; Kevin Carkeek 2 ; Ryan Heath 1 ; Rob Merkle 1
CS: Justin Wilson 1 ; Kevin Carkeek 1 ; Rob Merkle 1
Batting:
2B: Mahler, Leif 1 ; Recknagel, Nate 1 ; Putnam, Zach 1 ; Schmidt, Mike 1
3B: Cislo, Kevin 1
RBI: Rose, Eric 4 ; Mahler, Leif 1 ; Recknagel, Nate 2 ; Putnam, Zach 1 ; Kunkel, Jeff 1 ; Schmidt, Mike 3 ; Cislo, Kevin 2
SF: Rose, Eric 2 ; Schmidt, Mike 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rose, Eric 1 ; Mahler, Leif 1 ; Recknagel, Nate 1 ; VanBuskirk, Derek 2 ; Putnam, Zach 1 ; Roblin, Brad 2 ; Kunkel, Jeff 2 ; Schmidt, Mike 1 ; Scheidt, A.J. 1 ; Cislo, Kevin 2
SB: Kunkel, Jeff 1 ; Cislo, Kevin 1
HBP: Mahler, Leif 1 ; Roblin, Brad 1
