Michigan
Ohio State
Wolverines Upset No. 12 Ohio State to Open Tourney
5/20/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Bill Davis Stadium)
Event: Big Ten Conference Tournament (Game 2)
Score: Michigan 8, #12 Ohio State 6
Records: U-M (30-27), OSU (46-11)
Next U-M Game: Friday, May 21 -- vs. Illinois at Big Ten Tournament (Columbus, Ohio), 7:05 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The University of Michigan completed a day of upsets at the Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament by clipping 12th-ranked Ohio State, the host and top seed, 8-6 on Thursday (May 20) at OSU's Bill Davis Stadium. The Wolverines pounded Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Justin Fry for nine hits and seven runs in the first two innings, then staved off several Ohio State comeback attempts.
The win moves the fourth-seeded Wolverines (30-27) into the winners' bracket final to face No. 3 seed Illinois, which defeated No. 2 Minnesota 12-9, at 7:05 p.m. Friday (May 21). Ohio State will play Minnesota at 3:05 p.m., with the loser eliminated from the four-team, double-elimination event.
Senior righthander J.J. Putz (Trenton, Mich./Trenton HS) went seven-plus innings to pick up his fifth win of the season (5-4) with help from a trio of relievers. Luke Bonner (Taylor, Mich./Dearborn Divine Child HS), in his first relief appearance of 1999, retired the last two batters for his second career save. Fry (9-2) was tagged with the loss.
The Wolverines got on the board quickly in the first inning as Bobby Scales (Roswell, Ga./Milton HS) was hit by a pitch and Jason Alcaraz (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS) followed with a two-run homer to rightfield. U-M added another run on Bryan Besco's (Westland, Mich./John Glenn HS) RBI single that scored Brian Bush (Warren, Ohio/Howland HS).
After OSU picked up a single run in its half of the first, Michigan scored four runs in the second inning, with three straight two-out hits driving in the runs. Scott Tousa (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS) and Scales led off the frame with singles, and after a fielder's choice and a strikeout, David Parrish (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) singled to left to score a run, Mike Cervenak (New Boston, Mich./Dearborn Divine Child HS) knocked in two runs with a double to left, and Besco doubled to right to plate Cervenak and give U-M a 7-1 lead.
Ohio State got a single run on a solo homer -- one of four solo shots hit by the Buckeyes in the game -- in the third, but Michigan offset that with a run of its own in the top of the fourth as Besco picked up his third RBI with a two-out single that scored Bush. The Buckeyes continued to chip away at the lead, scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh to pull within 8-5.
Both teams had scoring chances in the late innings, with each leaving the bases full in both the eighth and ninth innings. Tom Durant led off OSU's ninth with a solo blast to draw the Buckeyes within two runs, and Ohio State loaded the bases on back-to-back singles, a sacrifice bunt and an error. Bonner came on to get Matt Middleton on a strikeout, and Rob Bobeda (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt HS) made a superb running catch of Joe Wilkins' drive to the leftfield corner to end the game.
Bush and Besco each finished with three hits to lead Michigan's 16-hit attack, while Jason Trott, who smacked a pair of home runs, went 4-for-5 with three RBIs to pace the Buckeyes.
| Score by Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | ||||
| Michigan (30-27) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Ohio State (46-11) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
Michigan -- J.J. Putz, Bobby Korecky (8), Nick Alexander (9), Luke Bonner (9) and Mike Seestedt. Ohio State -- Justin Fry, Nate Smith (3), Kevin Goodrum (8), Kurt Fullenkamp (9) and Tom Durant. W -- Putz (5-4). L -- Fry (9-2). S -- Bonner (1). HRs -- Michigan, Jason Alcaraz (8); Ohio State, Tom Durant (7), Jason Trott 2 (6), Matt Middleton (7).
N O T E S
• Michigan handed Ohio State just its second home loss of the season. After winning its first 23 home games of 1999, Ohio State has lost its last two, falling to Indiana in the regular-season finale and then to Michigan.
• Bryan Besco's pair of doubles gives him a team-high 21 on the season, good for a tie for second place with twin brother Derek on U-M's single-season list. Bryan Besco holds the school record with 26 doubles in 1997.
• First team All-Big Ten selection Mike Cervenak picked up two hits and one double to extend his school career records in both categories. He now has 279 hits and 61 doubles, and he is one shy of moving his career-record at-bat total to 800.
• In his last five starts, J.J. Putz has given Michigan quality starts, going at least seven innings in each game. He is 4-1 with three complete games over that span and is now 16-11 in his U-M career.
