Malek Homer Completes Spartans' Sweep of Michigan

Saturday, May 6

East Lansing, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

17-27-1, 7-15

Michigan State

16-32, 6-15

Michigan

Michigan State

5/6/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Lansing, Mich. (Oldsmobile Park)
Scores: Michigan State 4-9, Michigan 1-7
Records: U-M (17-28-1, 7-16 Big Ten); MSU (17-32, 7-15 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Sunday, May 7 -- vs. Michigan State (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1 p.m.

LANSING, Mich. -- Freshman CF Bob Malek's three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh gave Michigan State a 9-7 win and a sweep of Saturday's (May 6) Big Ten baseball doubleheader against Michigan at Oldsmobile Park. The sweep by the Spartans (17-32, 7-15 Big Ten) by scores of 4-1 and 9-7 vaulted MSU ahead of the Wolverines (17-28-1, 7-16 Big Ten) into ninth place in the conference standings.

MSU senior LHP Gary Zsigo (2-4) was in complete control in the opener limiting the Wolverines to seven hits. Junior SS Scott Tousa (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS), who went 5-for-8 in the doubleheader, put the Wolverines on the scoreboard in the opener with a solo home run in the fifth inning. Zsigo allowed just two hits over the last 3.1 innings -- the Tousa homer and a pinch single by senior/junior SS Bill LaRosa (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS).

Michigan first-game starter Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) had his string of Big Ten complete games snapped at three as the Spartans reached him for all 13 hits and four runs. MSU freshman DH Brett Wattles paced the attack in the opener, going 3-for-4, and he tripled and scored the first run in the third inning. Senior RF Mike Pisani, who had five hits in the doubleheader, knocked in an insurance run in the fourth inning.

MSU took advantage of "free gifts" in the second game as the pitching combo of freshman LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS) and sophomore LHP Jeff Trzos (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington HS) limited the Spartans to just six hits. However, MSU scored nine times, with six of the runs coming from batters that had walked (5) or been hit by a pitch (1).

Michigan battled back from a 3-0 deficit with one run in the fourth and two in the fifth to tie the game on a two-out single by senior LF Rob Bobeda (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt HS). The Wolverines scored four times in the sixth to put Hill in position to get his first Big Ten win as freshman 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) singled in the go-ahead run and junior catcher David Parrish (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) crushed a three-run homer for a 7-3 lead.

Hill walked the first two batters in the sixth and they both scored as Trzos was tagged for a three-run homer by junior catcher Rick Court.

The Wolverines started a rally with two out in the top of the seventh as Tousa doubled and Koman and Parrish each earned walks, but Bobeda hit a fly ball to center to end the inning.

MSU's Chris McCuiston drew a leadoff walk in the seventh to start the rally that ended with Malek's homer.

The four-game weekend series with Michigan State concludes Sunday (May 7, 1 p.m.) with a single game in Ann Arbor's Ray Fisher Stadium with junior RHP Vince Pistilli (Highland, Ind./Highland HS) on the mound for the Wolverines with a 4-5 record (4.06 ERA).

N O T E S

Junior SS Scott Tousa went 5-for-8 in Saturday's doubleheader vs. MSU. In the opener, his 100th career start at shortstop, Tousa singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak. In the second game he singled in the fifth and sixth and doubled in the seventh to push his streak to 10 games. Tousa has hits in 18 of his last 19 games and has pushed his batting average to .315 (second on the team). Tousa leads the Wolverines in runs scored (34).

Junior catcher David Parrish was officially 3-for-5 in the doubleheader vs. MSU on Saturday (May 6) as he moved his overall batting average back to .360 and his Big Ten average to .436 (34-for-78). He was 2-for-3 with a double in the opener. He was very busy in the second game, reaching the plate four times in the last four innings. Parrish walked and scored in the fourth, hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth, hit a three-run homer in the sixth and walked in the seventh. In those four innings he was officially 1-for-1.

The home run for David Parrish was his ninth of the season to tie Rob Bobeda for the team lead. It was the 23rd career homer for Parrish, snapping his tie for ninth on Michigan's all-time homer list with former teammate Derek Besco (1995-98) and Steve Finken (1986-88). Two-time All-American SS Barry Larkin (1983-85) is eighth on the U-M homer list with 26.

Michigan's leading hitters (minimum 75 plate appearances) after Saturday's doubleheader at Michigan State include: David Parrish (.360, 54-for-150); junior SS/2B Scott Tousa (.315, 53-for-168); senior OF Rob Bobeda (.314, 53-for-169); freshman 1B/3B/DH Brock Koman (.290, 45-for-155) and senior 3B Kevin Quinn (.282, 33-for-117).

Parrish has regained the team hit lead with 54, but Bobeda and Tousa are tied for second with 53 hits each.

Freshman LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS) worked the first five innings of the second game at Michigan State and left the game with a 7-3 lead. He allowed just two hits and had five walks and five strikeouts. Hill leads the team in strikeouts (49) and walks (38) in 38.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .223 vs. Hill, the lowest opponent batting average against the Wolverine staff.

Michigan's loss by a "walk-off" homer by MSU Bob Malek marked only the second time all season that an opponent hit a game-ending winner, but it was the second time in four days. Eastern Michigan's Nick Soliz hit the ninth-inning homer on Wednesday (May 3) in the first night game at Oestrike Stadium for a 9-8 Eagle win. The Wolverines are 13-2-1 when leading after six innings and 12-3 when leading after eight innings.

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423