'M' boys of summer return from not-so-sunny opening

The Michigan baseball team left its three-game series with Baylor the same way it arrived - still searching for that elusive first victory.

The Wolverines had a large task at hand from the start. The Bears owned the advantage of playing nine games before Michigan set foot on the field, not to mention they were riding a six-game winning streak.

"We were kind of anxious hitting this weekend," Michigan outfielder Jason Alcaraz said. "We should've been more selective."

Steinbach

The highlight of the weekend was a 7-7 tie, salvaged by the Wolverines in the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader.

Michigan jumped out to a 1-0 lead thanks to an unearned run in the second. The Wolverines stretched their lead to 3-0 on a pair of doubles by Mike Cervenak and Brian Bush, along with an RBI single by Bryan Besco.

Baylor tightened Michigan's lead to 3-2 with a pair of single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, knocking Michigan starting pitcher Bryan Cranson out of the box.

But then the Wolverines' bats began to boom. Kevin Quinn reached base on a bunt single and moved to second on Cervenak's groundout. Then Alcaraz poked a single to right field, scoring Quinn. Derek Besco cleared the basepaths with a mammoth home run, and Michigan appeared to be in control with a 6-2 lead.

But Michigan relief pitcher Vince Pistilli was unsuccessful in setting down the Baylor side in the seventh. Charley Carter's two-out double drove in two runs, convincing Michigan coach Geoff Zahn to summon his closer, Tyler Steketee, to put out the fire.

Baylor's Jason Jennings greeted Steketee with an RBI single, cutting Michigan's lead to 6-5. Eric Nelson's solo home run in the eighth, his second of the season, tied the game at six.

It looked as if the Wolverines would pull the game out in the late innings. They scrounged up a two-out run to take the lead, 7-6, thanks to a Derek Besco double that brought in Alcaraz.

As thunderstorms began setting in, Steketee took to the mound in the ninth inning, looking to save the season's first victory for the Wolverines. Steketee struck out the side, but not as quickly as he would have liked. Carter, Michigan's nemesis, jacked up a long ball with one out to tie the game at seven, blowing a save opportunity for Steketee.

And that was where it would end. The game was canceled due to the inclement weather, and the Wolverines' quest for their first victory was postponed along with it. There are no plans to finish the contest, which was declared a tie.

The first game of Saturday's doubleheader was nothing short of forgettable. Michigan took itself right out of a close game by allowing eight runs in the seventh inning and five in the eighth, losing 17-6. The damage was mostly done against Michigan reliever Mike Hribernik, who gave up seven runs, all earned, in his less than three innings of work.

In Friday's game, the Wolverines' starting pitching gave them a chance, but middle relief was their downfall and they lost, 7-5. Baylor pitcher Kip Wells stymied Michigan for seven innings, allowing just four runs while striking out 10.

"He changed speeds a lot," Alcaraz said. "Toward the third and fourth at-bats, he was throwing a lot of changeups and sliders."

Brian Steinbach took the mound on opening day and went for five strong innings, scattering seven hits and yielding only three runs.

Michigan scored three in the top of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead before Steinbach departed. Derek Besco led off with a walk, and one out later, captain Brian Kalczynski also earned a base on balls. Then centerfielder Dan Sanborn jacked a three-run home run to give the Wolverines their only lead of the contest.

Michigan's Brian Berryman took the mound in relief of Steinbach in the bottom of the sixth inning, and his control problems became apparent. Baylor third baseman Matt Williams drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. One out later, infielder Preston Underdown singled to score Williams, and Baylor had tied it up.

The score was still knotted at four when Baylor came up to bat in the seventh. It looked like it would be a harmless inning for the Wolverines when Berryman got James Blair and Jeremy Dodson out on infield flies.

But then, the Bears rallied. Carter walked, and Jennings doubled to score him. Williams knocked in Jennings, giving Baylor a 6-4 advantage.

Derek Besco's home run closed the deficit to one run, but Jennings didn't allow the Wolverines to come any closer, preserving the Baylor victory. Berryman took the loss for Michigan, dropping him to 0-1 on the young season.

02-24-98