Minnesota Tops Michigan in Big Ten Tournament Final

Sunday, May 20

Columbus, Ohio

4:05 PM

Michigan

28-28

Minnesota

39-19

Minnesota

Michigan

5/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Minnesota scored a pair of unearned runs in the seventh inning to take a 3-2 win over the University of Michigan in the finals of the Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament Sunday afternoon (May 20) in Bill Davis Stadium. The Wolverines (28-28) finish the season in the championship game after entering the tournament as the sixth seed, while the No. 3-seeded Golden Gophers (39-19) earned the Big Ten's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan freshman RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) was matched up against fifth-year LHP Ben Birk. Brauer worked 6.2 innings and allowed six hits and all three runs, one earned, while Birk moved his record to 2-2.

Michigan scored in the third inning as it used singles by senior SS Bill LaRosa (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) and senior 2B Scott Tousa (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS) and a walk to sophomore 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) to load the bases. LaRosa scored when Birk uncorked a wild pitch. Sophomore RF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) opened the fourth inning with his fourth homer of the season to make the score 2-0.

Minnesota's Jason Kennedy hit his 10th homer of the season leading off the fifth inning to make the score 2-1, and Big Ten Player of the Year Jack Hannahan reached on his third walk of the game.

Minnesota scored a pair of unearned runs in the seventh to take the lead 3-2. The error, a bad throw by catcher Alex Coleman (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS) came on a sacrifice bunt attempt by the Gophers. The error was the 105th of the season for the Wolverines, breaking the old season mark of 104 set in 1999.

The Gophers tied the game at 2-2 while the Wolverines turned their third double play of the game and the go-ahead run came in on an infield single by Minnesota's leading hitter, CF Sam Steidl.

In the seventh the Wolverines put runners on the corners on two-out singles by senior CF C.J. Ghannam (Farmington, Mich./Harrison HS) and Koman, his third of the game. Freshman DH Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) lined a shot up the middle, but pitcher Birk speared the liner for the final out.

The Wolverines faced Minnesota reliever Chad Drexler in the eighth inning and Gopher 3B Hannahan made two excellent grab of liners and shortstop Scott Welch robbed Lollio of a single and turned the play into a force-out.

N O T E S

Wolverines named to the all-tournament team included senior 2B Scott Tousa, freshman catcher Jake Fox and junior RHP Bobby Wood (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS).

Tousa had one hit vs. Minnesota Sunday afternoon, pushing his career hit total to 217 to finish his career in seventh place on the all-time Michigan hit list.

Tousa added five more career at bats vs. Minnesota to move his career at bat total to 698, good for fourth on the Michigan career list. He also finished his career with 151 career runs scored, tying him for ninth on Michigan's career list with Jim Durham (151 runs, 1986-89).

Michigan's hitting leaders (for players with at least 80 at bats) after 56 games are: sophomore 3B Brock Koman (.383, 75-for-196); 1B Nate Wright (.327, 53-for-162); senior 2B Scott Tousa (.325, 67-for-206); sophomore LF Jordan Cantalamessa (.314, 53-for-169); sophomore OF Gino Lollio (.311, 41-for-132); and freshman catcher Jake Fox (.304, 49-for-161).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423