Wolverines Drop Tough Loss to East Carolina

Saturday, March 8

Greenville, N.C.

4:30 PM

Michigan

4-5

East Carolina

7-4

MICHIGAN

East Carolina

3/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Site: Greenville, N.C. (Clark-LeClair Stadium)
Event: Keith LeClair Classic
Score: East Carolina 6, #24 Michigan 5
Records: U-M (4-5), ECU (7-4)
Next Game: Sunday, March 9 -- vs. Pittsburgh, Keith LaClair Tournament (Greenville, N.C.), 9 a.m.

Boxscore

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The University of Michigan Baseball Team fell in a 6-5 decision to East Carolina in U-M's second game of the Keith LaClair Classic Saturday (March 8) in Clark-LaClair Stadium. Michigan, ranked #24 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and #15 by Baseball America, led 5-3 after 7 1/2 innings, but the Wolverines gave up two runs in the bottom of that frame and the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth to fall to 4-5 for the year.

Junior 3B Adam Abraham(Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS) was the Wolverines' offensive spark, finishing 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and singles. Abraham reached base four times but crossed the plate only once.

Junior RHP/DH Zach Putnam(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) gave U-M 6.1 solid innings from the mound, taking the ball for his second start of the season. The Preseason All-America selection finished with six strikeouts, but his day was cut short when the 25-30 mph wind got the best of his pitches.

U-M led 5-3 in the top of the sixth after junior SS Jason Christian(Loveland, Ohio/Loveland HS) brought home two with his bases loaded two-out single through the right side of the infield, and Putnam struck out the first Pirate batter in the bottom of the frame to hold the Michigan advantage.

In the top of the seventh, the eight-hole hitter for the Pirates singled through the right side of the infield, bringing the tying run to the plate. Trent Whitehead lifted a 1-0 pitch into a steady wind that blew all day long out to right field. Whitehead's ball found the jet stream it needed, carrying over the right centerfield wall to tie the game, 5-5.

ECU pushed a man to second later in the inning and -- with one out -- Ryan Wood sent a ball deep into the right centerfield gap, but junior CF Kevin Cislo(Novi, Mich./Novi HS) raced into the gap, tracked the ball down and fired back to Christian, doubling off the runner to end the inning with a great play.

However, in the bottom of the eighth, ECU put the leadoff runner on with a single off the bat of Stephen Batts. He was then sac bunted to second by Jamie Ray. After an intentional walk to set up the double-play, Pirate catcher Corey Kemp found an opening in the right side of the Wolverine defense, scoring Batts from second base for the game-winning run.

The Wolverines will finish their weekend trip in Greensville, N.C., when they face off with Big East Conference foe the Pittsburgh Panthers at 9 a.m. for the conclusion of the Keith LaClair Classic.

N O T E S

Junior 3B/RHP Adam Abraham was 1-for-3 vs. Georgia Southern and 4-for-4 with two doubles vs. East Carolina to extend his hitting streak to all nine games this season. He has 36 career multiple-hit games with three four-hit games.

Abraham's four hits against East Carolina marked the third time in his U-M career that he has collected four hits and the first time since four against Michigan State (4-28-07). It was the second time in his career with two doubles in a game matching his effort against Central Michigan (4-3-07).

Senior 1B Nate Recknagel extended his hitting streak to seven games with his first inning single vs. Georgia Southern and his seventh-inning single vs. East Carolina. He has hits in eight of the first nine games this season and he has hits in 107 of his 134 games as a Wolverine.

Michigan's 6-5 loss to East Carolina marked U-M's fourth straight one-run loss to the Pirates in Clark-LeClair Stadium. The streak started with a 2-1 ECU win in 2005, then 2-1 and 3-2 (12 innings) ECU wins in 2007.

Junior RHP/DH Zach Putnam pitched 6.1 innings of a no decision vs. East Carolina leaving with the scored tied at 5-5. Putnam was 2-for-4 as the DH vs. ECU and has hits in eight of the nine games this season with a three-game hit streak. Putnam leads the team with 14 RBI. Putnam has 29 career multi-hit games with a team-leading total of five this season.

Fifth-year senior 2B Leif Mahler was 0-for-4 in Saturday's first game loss to Georgia Southern in the Keith LeClair Classic opener, snapping his career-best hitting streak at 12 games (including five games at the end of the 2006 season -- he missed the entire 2007 season due to injury -- and the first seven games this season).

Michigan has been rained out on Friday in Greenville, N.C., for two consecutive years. Last season the rain limited a three-game series at East Carolina to two games.

Michigan has collected at least 10 hits in six of the nine games this season after U-M had nine hits in each game Saturday (vs. Georgia Southern and ECU).

Michigan junior shortstop Jason Christian accounted for all of the Michigan scoring vs. Georgia Southern with a three-run homer in the sixth inning. The homer was the eighth of his career. He added two RBI in the loss to ECU with his two-run single in the sixth inning giving U-M a 4-3 lead.

Senior/junior RHP Ben Jenzen pitched 4.1 innings in Saturday's first game and fanned seven Georgia Southern Eagles to match his season and career best total. Jenzen fanned a team season-best seven vs. Portland (Feb. 29) in Arizona and he leads the team with 16 strikeouts in 12.1 innings this season.