Baseball digs split with Minnesota

At times this season it has been difficult to say who has been a tougher adversary for the Michigan baseball team - Big Ten opponents or the schedule makers.

The Wolverines (8-8 Big Ten, 21-19 overall) continued their brutal first half of the conference season with a split against No. 23 Minnesota this weekend.

The four-game series with the Golden Gophers (9-3, 27-9) marked the third time in as many weeks that the Wolverines have spent the weekend challenging the first-place team in the Big Ten.

The Wolverines needed at least a split this weekend, not only to keep pace with the rest of the conference, but to prove that they can beat the best teams in the Big Ten on any given day.

"We knew coming into the season that if we had thoughts of making the playoffs or winning the Big Ten we needed to win some of these games," Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said.

SARA SCHENCK/Daily The Michigan baseball team split its four-game series with then-Big Ten leader Minnesota. Michigan now rests in fourth place in the conference.

The Wolverines got off to a good start on Friday, winning 8-3 behind a strong, complete-game performance from senior pitcher J. J. Putz. The win snapped Minnesota's nine-game winning streak.

Putz (2-3) struck out eight and walked four in the first nine-inning complete game of his career. Michigan did most of its damage in the eighth, when with two outs and the game tied, the Wolverines rallied for five runs, and put the game out of reach.

Saturday's doubleheader turned into an offensive highlight reel as the two teams combined for 54 runs and 70 hits. Michigan scored at least one run in every inning of the opener and won, 13-12. The Wolverines were led by the outstanding play of Jason Alcaraz, and co-captains Bobby Scales and Mike Cervenak.

Alcaraz launched two two-run homers and closed the door on the Gophers by chasing down what looked like a hit for the last out of the game. Every position on the Michigan roster except the designated hitter had at least two hits. Scales and Cervenak grabbed three each.

Michigan starter Bryce Ralston upped his record to 5-1 on the season, despite allowing eight runs in five innings of work.

In the nightcap, the Wolverines continued their torrid hitting, as they sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the first inning. But Minnesota roared back to tie the game in the fourth and entered the final inning of the game with a three-run lead.

Michigan rallied one more time by scoring three runs in the top of the seventh. Minnesota rallied, as Scales' throw to the plate in the bottom of the inning was too late to prevent the Gophers' Matt Scanlon from grabbing his fifth RBI of the game and a Minnesota win, 15-14.

Minnesota closed the series yesterday with an 11-5 victory behind eight runs in the first three innings.

The Wolverines now travel to Grand Rapids for a game against Notre Dame before taking a break for finals.

At 8-8, with the toughest part of their schedule out of the way, the Wolverines now seem poised to make a serious run for a Big Ten playoff spot.

04-19-99