Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan (Big Ten Tournament)
Wildcats End Season With 8-3 Loss to Michigan
5/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 26, 2006
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michigan scored four runs in the third inning on their way to an 8-3 victory over Northwestern's baseball team Friday afternoon in Ann Arbor. The Wildcats end their season with a 26-33 record and a 1-2 mark in the 2006 Big Ten Tournament. Antonio Mule hit his 11th home run in the game and Caleb Fields drove in a run.
In the bottom of the first inning, right fielder Antonio Mule (Lodi, N.J./Lodi) continued to swing a hot bat when he hit a solo home run over the right field. It was his 11th round-tripper of the season and it gave NU an early 1-0 lead.
Michigan did not stay down long as the strung together five straight hits off Wildcat starter Ryan Myers (Lake Villa, Ill./Carmel) and reliever Julio Siberio (Davie, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas). The Wolverines scored four runs on the five hits, two of which were doubles. Catcher Geoff Dietz (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich) threw out a base stealer for the second out and Siberio issued his first strikeout to end the Wolverine threat.
Northwestern started to claw its way back, scoring a single run in the bottom of the third inning. Third baseman Caleb Fields (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) hit a bouncing ground-ball single through the right side of the infield to score Jake Owens (Stevens Point, Wis./Pacelli) from second base. Owens reached on an error and moved to second on a groundout.
Michigan extended its lead to 5-2 in the top of the fifth on a one-out RBI single. Michigan used a hit batsman and two singles to score the run.
Siberio pitched six and two-third innings, striking out five. He ended the season with 55 strikeouts and only nine walks.
Junior Andrew Smith (Fort Mitchell, Ky./Beechwood) pitched the final out of the game. It was a strikeout.
NU was silent until the bottom of the eighth inning when they took advantage of a Wolverine error to score a single run. Replacement catcher Tony Vercelli (Wilmington, Ill./Wilmington) hit a bouncing groundball to third that was misplayed, which allowed Anthony Wycklendt (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet) to score from third. Wycklendt walked and went to third on a Stanley Finch (Lubbock, Texas/Cooper) single to left field.
Michigan got the run right back and a few more to end the scoring at 8-3 Michigan.
NU totaled eight hits in the game, two by Owens, Mule and Finch.
