Gophers Win Pair of Two-Run Games, Sweep Wolverines

Saturday, April 6

Minneapolis, Minn.

4:05 PM CT

Michigan

7-15, 3-3

Minnesota

12-14, 4-2

Michigan

Minnesota

4/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome)
Scores: Minnesota 3, Michigan 1; Minnesota 4, Michigan 2
Records: Michigan (7-16, 3-4 Big Ten); Minnesota (13-14, 5-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Sunday, April 7 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 1:05 p.m. CDT

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Minnesota swept a Big Ten baseball doubleheader from Michigan on Saturday (April 6), winning 3-1 and 4-2 in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The sweep vaulted Minnesota (13-14, 5-2 Big Ten) ahead of the Wolverines in the conference standings.

Senior RF Jason Kennedy knocked in all three runs in the 3-1 Gopher win in the opener with a two-run double in the first inning and an insurance sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. In the nightcap Gopher RHP Josh Krogman limited the Wolverines to six hits and used a first-inning homer by Luke Appert to grab the lead that Minnesota never gave up. The Wolverines (7-16, 3-4 Big Ten) have never had the lead in the first three games of the series and in fact have been limited to just three runs in the three games.

Michigan scored twice in the sixth inning of the second game to cut the margin to 4-2 when junior RF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) collected his third hit of the game, advanced to second on a wild pitch and went to third on a single by senior/junior 1B Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS). Sophomore catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) drove in the first run when his bid for a double down the line in left turned into a 5-3 putout, and the second run scored on an error.

In the opener Minnesota once again took advantage of the Metrodome to gain the early lead, with an error, a walk and two stolen bases setting up a routine fly ball to right by Kennedy that fell untouched for a two-run double off starter Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS). Junior SS Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS), a preseason All-America selection at third base, made use of his hot corner skills to hold Minnesota's lead at 2-0 in the first inning with a pair of short-hop plays -- one a 6-3 putout and the other an infield single that kept a runner at third.

Hill fanned DH Logan Gerken to end the first with a pair of runners on after Koman's defensive gems. Hill (1-3) took the complete-game loss, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out eight. Minnesota RHP C.J. Woodrow pitched the first six innings to record the win and LHP Tim Theis worked the only 1-2-3 inning for the Gophers, but it was the seventh and was good for his second save of the season.

The Wolverines had a pair of singles in the second inning of the opener, by Wright and freshman CF Matt Butler (Glendale, Ill./Driscoll Catholic HS), but junior 2B Jordan Cantalamessa (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) lined out to third to end the threat.

Michigan threatened again in the third inning as Koman doubled off the "baggie" in right-center and Lollio drew a two-out walk, but Wright's bid to drop a single between three Gophers was caught by LF Scott Howard.

The Wolverines reached the scoreboard in the fourth inning of the opener on singles by junior catcher Alex Coleman (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS) and sophomore 3B Brandon Jominy (Coral Springs, Fla./Westminster Academy), a sacrifice bunt by Butler and a sacrifice fly by Cantalamessa.

Minnesota took the lead in the first inning of the second game -- the third straight game in the series that the Gophers grabbed the lead -- when 2B Luke Appert hit a solo homer off Michigan starter RHP Tim Leveque (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS). Minnesota chased Leveque with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by back-to-back run-scoring doubles by 3B Ben Pattee and 1B David Roach and a run-scoring single by catcher Jeremy Beaulieu.

Sophomore RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) worked the final 2.2 innings and allowed two hits and no runs to give the Wolverines a chance to battle back.

The Wolverines close out the weekend series at Minnesota with a single game Sunday (April 7, 1 p.m. CDT) in the Metrodome with senior LHP Jeff Trzos (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington HS) pitching. Trzos is 1-3 with a 5.71 ERA.

N O T E S

The second-inning single by freshman CF Matt Butler was his first career hit at Michigan. Butler is the fifth Wolverine to notch his first career in 2002, joining senior RHP/DH Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS), junior transfer 2B Dan Augustine (Wausau, Wis./West HS), freshman SS/2B Nick Rudden (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) and freshman OF Chris Burhans (Alpharetta, Ga./The Marist School).

Butler added his second hit in the second game and has a two-game hitting streak.

Korecky was 0-for-2 in the doubleheader with a pair of pinch-hit appearances.

With eight strikeouts in the opener junior LHP Rich Hill moved his team-leading total to 48 strikeouts in 35 innings. Hill, who is Michigan's active career strikeout leader, pushed his career strikeout total to 173 in 136 innings, leaving him 13 shy of Michigan's career top 10.

Junior RF Gino Lollio's 3-for-3 game in the nightcap Saturday was his 25th career multiple-hit game and fourth career three-hit game.

Michigan's hitting leaders after 23 games (20 at-bat minimum) include: 3B/SS Brock Koman (.356, 31-for-87), sophomore LF Brandon Roberts (.324, 23-for-71), senior/junior 1B/DH Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) at .313 (26-for-83), junior RF Gino Lollio (.300, 24-for-80) and senior/junior 1B Nate Wright (.298, 17-for-57).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423