Christian Hits for Cycle in Michigan Win Over Sooners

Sunday, March 11

San Diego, Calif.

10:00 AM PT

Michigan

6-4

Oklahoma

13-5

Oklahoma

Michigan

Christian Hits for Cycle in Michigan Win Over Sooners

3/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Sophomore SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio, Loveland) made his debut in the leadoff spot and hit for the cycle, leading the University of Michigan baseball team to an 8-5 win over Oklahoma Sunday (March 11) morning in Tony Gwynn Classic, played in Tony Gwynn Stadium on the campus of San Diego State University.

Christians first career homer snapped a 4-4 tie in the fourth inning, and was the game-winning hit for the Wolverines (6-4). He singled in the first inning, doubled in the sixth and finished his cycle -- the first on the road for the Wolverines since Ted Mahan in 1976 -- with his first career triple in the ninth inning.

Sophomore LHP Mike Wilson (Pickering, Ont./Pine Ridge Secondary) pitched 5.2 innings in relief of starter junior/sophomore RHP Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) to get his second win of the season.

Wilson (2-0) allowed four hits and one run in the longest stint of his career. Fetter worked the first 3.1 innings, allowing seven hits and four runs.

The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for Oklahoma (13-5), and was the first loss for the Sooners in this season's Tony Gwynn Classic.

The Wolverines scored four times in the second inning, chasing Sooner starter Brad Burns. Burns walked the bases loaded, issuing free passes to sophomore 3B Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South), junior RF Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) and sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi). Freshman catcher Chris Berset (Vienna, Va./The Heights School) doubled down the left field line for two runs with his first career hit, and senior co-captain Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) singled in the other two runs.

Oklahoma reached starter Fetter for two runs in the second; catcher Brandon Moss plated two with a double.

Oklahoma bounced back in the third, tying the game with four hits with a sac fly by SS Aaron Reza and a double by DH Devin Shepherd. OU 1B Aaron Baker extended his hitting streak to 18 games during the inning. He has a hit in each of Oklahoma's games this season. Fetter retired the last two batters on a foul out and a strikeout with runners on second and third.

The Wolverines grabbed the lead again in the fourth as Berset collected his second career hit, a single to right to open the inning; he scored when Christian launched a long homer to right, his first-career round tripper.

Senior LF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) kept the inning going with a single; he then stole second base. OUs Matt Lovelady (0-1) walked sophomore DH Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and was replaced by RHP Andrew Doyle. Abraham singled in Roblin on Doyles first pitch to make the score 7-4.

Christian tripled in the ninth and scored the final U-M run on a sac fly by Roblin.

The Wolverines will close out the southern portion of their 2007 season with three games at East Carolina next weekend. Michigan will face ECU in a single game Friday (Mar. 16) at 7 p.m., and a doubleheader (two nine-inning games) on Saturday (Mar. 17) starting at 2 p.m.

N O T E S

Former Michigan assistant coach Scott Mallernee, now the head baseball coach at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif., was on hand at the games against San Diego State and Oklahoma.

Michigan alumni that attended the games included Glenn Doshay, who hosted the team Friday night, Todd Anson (father of student manager Ryan Anson), who hosted an alumni function at Petco Park, and John Junge of the Junge Family Champions Center on the U-M campus.

Catcher Chris Bersets second-inning double was his first career hit; Berset is the fourth Wolverine to get his first hit this season.

Sophomore 3B/P Abraham moved his hit streak to nine games.

Michigans leading hitters after 10 games: SS Jason Christian (16-for-37, .432), 3B/P Adam Abraham (15-for-39, .385), P/OF Zach Putnam (15-for-43, .349), OF Brad Roblin (12-for-39, .308) and 1B Nate Recknagel (12-for-41, .293).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734-763-4423)