Middle-Inning Surge Pushes Purdue Past Wolverines

Friday, April 20

Ann Arbor, Mich.

6:35 PM

Michigan

23-8, 8-1

Purdue

17-14, 7-5

Purdue

Michigan

4/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Purdue freshman DH Dan Black and sophomore SS John Cummins each drove in three runs to spark the Boilermakers to a 7-2 win over the University of Michigan baseball team Friday (April 20) in the first night game of the season in Ray Fisher Stadium.

The loss snapped an eight-game Big Ten winning streak for the first-place Wolverines (23-8, 8-1 Big Ten). Michigan won 13 straight regular season Big Ten games, including a five-game carryover from 2006.

Purdue (17-14, 7-5 Big Ten) scored twice in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth and DH Black was in the middle of both innings as he doubled in the tying run in the fourth inning and scored the winning run later in the inning on a single by Cummins.

Black doubled in two runs in the three-run fifth inning that pushed the Purdue lead to 5-2, and Cummins knocked Black in for the sixth Purdue run of the game. Purdue added a final run in the seventh as 1B Ryne White -- who scored three runs in the game -- singled and later scored when Cummins hit a sac fly.

Purdue freshman RHP Tony Sedlmeyer (5-2) pitched the first five innings, allowing five hits and both U-M runs to collect the win. Senior RHP Andrew Groves pitched the final four shutout innings to notch his second save of the year.

After Purdue scored once in the top of the second, the Wolverines tied the game in the bottom of the second. Sophomore 3B Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS) doubled to start the inning and scored on a two-out single by sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi).

The Wolverines took their only lead of the game in the third inning, as senior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) tripled to start the inning and scored on a sac fly by sophomore SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) to make the score 2-1.

Sophomore RHP/DH Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) worked the first 4.1 innings for U-M, allowing seven hits and six runs to take the loss. Putnam (4-3) was replaced by junior/sophomore RHP Ben Jenzen (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) before freshman LHP Sam Yashinsky (Farmington Hills, Mich./Frankel Jewish Academy) worked a scoreless ninth inning.

Cislo's first three-hit game of the season and Abraham's single and double accounted for five of the seven Wolverine hits, joining the triple by Rose and a single by junior 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion).

The Wolverines continue the weekend series with a doubleheader against Purdue Saturday (April 21, 4:05 p.m.), with sophomore LHP Mike Wilson (Pickering, Ont./Pine Ridge Secondary) (5-0, 0.58 ERA) pitching the opener. Senior RHP Andrew Hess (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central) at 4-0 (2.74 ERA) is slated to pitch the second game.

N O T E S

In Big Ten action Friday (April 20) -- besides the 7-2 win by Purdue at Michigan -- Minnesota beat Michigan State 3-2, Ohio State defeated Indiana 6-4, Illinois beat Iowa 6-2 and Penn State came back to defeat Northwestern 7-6. All five Big Ten games were night games.

Big Ten Standings (Includes 4-20-07): 1. Michigan 8-1 (.889), 2. Minnesota 6-2 (.750), 3. Illinois 7-4 (.636), 4. Purdue 7-5 (.583), 5. Penn State 6-5 (.545), 6. Michigan State 6-6 (.500), 7. Ohio State 5-6 (.455), 8. Iowa 4-8 (.333), 9. Indiana 4-9 (.308), 10. Northwestern 3-10 (.231).

Senior CF Eric Rose extended his hitting streak to 15 games with his leadoff triple in the third inning, and 1B Nate Recknagel singled in the sixth inning to extend his latest hit streak to eight games.

Recknagel reached three times in four at-bats Friday night with two walks and a single. He has reached base 55 times in his last 19 games, moving his on-base percentage to .514.

Michigan's leading hitters after 31 games are: 1B Nate Recknagel (41-for-110, .373), sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (25-for-69, .333), P/OF Zach Putnam (41-for-116, .353), SS Jason Christian (44-for-125, .352), C/2B/OF Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) at .350 (42-for-120), CF Eric Rose (34-for-105, 324), 3B/P Adam Abraham (40-for-124, .323).and OF Brad Roblin (Wayaland, Mass./Rivers School) at .322 (39-for-121).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734-763-4423)