Michigan
8-9
Central Michigan
5-10
Kunkel, Koman Help Michigan Clobber Central Michigan
3/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS), making his 174th career start, and redshirt freshman catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS), making his first start ever in Ray Fisher Stadium, each collected three hits and drove in three runs as the University of Michigan baseball team blasted Central Michigan 15-6 in the home opener for the Wolverines Tuesday afternoon (March 25).
Koman was 3-for-5 with two doubles as he extended his career-best hitting streak to 17 games, while Kunkel, 3-for-3, used his first career extra-base hit, a three-run triple, to highlight a seven-run first inning. The Wolverines (8-9) used a 14-hit attack to provide first-year head coach Rich Maloney with a win in his Fisher Stadium debut.
The Chippewas (5-10) grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning as DH Jim Geldhof cleared the bases with a three-run double and CMU chased Michigan sophomore starting pitcher Matt Collins (Bloomfield, Mich./Country Day) after seven batters. Sophomore RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS), the second of five Wolverine hurlers, replaced Collins and got a groundout with the bases loaded to end the top of the first.
Tognetti (1-1), who earned his first career victory, worked the longest of the 11 pitchers used by both teams Tuesday. He went 5.1 innings and retired 15 of the 19 batters he faced, allowing one hit, one HBP and two walks but no runs as he lowered his ERA from 31.50 to 8.59.
The Wolverines used a strange rally to take the lead in the first inning, scoring the seven runs on just two hits -- a single by Koman and Kunkel's triple. Senior CF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) walked, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball as fifth-year senior DH Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) walked. They both moved up on a wild pitch and Koman's single moved Sokol to third.
Junior LF Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) walked to load the bases and CMU starter Jeff Opalewski (0-2) was done for the day and replaced by Nick Patterson, who walked senior 2B Jordan Cantalamessa (Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) on four pitches and the score was 3-2. With one out, fifth-year senior 1B Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS) hit a run-scoring grounder that was booted for an error and the score was 3-3. Kunkel drilled his triple to centerfield and scored moments later on a squeeze bunt by sophomore SS Nick Rudden (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) and the score was 7-3.
The Wolverines added a pair of runs in the second inning, with Cantalamessa knocking in one with a double and then scoring on a single by Wright.
Seniors Lollio and Koman combined for the final six runs for the Wolverines, with Lollio scoring three and Koman driving in three. Lollio launched a homer to open the third inning and Koman doubled in two runs in the fifth. U-M closed out its scoring in the seventh on doubles by Lollio (run) and Koman (RBI).
The Wolverines head to Iowa City, Iowa, this weekend (March 28-30) and are slated meet Iowa in the Big Ten opener Friday night (March 28, 6 p.m. CST). Sophomore LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College) is the probable starter for the Wolverines in the opener at Iowa. Taylor is 2-0 with a 5.52 ERA.
N O T E S
In his 99th career start at third base, senior Brock Koman extended his team-leading hitting streak to a career-best 17 games with a first-inning single. Koman has hits in 38 of his last 43 games the past two years and in 102 of his last 122 games over the past three years.
Making his first career start in Fisher Stadium, redshirt freshman catcher Jeff Kunkel collected his first multiple-hit game and his first triple.
Koman, who leads the team with 33 hits on the season after the win over CMU, pushed his career hit total to 228 and moved into sixth place on Michigan's all-time hit list, passing Bobby Scales (226, 1996-99) during the contest. Koman needs 12 hits to tie Casey Close (240, 1983-86) for fifth.
Koman's two doubles move him to with six of Michigan's career doubles record. Koman has 61 doubles and the record is 67 by Mike Cervenak (1996-99).
The entire first inning that featured 10 runs (three for CMU and seven for Michigan) took 50 minutes and included just four hits. The game lasted 3:10 and featured 21 runs and 20 hits.
Senior OF Gino Lollio had an interesting stat line as he was 2-for-2 with a double and a homer and scored four runs. He reached twice on catcher's interference and he had two stolen bases in the first inning, which is no big deal except he stole second base twice. His first steal came after reaching on a walk to lead off the first and the second came after reaching on a catcher's interference as the 10th batter of the inning.
Michigan's hitting leaders after 17 games include (30 at-bat minimum): senior 3B Brock Koman at .440 (33-for-75), junior C Jake Fox (.354, 23-for-65), junior RF Brandon Roberts (.323, 20-for-62), senior OF Gino Lollio (.315, 23-for-73) and senior DH Mike Sokol (.306, 19-for-62).
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tognetti, Phil (1-1)
L: Jeff Opalewski (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Ryan Krueger 1 ; Tommy Grubb 1 ; Jim Geldhof 1
RBI: Ryan Krueger 1 ; Tommy Grubb 1 ; Mike Gates 1 ; Jim Geldhof 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Ryan Krueger 2 ; Tommy Grubb 1 ; Jeff LaFavors 1 ; Mike Gates 1 ; Jason Gotwalt 1
HBP: Ryan Krueger 1 ; Jeff LaFavors 1 ; Tom Grzywacz 1 ; Chase Welker 1
Batting:
2B: Lollio, Gino 1 ; Koman, Brock 2 ; Cantalamessa, Jordan 1
3B: Kunkel, Jeff 1
HR: Lollio, Gino 1
RBI: Lollio, Gino 1 ; Koman, Brock 3 ; Roberts, Brandon 1 ; Cantalamessa, Jordan 2 ; Wright, Nate 2 ; Kunkel, Jeff 3 ; Rudden, Nick 1
SH: Rudden, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lollio, Gino 4 ; Sokol, Mike 1 ; Koman, Brock 2 ; Roberts, Brandon 2 ; Cantalamessa, Jordan 2 ; Wright, Nate 1 ; Kunkel, Jeff 2 ; Rudden, Nick 1
SB: Lollio, Gino 2
HBP: Schmidt, Mike 1
