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Bad luck follows 'M' baseball to Eastern

YPSILANTI - "We're just playing well enough to lose."

That's what Michigan baseball coach Geoff Zahn said yesterday after his team dropped its eighth straight game, 7-5, to Eastern Michigan.

On April 17, Michigan brought its record above .500 for the first time all season at 18-17. The very next day, it lost to Eastern Michigan, 4-1, and has been foundering at or below the break-even mark ever since.

On that same date, the Wolverines were 12-4 in the Big Ten, good enough for first place.

Now, Michigan finds its overall record at 20-28, and is just 13-11 in league play. The Wolverines have dropped into sixth place after being swept by the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

Over a rainy three-day weekend in Columbus, the host squad defeated Michigan 6-2, 15-2, and 3-2 twice to pull itself into the fourth spot while shunting the Wolverines into their current slot, a place which, if the playoffs began today, would keep Michigan at home.

Zahn pointed to the results of the past few seasons as part of the explanation for the way the Wolverines are playing.

"I think it's part of the feeling they've had (at Michigan) the last couple years that (the players) really don't believe they can win," the first-year coach said.

That attitude seemed to prevail yesterday, as the Wolverines were able to close in on the Eagle lead only to have their cross-county foes pull away again almost immediately.

Eastern jumped out to a 2-0 lead in its half of the first against Michigan hurler Luke Bonner. After Greg Ryan led off the inning with a double off the base of the left field wall and second baseman Jeff McGavin walked, shortstop Don DeDonatis lined a single just past the glove of a leaping Brian Kalczynski at short. Ryan scored, and was followed on the next play by McGavin when outfielder Curtis Baker hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

The Eagles tagged Bonner again in the next inning. With outfielder Brent Miller on first, third baseman Josh McCarthy cranked one over the center-left field wall to put the hosts up, 4-0.

Three of Michigan's five runs came in the top of the sixth. Second baseman Kirk Beermann started things off with a one-out single up the middle. Right fielder Derek Besco followed with a walk, and after shortstop Kelly Dransfeldt popped out to short, Eastern pitcher Mike Borkowski walked Bryan Besco to load the bases.

Kalczynski drove a single to left field, scoring Beermann and Derek Besco. Scott Kapla replaced Borkowski, only to walk catcher Mike Seestedt.

McCarthy found a Ryan Kelley chopper too hot to handle at third, and Bryan Besco came around to score, making the score 4-3, Eagles.

That was as close as Michigan came for the rest of the day, and Eastern Michigan won this year's battle for Washtenaw County supremacy.

Up next for the Wolverines is Michigan State, this season's Big Ten cellar dwellers. The teams face off in home-and-home doubleheaders, with Saturday's first leg to be held in East Lansing.