Wolverines Cap Home Season With Doubleheader Win Over Ball State

Tuesday, May 12

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:05 PM

Michigan

28-23

Ball State

24-22

Ball State

Michigan

Wolverines Cap Home Season With Doubleheader Win Over Ball State

5/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wilpon Baseball Complex)
Scores: Michigan 8, Ball State 5; Michigan 5, Ball State 2
Records: U-M (29-23); Ball State (24-23)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, May 14 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 3 p.m. CDT

Boxscores: Game 1 | Game 2 | Postgame Notes
Photo Galleries: Game 1 | Game 2

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan Baseball team used a seven-run second inning in game one and a four-run fourth in game two to sweep Ball State 8-5, 5-2 in a doubleheader on Tuesday (May 12) in the Wolverines final appearance at home this season at the Wilpon Baseball Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium.

Junior/sophomore Jake McLouth(Whitehall, Mich./Grand Rapids CC) put together a solid day at the plate, going a combined 3-for-7 with a pair of runs scored and four runs batted in the two games, while senior/junior second baseman Nick Urban(Whitehall, Mich./Whitehall) added three RBI and a home run in game one.

In game one, the Wolverines allowed a Ball State run in the top of the first before storming back with a seven-run second. Following singles by junior catcher Chris Berset(Vienna, Va./Heights School) and junior/sophomore designated hitter Jake McLouth(Whitehall, Mich./Grand Rapids CC), senior/junior second baseman Nick Urban(Whitehall, Mich./Whitehall) homered to left center to give Michigan the lead for good, 3-1.

The Wolverines put two more runners on in consecutive at bats and added to the lead when sophomore Ryan LaMarre(Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) singled to left centerfield for a run batted in, and U-M made it 5-1 on an RBI groundout by junior first baseman Mike Dufek(Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain). McLouth padded the lead two batters later when he drove in a pair with a bases-loaded single.

Michigan sandwiched in a run in the bottom of the fourth in between a pair of two-run innings from Ball State when LaMarre reached on a single and stole second, which set up Bersets second RBI single.

Up 8-5 heading into the seventh, Ball State loaded the bases on a hits batsman, fielding error and single to left off sophomore reliever Matt Miller(Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville), but junior pitcher Eric Katzman(Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) came on with two out to close out the game with a called strikeout, earning his first save of the season.

In the nightcap, the Wolverines jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first courtesy of a BSU fielding error that allowed fifth-year senior leadoff man Kenny Fellows(Holt, Mich./Holt) to reach safely and eventually score on a grounder off the bat of LaMarre.

Ball State came back with an unearned run off sophomore starter Travis Smith(Austin, Texas/Stephen F. Austin) in the fourth, scoring on an overthrow off second base by Berset on an attempted steal, knotting the game at 1-1.

The Michigan bats came right back, scoring four times in its half of the fourth when McLouth delivered a two-run single and later scored on a Ball State throwing error. Sophomore leftfielder Garrett Stephens(Davison, Mich./Davison) then followed with an RBI single of his own, pushing the lead to 5-1.

Smith gave way to sophomore righty Kolby Wood(Eau Claire, Mich./Berrien Springs), who was touched for a run in the sixth, before giving way to fellow sophomore Tyler Burgoon(Defiance, Ohio/Defiance), who wiggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by inducing an inning-ending, double-play ball, preserving a 5-2 Michigan lead. Smith picked up the victory on the mound, his sixth of the season, while Burgoon tallied his team-leading fourth save of the campaign.

The Wolverines return to the diamond on Thursday (May 14) when they open their final Big Ten series in Evanston, Ill., against Northwestern. Michigan begins the three-game set one-and-one-half games behind Purdue for the sixth and final conference playoff spot. First pitch from Rocky Miller Field is set for 3 p.m. CDT.

N O T E S

Michigan's sweep of Ball State pushed its record in doubleheaders to 2-1-4 this season with sweeps over Siena on March 7 and Ball State tonight and splits with Jacksonville on Feb. 28, Penn State on April 4, Eastern Michigan on April 15 and Notre Dame on April 22. Michigan's DH loss was at Ohio State (May 2).

U-M head coach Rich Maloney moved his record to 4-0 against Ball State, the team he coached for seven seasons from 1996 to 2002. Maloney, who has a 522-293-1 overall record in his 14 seasons as a head coach, is 266-149 in seven seasons at U-M. Maloney is 5-1 in the series, and he was 1-1 vs. Michigan while with the Cardinals.

Junior/sophomore DH Jake McLouth was 3-for-7 (.429) with four RBI in the doubleheader sweep of Ball State on Tuesday. McLouth was 2-for-4 with two RBI in the opener for his 11th multi-hit game of the season. McLouth's two-run single in the fourth inning of the second game snapped a 1-1 tie and proved to be his third game-winning RBI of the season and his U-M career. McLouth, who has a five-game hitting streak, is hitting .273 (38-for-139) and ranks fourth on the team with 28 RBI. McLouth has nine multi-RBI games.

Junior OF/2B Nick Urban's second-inning, three-run homer sparked a seven-run rally and proved to be the game-winning RBI in U-M's 8-5 win in the opener of Tuesday's doubleheader. The homer was Urban's third of the season and it was his third game-winning RBI of the season and his U-M career. Urban, who started both games at second base, is hitting .282 (40-for-142) and is third on the team with 29 RBI.

Junior/sophomore SS Anthony Toth was 3-for-7 (.429) and scored two runs in the two games vs. Ball State on Tuesday. Toth, who has started all 52 games at shortstop this season, has hits in four straight games and is third on the team with a .314 (59-for-168) batting average.

Senior OF Kenny Fellows, playing in his final two home games as a Wolverine, collected his 17th multi-hit game of the season. Fellows also notched a stolen base in each game of the doubleheader to give him a team-leading total of 20. Fellows is tied for ninth place on U-M's single-season stolen base list with Mike Watters (20, 1985).

Sophomore OF Ryan LaMarre, who leads the team with a .343 (61-for-178) batting average, was 1-for-5 in Tuesday's twinbill. LaMarre, who collected his third assist of the season, scored three times vs. Ball State and knocked in a run in each game to push his team-leading total to 57 RBI.

Junior catcher Chris Berset, who is hitting .302 (26-for-86), had two hits in the doubleheader vs. Ball State. Berset was 2-for-2 in the opener with a hit-by-pitch and a walk. Berset, who has eight multi-hit games, had 17 putouts and two assists in the two games.

Sophomore/freshman 1B/OF Garrett Stephens was 2-for-5 in the doubleheader to extend his season-best hitting streak to three games. Stephens, who started both games Tuesday in leftfield, recorded an assist in the third inning of the second game.

Sophomore RHP Travis Smith pitched five innings, allowing six hits, one unearned run and fanning six batters in the 5-2 win in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader vs. Ball State. Smith, who has 11 career wins as a Wolverine, is 6-5 on the season with a 4.40 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 47 innings.

Sophomore RHP Tyler Burgoon pitched 1.2 innings in Tuesday's second game vs. Ball State, collecting a double play with the bases loaded. He worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close out the win and earn his team-leading fourth save. Burgoon is 4-1 with a 3.96 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. Burgoon has nine career saves and ranks tied for ninth on U-M's career saves list with Tim Karazim (1980, 82-83) and Steve Ontiveros (9, 1980-82).

Junior LHP Eric Katzman faced one batter and collected a strikeout with the bases loaded and two outs to earn his first career save in Michigan's 8-5 win over Ball State in Tuesday's first game. Katzman is 7-4 on the season with a 3.20 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 70.1 innings.

Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423