U-M Wins Opener at Northwestern; Game Two Suspended

Saturday, March 31

Evanston, Ill.

1:05 PM CT

Michigan

13-6, 2-0

Northwestern

6-13, 0-2

Michigan

Northwestern

3/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Rocky Miller Park)
Scores: Michigan 7, Northwestern 4; Game 2 suspended with U-M leading 11-3 in bottom of 6th
Records: U-M (31-6, 2-0 Big Ten), Northwestern (6-13, 0-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 1 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 1:05 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) had three hits and senior RHP Andrew Hess (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central) notched his third win of the year as the University of Michigan baseball team took the first game over Northwestern, 7-4, in Saturday's (March 31) Big Ten doubleheader at Rocky Miller Park at Wells Field.

The second game was delayed by rain in the middle of the first inning with Michigan leading 1-0 on a run-scoring double by sophomore DH Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer). The game was stopped again at 6:38 p.m. due to darkness, with Michigan leading 11-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning. The game will be completed Sunday before the start of the regular game.

Hess pitched 6.1 innings in the opener to record the win. He allowed one run on two hits in the first inning and did not allow another hit until the seventh inning. With the victory, Michigan ran its winning streak to seven games.

The Wolverines (13-6, 2-0 Big Ten) scored without a hit in the first inning off NU starter Dan Schwartz (2-1). Senior LF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) reached on a walk and moved to second on a hit-and-run groundout. Roblin then went to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

NU scored once off U-M's Andrew Hess to tie the game at 1-1. Freshman 3B Jake Owens singled and stole second base, scoring on a two-out single by 1B Jake Goebbert -- the only two hits off Hess until the seventh inning.

Michigan scored twice in the third inning, as Roblin reached on a bunt single with one out and collected his 11th steal of the season. Junior 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) doubled in the go-ahead run, and Putnam singled in the third run of the game for the Wolverines.

U-M scored two more runs in the fourth. The Wolverines loaded the bases as freshman RF Alan Oaks (White Lake, Mich./Divine Child) walked and senior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) and SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Mich./Loveland) followed with singles. Roblin drew a bases loaded walk for the first run and Recknagel grounded out to make the score 5-1.

Pickens singled to lead off the fifth inning and reached second base on his first stolen base of the season. It was his 10th career stolen base second; he scored on a single by Rose to make the score 6-1.

In the seventh inning Pickens doubled and scored on a single by sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi) for an insurance run.

The U-M run proved to be important, as the host Wildcats scored three times off Hess and junior/sophomore closer Ben Jenzen (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) in the bottom of the seventh. Jenzen retired the last two hitters on fly balls to Rose to close out the 7-4 win, recording his fourth save of the season.

The Wolverines are scheduled to close out the weekend series with against Northwestern with a single game Sunday (April 1, 1 p.m.) with sophomore LHP Mike Wilson (Pickering, Ont./Pine Ridge Secondary) on the mound. Wilson has a 3-0 record this season and carries a team-leading 0.56 ERA. The Wolverines and Wildcats will finish Saturday's second game before starting Sunday's game.

N O T E S

In Big Ten play Saturday (March 31) Michigan remained undefeated with the 7-4 win at Northwestern with the second game suspended due to darkness. Michigan State swept Indiana 6-2 and 12-6, while the other three doubleheaders were splits. Illinois took the opener at Purdue 9-4 and Purdue took the second game 2-1. Ohio State topped Iowa 6-2 in the opener before visiting Iowa blanked the Buckeyes 8-0 in the second game. Host Penn State beat Minnesota 3-2 in the opener before the visiting Gophers took game two by a 9-2 count.

The standings after the first two days of conference play include: 1. Michigan 2-0 (1.000); 2. Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State all 2-1 (.667); 6. Indiana, Iowa, Penn State and Purdue all 1-2 (.333); 10. Northwestern 0-2 (.000).

With a stolen base in the first game, senior Brad Roblin -- the team leader with 11 -- notched his 42nd career steal. He ranks ninth on the all-time U-M stolen base list; two behind the trio of Barry Larkin (1983-85), Mike Watters (1983-85) and Chris Getz (2004-05) that are tied for sixth.

The save for U-M closer Ben Jenzen Saturday (March 31) was the 10th of his career to move him into a tie for fifth on UM's all-time saves list with Derek Feldkamp (10 saves, 2003-05) and Mike Ignasiak (10, 1985-88).

Three Wolverines have eight-game hitting streaks following Saturday's (March 31) first game win over Northwestern, including 1B Nate Recknagel, DH/P Zach Putnam and C/RF Doug Pickens. Freshman catcher Chris Berset (Vienna, Va./The Heights School) did not play in the first game; his streak is on hold at six games. OF Brad Roblin has a six-game streak after Saturday's first game. Putnam doubled in the first inning of the second game before the rain delay.

Michigan's leading hitters after 19 games: SS Jason Christian (30-for-75, .400), P/OF Zach Putnam (27-for-73, .370), C/2B/OF Doug Pickens (26-for-75, .347), 3B/P Adam Abraham (24-for-74, .324), 1B Nate Recknagel (23-for-72, .319) and OF Brad Roblin (24-for-76, .316).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423