Michigan
0-4
Oregon State
6-6
Eight-Run Sixth Sparks Oregon State Over Wolverines
2/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
OSU DH Aaron Fausett's bouncer up the middle knocked in the winning run in the sixth and later in the frame the Beavers had two-run singles by catcher Paul Richie and 2B Kerisi Reynolds. OSU scored eight times on seven hits in the inning and finished with 17 hits against four Wolverine pitchers. Reynolds was 3-for-5 in the game and drove in five runs.
Senior LHP Jeff Trzos (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington HS) made his first career start in his 41st career pitching appearance and took the loss. He pitched a career-best 5.2 innings and entered the sixth inning with a three-hitter with the score tied at 1-1.
The OSU winning rally looked innocent at the start as 3B Brian Barden singled with one out and RF Chris Biles was hit by a pitch. Fausett's game-winning hit bounced into center barely escaping the reach of the 6-6 Trzos who was looking to start an inning-ending double play. However, eight batters later the game was out of reach.
Three freshmen got mound action to close out the loss for the Wolverines, including RHP Matt Collins (Bloomfield Village, Mich./Country Day), LHP Paul Hammond (Mason, Ohio/Mason HS) and RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS).
Oregon State ace Stephen Copeland was perfect until the fourth as he retired the first 11 Wolverines before junior 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) singled up the middle with two outs.
Michigan tied the game in the fifth as junior CF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) singled to left-center and raced around the bases on a run-scoring double by sophomore RF Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS).
The final Wolverine run came in the seventh inning as Lollio singled to right and was retired on a fielder's choice grounder by junior CF Blake Rutkowski (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS). Rutkowski stole second base and scored on a triple by catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS).
The Wolverines (0-4) will play at UC-Irvine Tuesday (Feb. 26, 6 p.m. PST). Junior RHP Tim Leveque (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS) is slated to make his first start of the season vs. the Anteaters. Leveque (0-0) tossed one inning in the season opener vs. Oregon State, allowing six hits and five runs.
N O T E S
Michigan pre-season All-America 3B Brock Koman extended his hitting streak to eight games in the loss to Oregon State. He and RF/DH Brandon Roberts are the only Wolverines with hits in all four games this year.
Sophomore catcher Jake Fox has tripled his career triple totals as a Wolverine. Fox collected one three-bagger as a freshman in 2001 and so far in the new year he is 2-for-10 (.200) and both hits are triples, giving him three on his career.
Senior 1B Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS) and junior/sophomore DH Eric Esper (Grand Ledge, Mich./Grand Ledge HS) each notched a late-inning single for their first hits of the season.
Junior IF/OF Jordan Cantalamessa (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS), the third Michigan second baseman in the past three games, started three 4-6-3 double plays with sophomore SS Brandon Jominy (Coral Springs, Fla./Westminster Academy) and senior/junior 1B Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS).
Michigan's middle infield was all Cherry Creek HS in the ninth inning when freshman SS Nick Rudden (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) replaced Jominy and joined 2B Cantalamessa.
Michigan's hitting leaders after the four games include: 3B Brock Koman (.500, 7-for-14); senior RHP/2B Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) at .500 (3-6); junior CF Gino Lollio (.333, 5-for-15); sophomore RF/DH Brandon Roberts (.333, 4-for-12); junior 2B Dan Augustine (Wausau, Wis./West HS) at .333 (3-for-9) and junior catcher/DH Alex Coleman (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS) also at .333 (2-for-6).
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stephen Copeland (1-0)
L: Trzos, Jeff (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Seth Pietsch 1 ; Aaron Fausett 1
3B: Brian Barden 1
RBI: Seth Pietsch 1 ; Kerisi Reynolds 5 ; Brian Barden 1 ; Aaron Fausett 1 ; Tom Creighton 1 ; Paul Richie 2 ; Will Hudson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Seth Pietsch 1 ; Kerisi Reynolds 1 ; Brian Barden 1 ; Chris Biles 1 ; Aaron Mathews 1 ; Aaron Fausett 1 ; Tom Creighton 1 ; Craig Hays 1 ; Paul Richie 2 ; Will Hudson 3
SB: Levi Webber 1
HBP: Chris Biles 1 ; Paul Richie 1
Batting:
2B: Roberts, Brandon 1
3B: Fox, Jake 1
RBI: Roberts, Brandon 1 ; Fox, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lollio, Gino 1 ; Rutkowski, Blake 1
SB: Rutkowski, Blake 1
CS: Koman, Brock 1
