Irish Rally Past Wolverines in Annual Baseball Bash

Tuesday, April 30

Grand Rapids, Mich.

7:30 PM

Michigan

13-26

Notre Dame

31-12

Notre Dame

Michigan

4/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. -- Notre Dame DH Matt Bok's two-out RBI single in the sixth inning snapped a 3-3 tie as the Irish defeated Michigan 7-4 in a non-conference baseball game Tuesday night (April 30) at Fifth Third Ballpark. Notre Dame, ranked No. 19 by Collegiate Baseball and No, 22 by Baseball America, scored three times in the sixth inning and ND SS Javier Sanchez iced the win with a two-run homer in the eighth off U-M senior RHP Joe Young (Detroit, Mich./Bishop Gallagher HS).

Freshman RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS), the fourth of six Michigan pitchers took the loss. Tognetti (0-3) worked the longest (three innings) and he allowed three runs on four hits. Junior LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS), the first of the six pitchers, made the start and was the "star of the game" as he fanned all six batters he faced and became the seventh Wolverine to collect 200 career strikeouts.

The Wolverines grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when junior SS Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) hit a two-out double and scored on a single by sophomore LF Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS).

Michigan extended its lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the second inning as senior/junior 1B Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) walked and moved to third as sophomore 3B Brandon Jominy (Coral Springs, Fla./Westminster Academy) beat out a bunt for a single and the throw got away at first. Freshman DH Matt Butler (Glendale Heights, Ill./Driscoll Catholic HS) drove in a run with a groundout and junior CF Blake Rutkowski (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) drove in the second run with a double. Rutkowski was thrown out at third to end the inning.

The Wolverines added a run in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Roberts and sophomore catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS). Fox paced the attack going 3-for-3 with a walk and Roberts had a pair of hits.

Michigan (13-26) will host Eastern Michigan on Wednesday (May 1, 3 p.m.) with either junior RHP Tim Leveque (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS) or sophomore RHP Bobby Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS) on the mound. Leveque is 1-2 (9.00 ERA) and Garza is 0-1 (18.00).

N O T E S

Former Michigan standout basketball player Mark Hughes, a co-captain of the 1989 national championship team and current coach of the Grand Rapids Hoops of the CBA, was the honorary captain for the Wolverines and threw out the first pitch before Tuesday's game.

With his six K's Rich Hill moved into sixth place on Michigan's career list, moving ahead of Ross Powell (201, 1987-89). Next up is Gary Wayne (205, 1982-84) in fifth place.

Junior SS Brock Koman's first-inning double vs. Notre Dame was the 48th of his Wolverine career, breaking the tie for seventh on U-M's all-time doubles list with Jim Paciorek (47, 1979-82). Next on the list tied for fifth with 49 doubles are Ken Hayward (1982-85) and Casey Close (1983-86).

Koman has hits in 33 of the 39 games played this season and in 75 of the 91 Wolverine games the last two seasons.

Sophomore catcher Jake Fox with a 3-for-3 game follows up his four-hit game at Penn State last Friday (April 26).

Michigan's hitting leaders after 39 games (31 at-bat minimum) include: junior 3B/SS Brock Koman (.367, 51-for-139), sophomore LF Brandon Roberts (.323, 41-for-127), sophomore C Jake Fox (.302, 29-for-96), senior/junior DH Mike Sokol (.297 (35-for-118), and senior RHP/OF Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) at .288 (15-for-52).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423