Michigan
McNeese State
Wolverines Fall to Cowboys in Weekend Series Opener
3/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LAKE CHARLES, La. -- Junior RHP Jared Gothreaux pitched a complete-game five-hitter as McNeese State beat Michigan 7-1 in college baseball action Friday night (March 9) at Cowboy Diamond. The contest was the first of a three-game weekend series.
Gothreaux (2-2), making his eighth appearance of the season, hurled his first complete game in five starts, fanning nine while walking one batter. He retired the first 16 Wolverines before freshman SS Brandon Jominy (Coral Springs, Fla./Westminster Academy) singled to right.
Michigan senior LHP Nick Alexander (Alpena, Mich./Alpena HS) pitched five innings and allowed all seven runs (five earned) while taking the loss. Sophomore LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS) threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He did not allow a hit and he struck out five batters. It marked the second straight start the Wolverine pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts.
The Wolverines collected three hits in the seventh but failed to scored as senior Bill LaRosa (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS), making his first career start in centerfield, singled to open the frame but was cut down at second in a bid for a double. The single extended LaRosa's hitting streaks to eight games in 2001 and 18 games over the past two seasons.
Senior 2B Scott Tousa (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS) and sophomore 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) added singles in the seventh inning but were left stranded.
Michigan scored an unearned run in the eighth inning as sophomore LF Jordan Cantalamessa (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) collected his team-leading fifth double, moved to third on a two-out error and scored on a wild pitch.
Senior 3B Mike Eskildsen paced the offense for the Cowboys (13-7) with three hits, including a run-scoring double in the first inning, a single in the two-run third inning and a single in the three-run third. Senior CF Doug Cormier launched a two-out, three-run homer in the fifth inning to close out the Cowboy scoring. It was Cormier's third homer of the year.
Michigan (3-6) continues the McNeese State series Saturday (March 10) in Lake Charles, La. Junior RHP Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS), who lost to South Florida in his last start, is the probable Saturday starter for the Wolverines. Korecky is 0-1 with a 4.61 ERA in two starts thus far in 2001.
N O T E S
Bill LaRosa extended his hitting streak to 18 games, including the last 10 games of 2000 and the first eight games he has played in during 2001.
Michigan's hitting leaders (for players with at least 10 at bats) after nine games are: sophomore LF Jordan Cantalamessa (.450, 9-for-20); sophomore 3B Brock Koman (.333, 13-for-39); and senior SS Bill LaRosa (.308, 8-for-26), with junior/sophomore DH Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS) and senior/junior OF C.J. Ghannam (Farmington, Mich./Harrison HS) both hitting .300 (3-for-10).
Cantalamessa has reached base 12 times in his last 19 plate appearances (.632) and is 9-for-16 (.563 batting average) in the span that includes four games. He has all four of his doubles in those four games.
Nick Alexander, with 14 strikeouts in 17.1 innings, and Hill, with 12 K's in 11 innings, are the two Wolverine hurlers with double-digit strikeout totals.
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
