Alexander 'Great' in Complete-Game Win Over OSU

Friday, April 14

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

11-19-1, 4-9

Ohio State

22-12, 4-5

Ohio State

Michigan

4/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

• Boxscore

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior LHP Nick Alexander (Alpena, Mich./Alpena HS) collected the first complete game of his career, tossing a 12-hitter as the University of Michigan baseball team took the series opener from Ohio State by an 8-2 margin Friday (Aprail 14) at Fisher Stadium.

Junior All-America candidate catcher David Parrish (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) and freshman CF Blake Rutkowski (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) each collected three hits in the win for the Wolverines (11-18-1, 4-9 Big Ten). Rutkowski, who jumped his average to .281, singled three times and scored three runs in the win.

Parrish slugged his eighth homer of the year in the first inning to extend his career-best hitting streak to 15 games. He added a double in the fourth, and his single in the fifth snapped a 2-2 tie and was the game-winning hit. Parrish added three RBI to bring his team-leading total of 28.

Alexander (2-1) allowed 12 hits -- 11 singles and a double -- but walked only one, and he was aided by a pair of Wolverine double plays in stranding nine OSU runners on base. Ohio State sophomore RHP E.J. Laratta (4-3) worked the first seven innings and took the loss for the Buckeyes (22-12, 4-5 Big Ten).

The Michigan defense sparkled in the win as OSU put runners on first and third with no outs in the third inning and first and second with no outs in the fourth and didn't score. OSU scored twice in the fifth inning to tie the game at 2-2 with veterans Chris Ehrnsberger (2-for-3) and Jason Turner (2-for-4) collecting RBI singles.

The Wolverines bounced back with two runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth for the win. Senior RF Jay Dines (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) knocked in insurance runs in the fifth and seventh innings.

Michigan hosts Ohio State on Saturday (April 15, 1 p.m.) in a Big Ten doubleheader at Ray Fisher Stadium with junior RHP Vince Pistilli (Highland, Ind./Highland HS) and Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) listed as the probable starters. Korecky, the first game starter, is 3-1 with a 4.41 ERA and Pistilli is 2-4 with a 4.23 ERA.

Notes

The Michigan-Cleveland State doubleheader set as a makeup for the Wolverines has been canceled as the Vikings will use Saturday, April 22, to make up a pair of league games with Detroit.

The nine-inning complete game for Michigan's Nick Alexander is the first of his career and the first for the Wolverines since J.J. Putz had a complete-game win over Creighton in the NCAA regionals at South Bend, Ind., last May.

David Parrish extended his hitting streak to a career-best 15 games with his first-inning homer. Parrish is 7-for-7 in the last two Big Ten Friday games (4-for-4 at Illinois) and 3-for-3 vs. Ohio State.

Parrish leads the team in hitting (.379), hits (39), homers (8), RBI (28), slugging (.680) and on-base percentage (.455). He is hitting .489 (23-for-47) in Big Ten play.

Michigan's pitching staff had one complete game in the first 26 games (Bobby Korecky vs. Duquesne) and has three in the last five (Korecky and Vince Pistilli at Illinois and Nick Alexander vs. Ohio State).

Michigan's leading hitters (minimum 65 plate appearances) after Friday's game vs. OSU include: David Parrish (.379, 39-for-103); freshman 1B/3B/DH Brock Koman (.306, 33-for-108), senior OF Rob Bobeda (.287, 33-for-115), junior SS/2B Scott Tousa (.272, 31-for-114) and senior 3B Kevin Quinn (.256, 20-for-78).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423