Putnam's Five RBI, Nine K's Lead Michigan Over Michigan State

Friday, April 27

Lansing, Mich.

6:05 PM

Michigan

27-8, 12-1

Michigan State

15-19, 6-10

Michigan

Michigan State

Putnam's Five RBI, Nine K's Lead Michigan Over Michigan State

4/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Jim Schneider

Site: Lansing, Mich. (Oldsmobile Park)
Score: Michigan 11, Michigan State 8
Records: U-M (27-8, 12-1 Big Ten), MSU (15-19, 6-10 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Saturday, April 28 -- DH vs. Michigan State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1:05 p.m.

• Boxscore

LANSING, Mich. -- Sophomore RHP/DH Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) had a career night with five runs batted in and nine strikeouts to help guide the University of Michigan baseball team to an 11-8 win over Michigan State Friday (April 27) night at Oldsmobile Park.

The Wolverines (27-8, 12-1 Big Ten) used a 16-hit attack and two innings of shutout relief pitching from junior/sophomore Michael Powers (St. Clair Shores, Mich./South Lake HS) to seal the win. Powers notched his third save of the season.

The Wolverines scored three times off MSU starter Craig Brookes (3-4), who entered the game ranked second in the Big Ten with a 1.77 ERA. Michigan State (15-19, 6-10 Big Ten) scored four times off Putnam in the first inning -- three of which came on a two-out three-run homer by RF Eli Boike.

Michigan added two runs in the second and held a 9-4 lead before MSU chased Putnam in the four-run seventh inning. Putnam (5-3) allowed nine hits and all eight of his runs were earned, but he fanned a career-high nine batters while collecting his 11th career win.

The Wolverines grabbed the lead in the top of the first after the first four U-M batters collected hits to score three runs. The explosion started as sophomore SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) lined a single to right, and senior LF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) singled to the right side of the infield on a hit-and-run play.

Junior 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) lined a double to left to make the score 1-0, and Putnam singled up the middle through a drawn in infield to make the score 3-0.

Michigan answered MSU's four-run first with two in the top of the the second. Sophomore 2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi) singled to center -- the first of his three hits -- and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Putnam batted with the bases loaded and snapped the tie with an unassisted slow roller groundout to first. The run proved to be Putnam's fourth "gamer" in the past five Michigan wins and his team-leading eighth of the year.

The Wolverines added a pair of runs in the fourth inning on singles by Christian and Recknagel and a two-run double by Putnam. The hit gave Putnam five RBI in the game and a team-leading total of 40 RBI for the season.

Christian chased starter Brookes with a leadoff double in the sixth inning -- his third hit of the game and team-leading 15th two-bagger of the season. Christian moved to third on a sac bunt by junior/sophomore OF Kenny Fellows (Holt, Mich./Holt) and scored on a sac fly by Recknagel -- his 34th RBI of the year.

U-M added a crucial unearned run in the top of the seventh, as sophomore 3B Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS) reached second base on a throwing error by pitcher Chris Cullen to leadoff the inning. After moving up on a groundout by junior RF Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield,. Mich./Brother Rice), Abraham scored when junior 1B Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) doubled to dead center.

VanBuskirk was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and made two outstanding defensive plays to save runs in the late innings.

MSU scored four times on four hits in the seventh to chase Putnam from the mound. The Spartans had run-scoring singles from SS Brandon Doherty and catcher Kyle Day and took advantage of U-M miscues, scoring the other runs on a throwing error and a wild pitch.

U-M added two runs in the ninth on VanBuskirk's second double and run-scoring singles by Cislo and senior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield). The single by Rose extended his career-best hit streak to 19 games.

Powers entered in the eighth inning and allowed three hits, including a ninth-inning double by DH Sean Walker, but got Boike to pop out to Christian to end the game.

Christian, Cislo and Putnam each had three hits to lead the 16-hit attack for the Wolverines and -- while Putnam matched VanBuskirk's previous season-high with five RBI -- Christian was the first Wolverine to score four times in a game this season.

The Wolverines host Michigan State in a Big Ten doubleheader Saturday (April 28, 1:05 p.m.) at Fisher Stadium with sophomore LHP Mike Wilson (Pickering, Ont./Pine Ridge Secondary) slated to pitch the opener with his 6-0 record (1.54 ERA). Senior RHP Andrew Hess (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central) at 5-0 (.272 ERA) will pitch the second game. Comcast Local will televise Saturday's twinbill in Ann Arbor, with Ben Holden (play-by-play) and former Wolverine player and coach Geoff Zahn (color) providing commentary.

N O T E S

• Michigan's 11-8 win at Michigan State was one of four Big Ten games where the visiting team collected the win on Friday (April 27). Ohio State won 6-2 at Purdue, Penn State topped Indiana 6-4 and Iowa pounded Northwestern 16-6. Illinois topped Minnesota 10-5 for the only home win Friday night.

• Big Ten Standings (includes 4/27/07): 1. MICHIGAN 12-1 (.923), 2. Minnesota 9-3 (.750), 3. Penn State 10-5 (.667), 4. Ohio State 9-6 (.600), 5. Illinois 8-7 (.533), 6. Iowa 8-8 (.500), 7. Purdue 7-9 (.448), 8. Michigan State 6-10 (.375), 9. Indiana 4-13 (.235), 10. Northwestern 3-14 (.176)

• Senior CF Eric Rose extended his career-best hitting streak to 19 games with a run-scoring single in the top of the ninth inning single that helped provide insurance. Rose also recorded one stolen base, giving him 17 for the season and 73 for his career -- one shy of Jim Durham's all-time U-M stolen bases record of 74 set from 1986-89/

• Recknagel reached three times in four plate appearances with two hits, a walk and a strikeout (along with a sac fly). He has reached base 65 times in his last 23 games. His on base percentage is .509.

• Michigan's leading hitters after 35 games are: 2B Kevin Cislo (31-for-82, .378), 1B Nate Recknagel (46-for-123, .374), SS Jason Christian (53-for-142, .373), P/OF Zach Putnam (48-for-130, .369), OF Brad Roblin (45-for-133, .338), C/2B/OF Doug Pickens (44-for-134, .328), CF Eric Rose (39-for-119, 328) and 3B/P Adam Abraham (44-for-136, .324).