Roadrunners Spoil Hill's 15-Strikeout Performance in 10th

Saturday, March 9

San Antonio, Texas

1:00 PM CT

Michigan

2-9

Texas-San Antonio

8-5

Michigan

UT-San Antonio

Roadrunners Spoil Hill's 15-Strikeout Performance in 10th

3/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Catcher Shane Menn's two-out single in the bottom of the 10th drove home Cory Horton with the winning run as host Texas-San Antonio beat the University of Michigan baseball team 3-2 at Wolff Stadium Saturday afternoon (March 9).

The two-out rally off senior LHP Jeff Trzos (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington HS) spoiled an outstanding 15-strikeout pitching effort by junior LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS).

The Roadrunners (8-5) scored just one earned run off of Hill in his nine innings of work, but it was the unearned run that cost him the lead in the eighth inning. Michigan (2-9) led 2-1 when UTSA SS Clint Sansom beat out an infield hit. Horton put down a bunt and reached first on a fielder's choice. With the bunt in order again, it the game-winning hero Menn's turn to bunt and Hill's error on a throw to third base sent Sansom in with the tying run.

With runners on second and third with no outs Hill faced UTSA's leading hitter Mark Schramek and he popped to short, ending a 13-game hitting streak. With one out UTSA attempted a suicide squeeze and the batter popped the ball up and junior 2B Jordan Cantalamessa (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) made a diving catch on the pitching mound and fired to sophomore 3B Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) for the inning-ending double play. That was the only inning in the series thus far in which the Wolverines failed to record a strikeout.

Michigan loaded the bases in the ninth on an error, a hit batsman and a walk, but senior/junior Nate Wright's (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS) bid for his fifth hit of the series was a long fly caught near the fence in deep center for the final out of the frame.

Trzos (0-3) retired the first two batters he faced in the 10th before giving up the double and the winning single by Menn.

UTSA took a 1-0 lead in the third inning as RF Danny Phillips walked, moved to second on a balk by Hill and scored on a single by catcher Menn.

The Wolverines tied the game in the top of the fifth inning as junior catcher Jason Wuerfel (Cedar, Mich./Glen Lake HS) doubled down the rightfield line, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by freshman CF Matt Butler (Glendale Heights, Ill./Driscoll Catholic HS) and scored on a groundout by junior RF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS).

Michigan took the lead in the fifth inning as Fox doubled to open the inning and scored on Wuerfel's second double of the game.

The series at UTSA concludes on Sunday (March 10) when the Wolverines (2-9) meet the Roadrunners with sophomore RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) listed as the probable starter. Brauer is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two appearances.

N O T E S

Hill's 15 strikeouts in Saturday's loss at UTSA marked the most by a Wolverine since LHP Heath Murray (1992-94) had 14 strikeouts at Central Florida in 1994.

The Wolverine pitching staff has fanned 29 batters in 19 innings in the series and had strikeouts in 18 of the 19 innings, with senior RHP Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) collecting 13 strikeouts in his 7-0 shutout win on Friday night, the 15 by Rich Hill and one by Jeff Trzos in the 10th.

Michigan's hitting leaders after 11 games (10 at-bat minimum) include: C Jason Wuerfel (.417, 5-for-12), 3B/SS Brock Koman (.378, 17-for-45); senior RHP/2B/DH Bobby Korecky (.333, 7-for-21); sophomore LF/DH Brandon Roberts (.324, 11-for-34); Nate Wright (.280, 7-for-25) and senior/junior Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) at .277 (13-for-47).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423