Atlanta: Commodores playing small-ball early

By Chris Lee - June 02, 2006

With Michigan freshman pitcher Zach Putnam on the mound, Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin decided to play "small-ball" early after Putnam walked David Macias and Pedro Alvarez to start the game. Corbin had #3 hitter Ryan Flaherty putting down a sacrifice bunt, advancing the runners to third. Brian Hernandez hit a ground ball to short on the next pitch, and the Commodores had a 1-0 lead.

Interestingly enough, Putnam was one of Corbin's top recruiting targets two years ago. Putnam went to high school directly across from the Michigan campus, and chose to stay home rather than travel to Nashville. He posted a 6-1 record with a 2.10 ERA as a true freshman.