Michigan Ties Contest in Eighth, Sees Lions Win in Ninth

Friday, April 25

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

19-17, 7-8

Penn State

15-19, 9-8

Penn State

Michigan

Michigan Ties Contest in Eighth, Sees Lions Win in Ninth

4/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Penn State senior 2B Mike DeRenzo's bases-loaded, two-strike squeeze bunt snapped a 5-5 tie in the top of the ninth inning to give the visiting Nittany Lions a 6-5 Big Ten baseball win over Michigan Friday (April 25) at Ray Fisher Stadium.

The Wolverines (19-17, 7-8 Big Ten) had scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to tie the score 5-5 on a two-run double by junior RF Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS), but PSU sophomore lefty Clint Eury fanned two batters with Roberts on third to end the threat.

Eury (2-0), the third PSU pitcher, collected the win, while Michigan freshman RHP Craig Murray (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South HS) took the loss. Murray (0-3) retired two batters in the eighth but walked the leadoff batter in the ninth. Senior RHP Tim Leveque (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS) replaced Murray and gave up a single, a sacrifice bunt, an intentional walk and DeRenzo's game-winning bunt.

Sophomore LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College) started for the Wolverines and pitched 7.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and five runs (four earned) in the no-decision.

The Nittany Lions (15-19, 9-8 Big Ten) scored once in the first inning and twice more in the second innings for a 3-0 lead.

The Wolverines scored twice in the second inning as senior LF Jordan Cantalamessa (Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) walked and moved to third on a double by Roberts off the top of the fence in left-center. The Wolverines scored two runs on a pair of infield groundouts by the freshman middle infielders SS Jeremy Goldschmeding (Martin, Mich./Allegan HS) and 2B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS).

The Wolverines tied the game in the fifth as senior CF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) singled and moved to second on sacrifice bunt by sophomore DH Nick Rudden (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS). Lollio scored on a pop-fly single by senior 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS).

PSU used a pair of homers off Taylor to grab a 5-3 lead. Taylor retired 10 of 12 batters but the two were homers hit by DH Aaron Greenfield in the sixth and Wes Reohr in the eighth.

Roberts paced the Wolverine attack, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and moving his batting average to .286 (32-for-112), and he has 10 doubles. Lollio and Koman each chipped in with a pair of singles, including Koman's ninth-inning single, the only hit allowed by Eury.

The Michigan-Penn State series continues with a Big Ten doubleheader on Saturday (April 26, 1 p.m.) at Ray Fisher Stadium with junior RHP Bobby Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS) and sophomore RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian HS) listed as the probable starters for the Wolverines. Garza is 4-1 with a 5.28 ERA and Penn is 1-6 with a 5.92 ERA.

N O T E S

In Big Ten action Friday afternoon along with the Michigan 6-5 loss to Penn State, Iowa beat Michigan State 6-2 and Northwestern beat Illinois 6-5 on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Minnesota at Indiana and Ohio State at Purdue games were rained out on Friday and those team will now play doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.

Big Ten Standings (after Friday's Games)

 1. Minnesota 12-2 .857 2. Ohio State 9-6 .600 3. Indiana 9-7 .563 4. Purdue 8-7 .533 5. Penn State 9-8 .529 6. Illinois 8-9 .471 7. MICHIGAN 7-8 .467 Northwestern 7-8 .467 9. Michigan State 4-11 .267 10. Iowa 4-12 .250

The 3-for-4 game for RF Brandon Roberts was his 31st multiple-hit game and his fifth three-hit game.

The two-hit game for CF Gino Lollio was the 44th multiple-hit game of his U-M career.

Senior 3B Brock Koman's two hits pushed his career total to 253 hits, one shy of Jim Paciorek (254, 1979-82), who ranks fourth on the U-M career hit list. Koman's five at-bats pushed his career total to 712 and moved him into third on the all-time list ahead of Ken Hayward (710, 1982-85).

Koman's 2-for-5 game was his 72nd career multiple-hit game as a Wolverine.

Michigan's hitting leaders after 36 games include (45 plate appearances minimum): senior 3B Brock Koman at .400 (58-for-145), sophomore SS Nick Rudden (.388, 31-for-80), DH/OF/1B Mike Sokol (.376, 47-for-125), junior C Jake Fox (.358, 48-for-134) and senior OF Gino Lollio (.331, 46-for-139).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423