Wolverines Pound Eastern Michigan in Doubleheader Sweep

Tuesday, April 10

Ypsilanti, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

17-6

Eastern Michigan

9-13

Michigan

Eastern Michigan

Wolverines Pound Eastern Michigan in Doubleheader Sweep

4/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Ypsilanti, Mich.
Score: Michigan 11, Eastern Michigan 4; Michigan 9, Eastern Michigan 1
Records: U-M (18-6), EMU (9-14)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, Apr. 11 -- vs. Toledo (Ray Fisher Stadium), 3:00 p.m.

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Sophomore LF Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) hit two homers in the opener and senior OF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) collected five hits as the University of Michigan Baseball team swept a non-conference doubleheader at Eastern Michigan, 11-4 and 9-1, Tuesday (April 10) afternoon in Oestrike Stadium

The two wins for the Wolverines (18-6) pushed the current U-M winning streak to 12 games -- Michigan's longest streak since 1983 -- while the host EMU Eagles dropped to 9-14.

Putnam's first homer of the opener gave the Wolverines a 2-0 lead in the third inning, but EMU scored once in the third and twice in the fourth for a 3-2 lead.

Junior DH Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) gave the Wolverines the lead in the fifth inning with a two-run single to make the score 4-3, and sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi) followed with a double for a 5-3 lead. It was VanBuskirk's first game-winner of the season.

The Wolverines put the opener away, scoring six times in the sixth inning. Roblin singled to start the inning and scored on Putnam's second homer -- his third of the season. Roblin drove in two runs later in the sixth with a single that closed the scoring in game one.

Junior/sophomore RHP Chris Fetter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), the second of four Wolverine pitchers, collected his third win of the season. He pitched the third and fourth innings of the opener, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned).

Senior RHP Andrew Hess (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central) started the opener and worked two shutout innings, while junior/sophomore Michael Powers (St. Clair Shores, Mich./South Lake HS) pitched two innings, allowing two hits and an unearned run. Sophomore RHP Ben Jenzen (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) closed out the win with a pair of strikeouts in one inning of work.

Sophomore LHP Mike Wilson (Pickering, Ont./Pine Ridge Secondary) pitched five no-hit innings to start the second game, notching his fourth win of the season. Wilson faced the minimum three batters in four of his five innings to drop his ERA to a team-leading 0.72.

The first three Wolverines had hits and scored runs in the first inning of the second game. Sophomore SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland HS) hit the first pitch for a single and moved to second as Roblin beat out a bunt single. Junior 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) doubled to left for a 1-0 lead -- his ninth career game-winning hit. Putnam drew an intentional walk to load the bases; sophomore 3B/P Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS) singled in the second run, and junior C/2B Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) hit a sac fly to make it 3-0.

Michigan scored twice in the third inning and four times in the sixth for a 9-0 lead in game two. Recknagel hit his team-leading fifth homer -- a three-run blast -- in the sixth inning.

Abraham moved from third base to pitch the final two innings of game two. He gave up a double to EMU's Michael Boyd for the first Eagle hit of game two. Boyd scored the lone run on a ground out.

Freshman catcher Chris Berset (Vienna, Va./The Heights School) had three hits in the second game.

For the doubleheader, the Wolverines pounded 28 total hits, led by Roblin with five and Pickens with four. Berset, Christian, VanBuskirk and senior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) each had three hits

The Wolverines host Toledo on Wednesday (April 11, 3 p.m.) in Ray Fisher Stadium, with freshman LHP Eric Katzman (Harrington Park, NJ/Northern Valley Old Tappan) on the mound with his 2-1 record and 3.00 ERA.

N O T E S

The two home runs in the opener Tuesday at EMU by LF Zach Putnam was the first two-homer game for a Wolverine since current teammate 1B Nate Recknagel hit two at Illinois #4 last season (May 7, 2006).

The 12-game winning streak for the Wolverines is the career best for head coach Rich Maloney at Michigan. It is the fourth 12-game streak in U-M baseball history (1905, 1965, 1983 and 2007). The last time the Wolverines won 13 straight was in 1988.

Co-captain Eric Rose collected his 10th stolen base of the year in the second game of the doubleheader at Eastern Michigan. It was his 66th career steal to snap the tie with Steve Finken (65, 1986-88) for second place on U-M's career stolen base list. The U-M career record of 74 stolen bases is held by Jim Durham (1986-89).

Junior catcher/2B Doug Pickens had hits in both games at EMU on Tuesday (April 10), extending his team-leading hitting streak to 13 games. OF/P Zach Putnam had his streak snapped at 12 games after going 0-for-2 in the second game. CF Eric Rose and SS Jason Christian each had hits in both games to move hit streaks to 10 games, while freshman catcher Chris Berset moved his streak to nine games as he only played in the second game.

Michigan's leading hitters after 24 games are: P/OF Zach Putnam (35-for-90, .389), SS Jason Christian (37-for-98, .378), C/2B/OF Doug Pickens (35-for-93, .376), 1B Nate Recknagel (29-for-87, .333), 2B Kevin Cislo (16-for-49, .327), OF Brad Roblin (26-for-86, .326), 3B/P Adam Abraham (30-for-96, .313), and OF Eric Rose (27-for-90, .300).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734-763-4423)