Falcons bowl over Wolverines

The Michigan baseball team is an enigma. There is no other way to describe the erratic and inexplicable play of the Wolverines. This pastweekend they looked as though they had finally come around with a series victory over Minnesota, but yesterday, the Wolverines played an error-filled game and lost to Bowling Green, 9-5.

Last week, Michigan barely defeated the Falcons. Although the put 13 runs on the board, their pitching and defense allowed 11 Falcon runs and made five errors. Yesterday, Bowling Green did not allow the opportunity to slip away again.

Once again, Michigan's defense was plagued by errors (3). Of the Falcons' nine runs - four in the second and five in the third - only five were earned runs. Starting pitcher Nick Alexander (0-1) took the loss for the Wolverines.

JOHN KRAFT/Daily Michigan second baseman Bobby Scales committed one of the Wolverines three costly errors yesterday. The Wolverines lost to Bowling Green, 9-5.

"When you make three errors you aren't going to be successful," Michigan outfielder Derek Besco said. "I don't know what it is. We usually play good defense, but these last two games against Bowling Green our defense has just committed a ton of errors."

Michigan, however, came out firing. The Wolverines scored four runs in the top of the first. Mike Cervenak, who moved to the three spot yesterday afternoon, hit a two-run home run, bringing home Jason Alcaraz. Later in the inning, Jeff VanSickle doubled to right field, scoring David Parrish and Mike Seestedt.

While the offense came out ready to play, Alexander and the Michigan defense looked as though they were still sleeping after the hour and a half bus ride.

Michigan coach Geoff Zahn "was really mad," Besco said. "He just kept repeating that today's game was not Michigan baseball, and that we came out flat."

For Alexander, the bottom of the second was a nightmare. The inning started off on a sour note - Bowling Green's Bob Niemet reached base on an error by second baseman Bobby Scales. Later in the same inning, with men on first and second, Lee Morrison homered to right field to score three runs.The unthinkable occured when the next batter, Scott Carden, homered to the same spot that Morrison's ball had just landed.

04-15-98