Central Florida Halts Wolverines in 10-Inning Epic

Tuesday, February 27

Orlando, Fla.

6:30 PM

Michigan

3-1

Central Florida

5-7

Michigan

Central Florida

2/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The University of Michigan baseball team lost an epic 10-inning battle to Central Florida in 10 innings Tuesday night (Feb. 27) at Jay Bergman Field. A bases loaded single by freshman DH Shane Brown sealed the victory for UCF.

Michigan (3-1) suffered its first loss of the year; the host Golden Knights (5-7) took an 8-5 edge in the series against the Wolverines.

UCF held a 6-2 lead after six innings, but the Wolverines kept battling back. U-M scored twice in the seventh and twice in the ninth inning in dramatic fashion -- a pair of solo homers against UCF side-winding right-handed closer Justin Weiss.

Sophomore OF/P Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) launched his first career homer with one out in the ninth to cut the UCF margin to 6-5; with two outs, junior catcher Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) hit his first homer of the year to tie the game at 6-6, sending the contest into extra innings.

Putnam was 3-for-5 in the game and drove in three runs; he has at least two hits in each of Michigan's four games played this season. Putnam entered the game to pitch to the final batter with the bases loaded and one out, but back-up catcher Brown lined a 3-1 pitch over the outstretched glove of SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland HS) for the UCF win.

Christian also had three hits in the loss for the Wolverines; he reached base in his last four at bats of the game.

The Wolverines grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first after walks to senior co-captain Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS) and junior 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion/Oakland University) were followed by run-scoring singles by Putnam and Pickens. The two-out single by Pickens extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games.

Sophomore 3B Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS), who pitched 4.1 innings in relief, took the loss despite allowing two hits after replacing junior/sophomore starting RHP Michael Powers (St. Clair Shores, Mich./South Lake HS) in the sixth inning.

UCF's three-run sixth inning featured a leadoff single, three consecutive batters hit by pitches and a pop-fly double by 3B Chris Duffy. Abraham moved to the mound with the bases loaded and no outs and hit 1B Kiko Vazquez for the first run. The second scored on a fielder's choice and Duffy -- who had two doubles in the game -- drove in the third run of the inning to make the score 6-2.

Abraham retired 11 of the next 12 batters to allow the UM comeback, but another hit batter started the winning rally in the bottom of the 10th. UCF catcher Steve Stropp dropped a double down the line in left and, after an intentional walk to Vasquez loaded the bases, Putnam came on to face Brown; the freshman singled for the win

Powers retired the first two batters in the fifth before giving up Duffy's first double and a single to SS Eric Kallstrom; the eighth and ninth batters in the lineup gave UCF a 3-2 lead.

The Wolverines got two runs in the seventh inning. A wild pitch scored pinch runner Anthony Toth (Lorain, Ohio/St. Ignatius), and Putnam added a run-scoring single.

Freshman 1B Mike Dufek (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) became the first freshman to notch a hit this season, singling to open the top of the 10th inning, but UCF opening-day starter Kyle Sweat (1-2) got out of a two-on, one-out jam to collect the win.

Michigan heads to Starkville, Miss., for the Cadence Bank Classic this weekend to close out the spring trip. U-M will play Troy University on Friday (Mar. 2) at Mississippi State, with junior/sophomore RHP Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) starting on the mound. Fetter is 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA after working five innings in his first start of the season against Bethune-Cookman.

N O T E S

Former Wolverine catchers Jeff Kunkel (2003-06) and Matt Hyde (1996) and pitcher Phil Tognetti (2002-05) were on hand at the game on Tuesday. Kunkel, who was also at the season opener, came over from the Detroit Tigers spring training camp in Lakeland along with former Michigan State pitcher Jeff Gerbe, brother of current Wolverine freshman pitcher Matt Gerbe (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower HS).

Co-captain Eric Rose had two stolen bases in the loss to UCF, giving him three for the season. Rose moved his career total to 59 stolen bases. He ranks third on Michigan's career steals list with Steve Finken (65, 1986-88) second.

While Doug Pickens moved his hitting streak to 13 games, sophomore shortstop Jason Christian moved his hit streak to seven games. Seven Wolverine players have hits in all four games this season including Pickens, Christian, Putnam, Rose, Recknagel, Roblin and sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi). Cislo has kept his streak alive the hard way with pinch singles in the last two games.

Michigan's leading hitters after four games are: 2B Kevin Cislo (4-for-7, .571), P/OF Zach Putnam (9-for-18, .500), SS Jason Christian (7-for-15, .467), 3B/P Adam Abraham (6-for-16, .375), OF Brad Roblin (7-for-19, .368), 1B Nate Recknagel (5-for-15, .333), Doug Pickens (6-for-19, .316) and OF Eric Rose (5-for-16, .313).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734-763-4423)