Page 10 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 9, 1987
A Titanic Conquest: Michigan
batsmen crush Detroit twice
By SCOTT SHAFFER
Call it a tuneup but call it two wins for the baseball
team.
The Wolverines, 19-5, took a doubleheader from
the University of Detroit yesterday, 8-3 and 8-5, at
Ray Fisher Stadium. With the Big Ten opening
weekend, a four-game series against Purdue, starting on
Saturday, Michigan head coach Bud Middaugh was able
to rest his three top starting pitchers and still come
away with the sweep. Detroit fell to 6-14.
With Mike Ignasiak, Jim Abbott and Chris Lutz all
being rested, Middaugh handed the starting chores to
Ross Powell and Tim Lata. Powell went 5 1/3
innings, allowing two runs on five hits to raise his
record to 2-0.
BUT IT WAS Lata who made the most of his
chance to start, pitching five scoreless innings and
allowing only one hit in the second game. The
freshman also struck out seven, giving him 16 in 11
2/3 innings of work.
"He - certainly showed that he deserved an
opportunity (to be in the rotation). If one of the guys
isn't throwing well, I wouldn't hesitate to give it to
him," said Middaugh.
"Bud kept bringing all those hard throwing young
pitchers out. I love Lata, I tried to recruit him. But
they all threw strikes and that was the key right there,"
said Titan head coach Bob Miller.
, THE SECOND GAME also marked the return
of Eddie Woolwine, who had not played since March
23 when he suffered a pulled groin muscle against
Grand Valley State. Woolwine played designated hitter
and went two-for-three. He doubled in the fourth
inning and scored on Phil Price's bad hop single.
But his big moment came one inning later when
Miller intentionally walked Steve Finken to load the
bases and get to Woolwine. The junior responded by
hitting a seed to right center that drove in two.
"I felt fine for someone who hasn't hit in two
weeks. I couldn't ask for a better day to come back on.
I didn't expect to hit anything really hard," said
Woolwine, who raised his average to .375.
Price followed Woolwine by singling home Finken
to make the score 8--0. It was Price's fifth hit of the
day.
MICHIGAN cruised along until the seventh, when
disaster almost struck. The Titans scored five runs, all
with two out, and had the tying run at the plate.
Middaugh had to summon Greg Everson to get the
final out. Everson had pitched 1 1/3 innings in the
same game before moving to left field.
In the first game, Detroit jumped out to an early
lead when Phil Biggs laced a single off Powell in the
first.
But Michigan scored four runs in its half of the
frame and never looked back. Bill St. Peter drove in the
first run, but the big hit was Price's two-run double to
left.
In the following inning, Darrin Campbell homered
to make it 5-1.
The Wolverines added single runs in the fourth, fifth
and sixth innings to complete their scoring. Jim
Durham went two for three with two steals and scored
three runs.
The games were originally scheduled as Detroit's
home opener, but were moved to Ann Arbor due to the
unplayable condition of Brazil Field.
Daily Photo by JOHN MUNSON
University of Detroit first baseman Dan Quigley takes the throw as Wolverine Steve Finken slides back safely
during Michigan's doubleheader sweep yesterday.
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