Wolverines Victimized by Late San Francisco Comeback

Saturday, February 23

Riverside, Calif.

Noon PT

Michigan

0-2

San Francisco

3-8

San Francisco

Michigan

2/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- San Francisco used a three-run seventh inning to earn a 9-7 comeback win over the University of Michigan in RBI (Riverside Baseball Invitational) Tournament action Saturday (Feb. 23) afternoon at the Riverside Sports Complex. The Wolverines are 0-2 in the tournament, while the USF Dons (3-8) of the West Coast Conference are 1-1 in tourney play.

Sophomore RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) struggled at the start of the game, walking the bases loaded on the first three batters, and gave up two runs. In fact, Brauer allowed three runs on no hits in the first two innings. Brauer worked six innings in a no-decision vs. USF, allowing six hits and five runs, three earned. He left with a 6-5 lead.

After falling behind 2-0 and 4-2, the Wolverines took a 6-4 lead by scoring two runs in each of the first, third and fourth innings. Michigan's first-inning rally featured a double by sophomore SS Brandon Jominy (Coral Springs, Fla./Westminster Academy), a walk to junior 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) and a long RBI single to right by senior/junior 1B Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS). Koman scored all the way from first on a fielding error and the score was 2-2.

The Wolverines tied the score 4-4 in the third as Jominy singled, stole second and scored on a Koman single. Junior CF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) dropped a double into centerfield and Koman again scored on a fielding error.

The two-run fourth gave Michigan the lead and senior 2B Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) opened the inning with a single and collected his first career stolen base. Junior LF Jordan Cantalamessa (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) walked and both runners advanced as Jominy grounded to the pitcher. A wild pitche plated Korecky with the go-ahead run and Koman added his second RBI single of the afternoon.

Koman, who shares the team batting lead with Korecky as both are hitting .500 (3-for-6), has reached base six times in nine plate appearances in the first two games of the year.

Freshman RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS) made his Wolverine debut, replacing Brauer to start the seventh inning, and he allowed three runs on three hits and a pair of walks, but fell victim to a pair of pop-up singles that cost him the last two runs.

USF senior 2B Luke Gradishar, Koman's cousin, stroked a run-scoring double off Tognetti to tie the game at 6-6 and then scored the go-ahead run as DH Blaine Umeda dropped a pop fly behind the drawn-in infield for the 7-6 lead.

Sophomore LHP Chad Garson (Calabasis, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) replaced Tognetti and surrendered a pop single to Dons LF Joe Jacobitz for an 8-6 lead. Garson worked the final 2.1 innings, allowing a run in the eighth on a two-out wild pitch that scored a runner from second base.

Michigan scored once in the seventh on a triple by sophomore catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) and a run-scoring groundout by Sokol.

Lollio doubled with two outs in the ninth, but sophomore DH Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) hit a sharp grounder to first to end the game.

The Wolverines (0-2) meet host UC-Riverside Sunday (Feb. 24, 4:05 p.m. PST), and senior RHP Korecky (6-4, 3.36 ERA in 2001) will make his first start of the season (25th career start) in the tourney finale vs. the host Highlanders.

N O T E S

Michigan preseason All-America 3B Brock Koman, who extended his hitting streak to six games in the loss to USF, is one of five players to have hits in both games this year. The others are 1B Mike Sokol, 2B Bobby Korecky, LF Jordan Cantalamessa and RF/DH Brandon Roberts.

With three RBI on the season, Koman has moved his career total to 90.

Michigan's hitting leaders after the two games include: 3B Brock Koman (.500, 3-for-6, three walks); senior RHP/2B Bobby Korecky (.500, 3-6); sophomore RF/DH Brandon Roberts (.333, 2-for-6); sophomore, SS Brandon Jominy (.286, 2-for-7) and junior CF Gino Lollio (.250, 2-for-8).

USF's first-inning rally vs. Wolverine starter Jim Brauer was interesting as the first three batters walked and the next three hit flyball outs to CF Gino Lollio (two runs scored as the first two outs were sacrifice flies).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423