Penn Authors Shutout to Help Michigan Sweep Hawkeyes

Sunday, March 30

Iowa City, Iowa

1:00 PM CT

Michigan

9-10, 1-1

Iowa

7-7, 1-1

Michigan

Iowa

3/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Duane Banks Field)
Scores: Michigan 4, Iowa 0; Michigan 9, Iowa 5
Records: U-M (10-10, 2-1 Big Ten), Iowa (7-8, 1-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Monday, March 31 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 1 p.m. CST

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Sophomore RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian HS) and junior RHP Bobby Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS) pitched the first two complete games of the season as the University of Michigan baseball team swept a Big Ten doubleheader over Iowa Sunday afternoon (March 30) at Duane Banks Field, winning 4-0 and 9-5.

Penn authored a nifty four-hit shutout in the opener over Iowa (7-8, 1-2 Big Ten) as he had a team and personal season-high eight strikeouts. Penn, who leads the Wolverines with 29 strikeouts in 32.1 innings, lowered his ERA to a team-leading 3.62. Penn (1-3) did not allow a hit after the fourth inning and retired 10 of the last 11 batters, five by strikeouts, to close out his first win as a Wolverine.

Michigan (10-10, 2-1 Big Ten) grabbed the lead in the first inning of the opener as sophomore SS Nick Rudden (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS), making his debut in the second slot in the lineup, singled with one out. Rudden advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on an error before scoring on a single to left by junior catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS). The single by Fox extended his career-best hitting streak to 15 games and proved to the game-winning RBI. Fox moved the streak to 16 games in the nightcap.

The Wolverines added three runs in the second inning to close out the scoring in the opener as fifth-year seniors Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS), with a single, and Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS), with a double, set the table for senior CF Gino Lollio's (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) two-out, two-run double. Rudden's RBI single plated Lollio with the fourth and final run of the game.

Garza (3-0), who leads the Wolverines with his three wins, pitched the first complete game of his career, allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out four Hawkeyes. Garza has 24 strikeouts in 32 innings. After the Wolverines jumped to a 6-0 lead, Garza pitched out of a jam in the fourth inning as Iowa scored three times, and he retired three in a row in the bottom of the seventh inning to close out the win.

Michigan used its first-inning offense again in the second game, jumping to a 4-0 lead, with Sokol's RBI single proving to be the game-winner. Senior 2B Jordan Cantalamessa (Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) made the score 3-0 with a two-run triple and Wright knocked in Cantalamessa with his third hit of the doubleheader.

The Wolverines chased Iowa starter RHP Cory Hollenhorst (2-2) in the second inning as sophomore RF Chris Burhans (Alpharetta, Ga./The Marist School) tripled to start the inning and scored on a single by Lollio. Rudden reached on a bunt single, his fourth hit of the day, and senior 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) singled to load the bases and knock out the starter. Sokol, 4-for-6 in the twinbill, knocked in Lollio with a sacrifice fly and the score was 6-0.

The Wolverines answered Iowa's three-run fourth inning as Sokol and Cantalamessa hit back-to-back doubles for a run in the fifth. In the sixth the Wolverines added a pair of runs as Burhans led off the inning with a single and scored as Koman doubled down the third-base line for one run, and Fox added a run-scoring single.

The Michigan series at Iowa concludes Monday afternoon (March 31) with a single nine-inning game. Sophomore RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS), who is 1-1 with an 8.59 ERA, is listed as the probable starter.

N O T E S

Sophomore RHP Michael Penn's four-hit shutout over Iowa in Sunday's opener was the first for the Wolverines on the road since Rich Hill blanked Illinois last April (4/13/02). It was Michigan's first shutout since teammate Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) blanked Ohio State in Fisher Stadium last May (5/4/02).

Junior catcher Jake Fox was 1-for-3 in each game of the doubleheader Sunday to extend his career-best hitting streak to 16 games. Fox singled in his first at-bat in the opener and in his last at-bat of the second game.

Sophomore SS Nick Rudden, with two hits in each game of the Iowa series, extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

In his 177th career start as a Wolverine, senior Brock Koman, who had his career-best 17-game hitting streak snapped Saturday in the Big Ten opener, went 2-for-4 with a double in the 9-5 win in the second game on Sunday. He has hits in 39 of his last 46 games the past two years and in 103 of his last 125 games over the past three years.

Koman's double in the second game of the doubleheader sweep at Iowa was the 62nd of his career, leaving him five shy of the Michigan career record of 67 held by Mike Cervenak (1996-99).

Koman moved his career hit total to 230, 10 shy of Casey Close (240, 1983-86) for fifth on Michigan's career hit list.

Michigan's hitting leaders after 20 games include (30 plate appearances minimum): sophomore SS Nick Rudden (.469, 15-for-32), senior 3B Brock Koman (.402, 35-for-87), junior C Jake Fox (.360, 27-for-75), senior DH/OF Mike Sokol (.338, 24-for-71), senior OF Gino Lollio (.333, 28-for-84) and junior RF Brandon Roberts (.303, 20-for-66).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423