Taylor Tops Illinois as Michigan Salvages Series Finale

Sunday, April 13

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

14-15, 4-6

Illinois

18-11, 6-6

Illinois

Michigan

Taylor Tops Illinois as Michigan Salvages Series Finale

4/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

• Boxscore

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College) pitched Michigan's first nine-inning complete game of the season as the Wolverines salvaged the final game of the weekend baseball series by beating Illinois, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon (April 13) at Ray Fisher Stadium. Taylor (3-1) allowed 11 hits but just three runs, and he struck out six and did not allow a walk as the Wolverines (14-15, 4-6 Big Ten) collected their first Big Ten home win of the season.

Michigan scored an unearned run without a hit in the bottom of the ninth off Illinois ace Dave Mazurek (3-3). Mazurek had a win and a save in the series and was looking for his second win of the weekend. With one out in the ninth senior 2B Jordan Cantalamessa (Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) reached first when he was hit by a pitch, but he was forced at second on a grounder by senior RF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS).

Lollio collected his team-leading fifth stolen base and scored when pinch-hitter Chris Burhans (Alpharetta, Ga./The Marist School) hit a grounder that scooted under the shortstop's glove for an error. Lollio kept charging around third and beat the throw to the plate to score the winning run.

Michigan scored the first run of the game for the first time in the four-game series against Illinois when fifth-year senior Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle) hit his 13th double of the season. Sokol moved to third on a single by senior 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./ South HS) and scored on a single by junior catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS).

Illinois took the lead in the third inning on doubles by 3B Chad Frk and RF Vince DiMaria with SS Eric Eymann knocking in one run with a sacrifice fly and 1B Andy Schutzenhofer driving in the go-ahead run with a single.

Michigan tied the game at 2-2 in the third inning as sophomore shortstop and leading hitter Nick Rudden (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) led off the inning with a double. Rudden moved to third on a grounder by Sokol and scored on a sacrifice fly by Koman.

The Wolverines regained the lead in the fourth inning when Lollio walked and moved to third on a hit-and-run single by freshman DH A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS). Lollio put the Wolverines ahead 3-2 when he scored on an infield grounder by sophomore CF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic HS).

Illinois tied the game in the seventh inning as Frk, who was 3-for-4, hit his second double of the game and scored on a two-out single by DiMaria.

The Wolverine defense chipped in with several key plays in the one-run win, with Fox throwing out a runner trying to advance on a short wild pitch to end the fifth inning, Koman starting a snappy 5-4-3 double play to end the sixth inning, and Taylor combining with Sokol at first and Rudden at short on a 1-6-3 pickoff/caught stealing play to end the top of the ninth with hot-hitting DiMaria at the plate.

Michigan hosts Oakland in a non-conference game on Wednesday (April 16, 3 p.m.) with sophomore RHP Matt Collins (Bloomfield, Mich./Country Day) listed as the tentative starter. Collins is 2-1 with a 9.92 ERA.

Notes

In other Big Ten action on Sunday, Minnesota remained unbeaten with an 8-2 win to sweep Penn State, Ohio State beat Iowa 11-9 in 10 innings, Michigan State defeated Indiana 8-5 and Northwestern topped Purdue by a 6-2 margin.

Big Ten Standings (after Sunday's Games)

 1. Minnesota      10-0 1.000
 2. Ohio State      8-4  .667
 3. Indiana         7-5  .583
 4. Illinois        6-6  .500
    Purdue          6-6  .500
    Northwestern    5-5  .500
 7. Penn State      5-7  .417
 8. MICHIGAN        4-6  .400
 9. Michigan State  3-7  .300
10. Iowa            2-10 .167

The win by starter Drew Taylor ties him for the team lead in wins (3) with junior RHP Bobby Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS). They both are 3-1.

The nine-inning, complete-game outing by Taylor gives him the two longest outings of the season: nine innings vs. Illinois and 8.1 innings at Bethune-Cookman (March 1). Michigan's other two complete games were seven-inning Big Ten doubleheader wins by sophomore RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian HS) and junior RHP Bobby Garza, both at Iowa.

Fifth-year senior 1B Mike Sokol, who entered the weekend as the leading hitter in the Big Ten in conference action, was 7-for-14 (.500) in the weekend series vs. Illinois with two doubles and a homer.

Senior 3B Brock Koman had one hit in Sunday's win over Illinois, moving his career hit total to 244, which is good for fifth on Michigan's all-time hit list. Koman needs 10 hits to tie Jim Paciorek (254, 1979-82) for fourth place.

Koman's single moved his career total-base total to 393, leaving him one base shy of Jason Alacaraz (394, 1996-99) for fifth place on the all-time Wolverine list.

Michigan's hitting leaders after 29 games include (37 plate appearances minimum): sophomore SS Nick Rudden (.407, 24-for-59), senior 3B Brock Koman (.405, 49-for-121), DH/OF/1B Mike Sokol (.373, 38-for-102), junior C Jake Fox (.358, 39-for-109), senior OF Gino Lollio (.333, 39-for-117) and sophomore OF Matt Butler (.324, 11-for-34).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423