The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

April 7, 2008 -- 3B

Junior's return jumpstarts
defense in Wolverine wins

Poor pitching performances doom
Michigan against Nittany Lions

Shortstop proves key
as Michigan turns
five double plays in
Saturday's games
By CHRIS MESZAROS
Daily Sports Writer
STATE COLLEGE - The
Michigan baseball team was in
trouble during the second leg of
Saturday's doubleheader with
Penn State.
The Nit- NOTEBOOK
tany Lions had
already plated two runs when
they loaded the bases with no
outs in the fourth inning. A com-
fortable five-run lead was quick-
ly shrinking and pitcher Mike
Powers desperately needed his
defense to bail him out.
And the defense was up for the
challenge. Penn State outfielder
Ryan Boonie grounded into a
double play, and even though a
third run scored, the Nittany
Lion threat was reduced dra-
matically.
"The defense was outstand-
ing," Michigan coach Rich Malo-
ney said. "The defense played like
we did last year at a very high
level today, and I think when you
play defense like that, you'll win a
lot of games."
The Wolverines needed the
boost of confidence following a
three-error performance against
Central Michigan last Wednes-
day. Michigan turned multiple
double plays at critical times,
including five on Saturday alone.
"We had a few double plays
that got us out of jams," senior
Nate Recknagel said. "It's just
really key because the pitchers
are throwing low strikes and
giving us ground balls, giving us
a chance to make good plays."
One of the keys to the resur-
gent defense was Jason Chris-
tian's return to the lineup at
shortstop.
The junior was sidelined the
past few weeks with an inju-
ry. He made several key plays
throughout the series, being
involved in three of Michigan's
five double plays on Saturday.
During the first game of the
weekend, the defense and solid
pitching from junior Chris Fet-
ter helped Michigan win. Nei-
ther team mustered much run
support in the Wolverines' 1-0
win.
"I'd like to thank my defense
behind me," Fetter said. "I
think we had three or four dou-
ble-plays. Any time you can get
those it really saves pitches and
allows me to stay out there for
another inning."
RELAPSE IN RELIEF: After
freshman pitcher Travis Smith
gave up three first inning runs
during yesterday's game, it
looked like it'd be a long day for
the Wolverines.
They had no idea.
Junior Ben Jenzen came in
to relieve Smith, holding Penn
State scoreless for two innings.
But in the fifth, the Nittany
Lions exploded, scoring three
two-out runs off Jenzen before
the right-hander was pulled.
His replacement, freshman
Tyler Burgoon, couldn't close
out the inning, either, adding
two more runs to Jenzen's ERA

in the inning. Burgoon walked
three batters and one of them
scored.
"Walks are killers," Maloney
said. "We talk about them all
the time, we emphasize throw-
ing strikes and the importance
of that."
Burgoon was pulled after
allowing one hit and three

From Page lB
selves from the embarrassment
that they gave to us last year," he
said. "I mean they whipped us last
year."
Michigan won the first three
games of the series, outscoring
Penn State 10-5, but the Nittany
Lions dominated the final game,
winning 10-1. Before the series
began, Michigan had allowed just
over five runs per game on the sea-
son.
On Sunday, the Wolverines let
nine across the plate by the end of
the fifth inning.
Freshman pitcher Travis Smith
was taken out after allowing three
scores in the opening frame, and
was the first of five pitchers Michi-
gan used to finish the game.
"We just gave them life by giv-

ing them freebies and it gave them
some momentum," Maloney said.
In Saturday's first game, the
Wolverines dodged an early bases-
loaded situation in the first inning.
Junior pitcher Chris Fetter saved
the inning and struck out the next
batter for the third out. After that,
Michigan took control of the con-
test and allowed just four hits and
no scores.
"I just started off with some
command issues," Fetter said.
"But I found out where the umpire
wanted to call it and started
throwing it there, and got them to
get some groundouts."
Michigan senior Nate Reck-
nagel, who leads the team with a
.389 batting average and 27 RBIs,
played a major role in the Wol-
verines' second victory on Satur-
day. He scored half of Michigan's

six runs, including a home run, in
three at bats. Recknagel also sent
one over the fence Friday and tal-
lied his first triple of the season.
"I'm just seeing the ball really
well right now," he said. "I've had
a couple games where I had some
bad approaches at the plate and a
lot of it was because I was swing-
ing at bad pitches, but recently
I've been narrowing my focus on
swinging on good pitches, getting
deep in the count and swinging at
good pitches."
Despite avenging last year's
series loss to Penn State and tally-
ing a 7-1 Big Ten record, Maloney
knows there's plenty to improve.
"These guys know we can play
better," he said. "As good as it is
that we're winning, the beauty is
I don't think they're satisfied and
that's good."

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Senior Nate Recknagel battled back from an 0-2 count with multiple bombs into
foul play before finally crushing one over the left-field fence Saturday against Penn
State. The Michigan baseball team took three of four games against the Nittany
Lions in State Colle ge.

walks.In all, Penn State scored
six runs off four hits in the fifth.
EARNING HIS SHARE: The
official scoreonly gave Reckna-
gel credit for one honte run in the
sixth inning, but he blasted more
than one ball that distance.
The senior first baseman bat-
tled Penn State pitcher David
Lutz during a Saturday at bat.

After falling behind 0-2, Reckna-
gel fought off a number of pitches.
Two of his foul hits had home-run
distance. Recknagel finally kept
one in play, hitting a 330-foot
blast to over the left-field fence,
extending Michigan's lead to 6-3.
"What an at-bat that was,"
Maloney said. "That's just hitting
at its highest level right there."


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