U-M Falls Behind Early, Drops Series Finale to Spartans

Sunday, May 6

East Lansing, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

24-22, 9-11

Michigan State

27-23, 9-13

Michigan

Michigan State

U-M Falls Behind Early, Drops Series Finale to Spartans

5/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State scored seven runs in the first two innings and held on for an 8-5 win over Michigan in Big Ten Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon (May 6) at Kobs Field. The Wolverines (24-22, 9-11 Big Ten) dropped into sixth place in the standings as Northwestern (11-13 Big Ten) vaulted into fifth place by taking three of four games at Penn State.

The Spartans (27-23, 9-13 Big Ten) took advantage of three first-inning errors to grab a 3-0 lead against Michigan starter LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS) and then added four more runs in the second inning on a two-out grand slam homer by 1B Scott Koerber.

Hill (2-5) left the game in the second inning after loading the bases with the second walk of the inning and was replaced by senior RHP tri-captain Bryce Ralston (Tacoma, Wash./Curtis HS). Ralston fanned the first batter he faced before allowing the Koerber home run. MSU led 7-0 with just two hits after two innings.

Ralston pitched 2.2 innings before being replaced by senior LHP Nick Alexander (Alpena, Mich./Alpena HS). The tri-captain duo of Ralston and Alexander limited MSU to one run and five hits from the third inning on, but the damage was done.

Michigan State LHP Kyle Geswein (3-5), who served as the Spartan DH in the first three games of the series, worked 6.1 innings to record the win. He retired 14 consecutive batters following a leadoff single by senior 2B and tri-captain Scott Tousa (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS).

Michigan got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning on a two-out single by sophomore LF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Mich./Mariner HS), a stolen base and a run-scoring single by junior 1B Jeff Trzos (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington HS).

MSU's Domanick Squires earned his ninth save of the season. The Wolverines had four hits off Squires in seven batters, but the MSU defense came up with a double play in the ninth inning to halt a potential rally.

Tousa had three hits and Trzos, the Wolverine bullpen closer, was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI in his start at first base. Catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) and senior RF C.J. Ghannam (Farmington, Mich./Harrison HS) also collected two hits as the Wolverines out-hit MSU 12-7.

The Wolverines scored three times in the eighth inning with Ghannam, freshman SS Brandon Jominy (Coral Springs, Fla./Westminster Academy) and Trzos driving in the runs. Tousa, Fox and junior/sophomore Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS) collected ninth-inning singles, but MSU's defense came up with a double play to halt the potential rally.

Michigan heads to Central Michigan for a single game Tuesday (May 8) with junior LHP Kirk Taylor (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington HS) on the mound. Taylor is 1-0 with a 7.24 ERA.

N O T E S

Scott Tousa went 3-for-5 Sunday vs. MSU, his 56th career multiple-hit game and the 14th three-hit game of his career. The three hits pushed his career hit total to 203, pulling him into a tie for ninth on the all-time Michigan hit list with two-time All-American Barry Larkin (203 hits, 1983-85). Next on the hit list is Tim Flannelly (209 hits, 1983-85) in eighth place.

Tousa added five at bats during Sunday's game to move into eighth on Michigan's career at bat list at 655, passing Rodney Goble (652, 1992-95). Bobby Scales (1996-99) and Phil Price (1987-90) are next on the at bats list tied for sixth (674).

Tousa has played in 194 games and needs six more to become the ninth Wolverine to play 200 games.

Nick Alexander made his 13th pitching appearance of the season and the 58th of his Wolverine career. He ranks eighth on Michigan's all-time pitching appearance list, one behind former teammate Bryan Cranson (59 appearances, 1997-2000) for seventh. Cranson is Michigan's all-time leader in pitching appearances by a lefthander.

The Wolverines had nine batters hit by pitches in the series vs. MSU to move the season total to 55 batters hit, tying the school single-season record set in 1999.

Michigan's hitting leaders (for players with at least 70 at bats) after 46 games are: sophomore 3B Brock Koman (.389, 61-for-157); senior 2B Scott Tousa (.325, 53-for-163); sophomore OF Gino Lollio (.324, 34-for-105); junior/sophomore 1B Nate Wright (.322, 46-for-143); sophomore LF Jordan Cantalamessa (.311, 42-for-135); sophomore CF Blake Rutkowski (.297, 22-for-74); and freshman catcher Jake Fox (.295, 36-for-122).