Michigan
Cal State-Fullerton
Miscues, Missed Opportunities Do In Wolverines
5/30/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Frank Eck Stadium)
Event: NCAA Regional (Game 6 -- Championship Game)
Score: #6 Cal State-Fullerton 9, Michigan 4
Records: Michigan (34-30), CSUF (47-11)
Next U-M Game: Season complete
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan's baseball season came to an end Sunday (May 30) as sixth-ranked Cal State-Fullerton downed the Wolverines 9-4 in the NCAA South Bend Regional championship game. Michigan (34-30), which qualified for the NCAA Championship by winning the Big Ten Tournament May 20-23 in Columbus, Ohio, continued its postseason run by advancing to the regional championship with two wins in the losers' bracket Saturday (May 29).
Things looked promising for the Wolverines early on as they put three runs on the board in the top of the first inning, but the Michigan bats could only produce one more run the rest of the game as the Wolverines left 12 men on base. Defensively, Michigan committed four errors, leading to three unearned runs.
Mike Cervenak (New Boston, Mich./Dearborn Divine Child HS) opened the scoring in the first with a bases-loaded single, driving in two runs. The RBIs were Cervenak's 69th and 70th of the season, the second-highest total in school history. Cervenak was driven home two batters later on Mike Seestedt's (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Sacred Heart HS) single.
Michigan had scoring opportunities throughout the early part of the game, leaving two men on in the first, three in the second and another two in the fourth. Meanwhile, Fullerton tied the game with two unearned runs. The Titan leadoff hitter in the second inning reached on an error and scored on Ryan Owens' two-run homer to leftfield. With one out in the third, the Titans put a man on courtesy of another Michigan error. Three batters later, with runners on the corners, Fullerton pulled a double steal. U-M catcher David Parrish (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) gunned down the runner at second, his third caught stealing of the game, but Reed Johnson scored from third before the out was recorded at second, tying the game 3-3.
Rob Bobeda (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt HS) put Michigan back on top with a line-drive home run to rightfield in the top of the fifth. It was Bobeda's fifth homer of the season, and his second in two games against Fullerton on the weekend.
The Titans closed the game strong as Aaron Rifkin gave them the lead with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. Fullerton added three runs in the seventh and one in the eighth for the final 9-4 score.
Bryan Cranson (Bronson, Mich./Bronson HS) provided the Wolverines with five-plus innings of solid pitching, allowing just four runs (two earned) and four hits.
NCAA All-Regional Team
C -- Paul O'Toole (Notre Dame)
1B -- Chris Beck (Cal State-Fullerton)
2B -- Bobby Scales (Michigan)
3B -- Mike Cervenak (Michigan)
SS -- Alec Porzell (Notre Dame)
OF -- Scott Allen (Creighton)
OF -- Brian Bush (Michigan)
OF -- Reed Johnson (Cal State-Fullerton)
P -- Aaron Heilman (Notre Dame)
P -- Adam Johnson (Cal State-Fullerton)
DH -- Aaron Rifkin (Cal State-Fullerton)
MOP -- Adam Johnson (Cal State Fullerton)
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Geoff Zahn
"You look at our team and no one expected us to do anything at the Big Ten Championships and no one expected us to do anything as a fourth seed at the regional. But our guys fought like champions. That's how we'll remember this and that's how all the seniors should remember this."
"I think we represented the Big Ten (Conference) well."
On the Michigan team ... "This is a special group of young men."
On Cal State-Fullerton ... "I think this was a good regional and they're a good team."
Michigan Outfielder Brian Bush
On reasons for the team's hot play at the end of the season ... "I think it was a lot of the seniors. We picked everyone up. We battled and battled."
Michigan Co-Captain Bobby Scales
On the team's quick start in the championship game ... "That's what we try to do. We really try to come out smoking early. ... I think we lost our aggressiveness. We got up early and lost our aggressiveness."
N O T E S
• Brian Bush (Warren, Ohio/Howland HS) went 2-for-5 in the game to end the season with a Michigan single-season record 94 hits.
• Bobby Scales (Roswell, Ga./Milton HS) collected another hit in the game, ending the season with 92 hits, the second-highest single-season total in school history.
• Mike Cervenak drove in two runs in the game to finish the season with 70 RBIs, the second-highest single-season total in Michigan history, two behind Casey Close's 72 RBIs in 1986.
