Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan
Wildcats Drop Home/Big Ten Opener 7-1 to Michigan
3/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 30, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's baseball team dropped their Big Ten opener 7-1 to Michigan Friday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park in Evanston. With the game tied 1-1 after six innings, the Wolverines scored six unanswered runs to drop NU to 6-12 overall, 0-1 in the Big Ten. Third baseman Jake Owens had one of NU's four hits, which was an opposite field home run. NU and Michigan are back on the diamond tomorrow at 1 p.m. for a Saturday doubleheader.
Both team's pitchers held their opponents scoreless until the fourth inning when Wildcat third baseman Jake Owens (Stevens Point, Wis./Pacelli) hit an opposite field solo home run over the right field wall. It was his first round-tripper of the season.
Northwestern starter Cole Livermore (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) held Michigan to three runs in a career high six and one-third innings. He struck out two, but his pitching record fell to 1-4 on the season.
Freshman David Jensen (Whittier, Calif./Mater Dei) worked his way out of a jam when he relieved Livermore in the Michigan seventh inning. But, he ran into trouble one inning later after a leadoff home run turned into a Wolverine four-run inning. Northwestern used three pitchers in the inning. Sophomore Matt Havey (Wilmette, Ill./Loyola) came in to end the threat with a strikeout.
Junior Bo Schultz (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
Wolverine starter Zach Putnam pitched eight complete innings, struck out six and walked three. He was also 1-for-4 at the plate.
NU managed just four hits in the game, including Owens' home run. They did not commit an error in the field for the third time this season.
