Wolverines Drop Pair at Minnesota Despite Late Rallies

Saturday, April 14

Minneapolis, Minn.

1:00 PM CT

Michigan

18-14, 6-4

Minnesota

21-14, 9-4

Michigan

Minnesota

Wolverines Drop Pair at Minnesota Despite Late Rallies

4/14/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Siebert Field)
Scores: Minnesota 7, Michigan 6; Minnesota 4, Michigan 3 (9 inn.)
Records: Michigan (18-15, 6-5 Big Ten), Minnesota (22-14, 10-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Sunday, April 15 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 1 p.m. CDT

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan baseball team lost a pair of Big Ten Conference games the hard way Saturday (April 14) at Siebert Field as Minnesota swept the Wolverines on last-inning rallies 7-6 and 5-4. The second game went extra innings (nine, in a scheduled seven-inning contest). The sweep knocked Michigan (18-15, 6-5) out of a third-place tie with the host Golden Gophers (22-14, 10-4 Big Ten).

The Wolverines trailed the opener 5-0 after three innings, but senior LHP Nick Alexander (Alpena, Mich./Alpena HS) settled down to keep the Wolverines in the game. Junior/sophomore DH Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) and sophomore 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) paced the offense in the opener for the Wolverines as each had three hits including a double and a homer.

In the fourth inning Sokol doubled and Koman followed with seventh homer of the year and in the sixth Koman doubled in another run. In the seventh, trailing by two runs, freshman catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) was hit by a pitch and moved to second when senior/junior CF C.J. Ghannam (Farmington, Mich./Harrison HS) drew a walk. Two outs later Sokol drilled a 3-2 pitch for a three-run, go-ahead homer, his second three-run shot of the week.

However, junior RHP Bobby Wood (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) gave up a single and a long two-run homer to Golden Gopher 3B Jack Hannahan in the bottom of the seventh, his ninth HR, for the dreaded walk-off win for Minnesota. Wood's record dropped to 3-1 as he missed a chance for his third save.

In game two the Wolverines grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning as senior 2B Scott Tousa (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS) singled to center and scored on a long home run by Koman. Koman had a big day for the Wolverines, going 5-for-7 with two doubles and two homers and moving his batting average to .411 (51-for-124). Koman leads the team with 13 doubles and eight homers.

Minnesota bounced back in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of the first of three Wolverine miscues when Hannahan's potential inning-ending double-play grounder resulted in runners on second and third with one out. Minnesota 1B Josh Holthaus followed with the lone Gopher hit of the first inning, a two-run double, and the score was tied after one inning. Holthaus added a sacrifice fly in the third inning for a 3-2 Minnesota lead.

Hard-luck sophomore RHP Tim Leveque (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS), who entered the game with a team-leading ERA of 0.34, worked six innings and had no decision, allowing seven hits and three runs, one earned. Leveque's ERA jumped to 0.56 and he almost took the loss.

For the second time in the doubleheader the Wolverines battled back in their final at bat as Fox collected a pinch double with one out and Tousa knocked in pinch-runner Blake Rutkowski (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) with a two-out single to send the game into extra innings.

Michigan junior LHP Jeff Trzos (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington HS) was tagged with the loss in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out fielding error with the bases loaded. Trzos (1-1) allowed just two hits in 2.2 innings of work and the one unearned run.

Michigan closes out the weekend series at Minnesota on Sunday (April 15) with sophomore LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS) slated to start on the mound for the Wolverines. Hill is 2-2 (3.27 ERA).

N O T E S

Junior/sophomore 1B Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS) extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-out single in the seventh inning of the opener and he moved his streak to 11 games with a first-inning single in game two. Meanwhile, Minnesota CF Sam Steidl had hits in each game to move his hitting streak to 20 games.

Tri-captain Scott Tousa went 2-for-4 in the nightcap, his 50th career multiple-hit game.

Michigan's hitting leaders (for players with at least 54 at bats) after 33 games are: sophomore 3B Brock Koman (.411, 51-for-124); junior/sophomore 1B Nate Wright (.365, 35-for-96); sophomore OF Gino Lollio (.354, 23-for-65); sophomore LF Jordan Cantalamessa (.311, 33-for-106); senior 2B Scott Tousa (.310, 36-for-116); and senior/junior CF C.J. Ghannam (.299, 20-for-67).

Michigan's hitting leaders in Big Ten play are junior/sophomore DH Mike Sokol (.435, 10-for-23); sophomore 3B Brock Koman (.421, 16-for-38); freshman catcher Jake Fox (.375, 12-for-32); junior/sophomore 1B Nate Wright (.359, 14-for-39); and senior 2B Scott Tousa (.297, 11-for-37).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423