U-M Eliminated from Big Ten Tournament by Penn State

Saturday, May 24

Minneapolis, Minn.

12:05 PM CT

Michigan

30-27

Penn State

29-27

Penn State

Michigan

5/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Penn State snapped a 1-1 tie with two unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning and held off a Michigan rally to take a 3-2 win over the Wolverines in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament Saturday afternoon (May 24) at Siebert Field. The loss eliminates the Wolverines and Michigan finishes the season with a 30-27 mark under first-year head coach Rich Maloney. Penn State (29-27) will play the loser of the Ohio State-Minnesota game tonight in the losers bracket final.

PSU's Josh Palm (4-6) worked the final 1.2 innings of the game to record the win after Penn State scored in the top of the ninth against Michigan junior RHP Bobby Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS). Penn State's only hit in the winning rally was a single that DH Lance Thompson lined off Garza's foot with the ball landing in short rightfield.

Garza hit catcher Matt Harter to put runners on first and second, and when 2B Mike DeRenzo greeted reliever Tim Leveque (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS) with a sacrifice bunt attempt the ball was thrown into the dirt at third for an error by fifth-year senior 1B Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS). With the bases loaded and no outs SS Willie Melendez hit a grounder to third that went for an error and the score was 2-1. Zack Smithlin knocked in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly.

Sophomore RF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic HS) opened the bottom of the inning with a single, his sixth hit of the tournament. Palm, who struck of the side in the ninth, fanned the next two batters, but senior 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) singled to keep the game alive, setting the stage for Big Ten home run and RBI leader Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS). Fox singled to center to cut the lead to 3-2, but Palm struck out Sokol to end the game and the season for the Wolverines.

The Wolverines loaded the bases vs. PSU's Jared Hopewell in the second inning when senior LF Jordan Cantalamessa (Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) singled to left and moved to second when junior DH Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) was hit by a pitch. Freshman 2B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) dropped a single into left-center, but Cantalamessa had to hold up until the ball fell in. Hopewell settled down to get a strikeout and a groundout and the Wolverines failed to score.

Penn State reached the scoreboard in the third inning off Garza as ninth batter Smithlin doubled to lead off the frame, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored as PSU's MVP Wes Reohr hit a sacrifice fly.

Michigan tied the game in the fourth inning as Cantalamessa reached on a throwing error by shortstop Willie Melendez. He moved to third on a fly ball to right by Roberts and he scored as Scheidt grounded out to second base.

N O T E S

Brock Koman finished his career with hits in 71 of his last 83 games and he moved his career total to 276 hits in second place on Michigan's all-time hit list. He finished 17 hits shy of Mike Cervenak's (1996-99) career hit mark of 293.

Matt Butler went 6-for-10 in the Big Ten Tournament with two hits in each of Michigan's three games and he now has 17 career multiple-hit games. He finished the season hitting .321 (26-for-81).

Koman's hit in his final career at-bat pushed his team-leading season total to 81 hits, good for a tie for ninth best U-M single-season total along with Jason Alcaraz (81 hits, 1999).

Koman finished with 220 at-bats in 2003 and senior CF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) finished with 219. Koman finished with the sixth best U-M season total and Lollio tied for seventh with Bryan Besco (219, 1999).

Michigan's final hitting leaders after 57 games included (100 plate appearances minimum): senior 3B Brock Koman at .368 (81-for-220), junior C Jake Fox (.357, 74-for-207), fifth-year senior 1B Mike Sokol (.340, 69-for-203), senior OF Gino Lollio (.329, 72-for-219) and sophomore SS Nick Rudden (.318, 49-for-154).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423