Host Pirates Down U-M to Open Tourney, New Stadium

Friday, March 4

Greenville, N.C.

11:00 AM

Michigan

3-2

East Carolina

6-3

Michigan

East Carolina

3/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- East Carolina 3B Mark Minicozzi's two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning snapped a 1-1 to lead the host Pirates to a 2-1 win over the University of Michigan baseball team in the first game played in Clark-LeClair Stadium during first-round action of the Keith LeClair Classic Friday (March 4).

Closer T.J. Hose (1-0), who retired all six Michigan batters he faced, collected the win for East Carolina (6-3) in the home opener for the Pirates in front of a sellout crowd of 4,410. Some ECU fans were tailgating outside the new baseball facility when the Wolverines (3-2) arrived at 8:40 a.m. for the 11 a.m. start.

Senior RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian) was the tough-luck loser for the Wolverines. Penn (1-1) had five 1-2-3 innings and had retired 10 in a row before allowing a two-out single to ECU SS Billy Richardson in the eighth inning, only the second hit of the game allowed by the Wolverine co-captain.

Senior/junior Ali Husain (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti HS) replaced Penn on the mound.After Richardson stole second base, Husain tossed a wild pitch while walking LF Drew Costanzo, putting the go-ahead un on third base. Junior RHP Jeff Niemiec (Livonia, Mich./Central Catholic HS) allowed the two-out game-winning single by Minicozzi.

The ECU pitching tandem of starter P.J. Connelly and Hose collected five 1-2-3 innings and retired the final 12 Wolverines in the game. Connelly allowed four hits and just one run in the no-decision outing that covered seven innings.

Senior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS) collected the first hit in Clark-LeClair Stadium when he led off the second inning with a single, and he became the first player to have two hits when he singled with two outs in the fourth. However, his big impact on the crowd came in the ninth inning when his towering fly to left, with a bid for the first homer that would have tied the game, sailed foul. Moments later Bohm lined out to right for the second out of the ninth.

ECU CF Jay Mattox collected the first Pirate hit in the new park -- and it was the only hit until the two-out rally in the eighth inning -- when he led off the third with a single to left. After a sacrifice bunt put him on second, Mattox advanced to third on a fielder's choice grounder as he barely beat the throw from SS Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) to junior 3B Alex Martin (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS).

Mattox gave ECU a 1-0 lead on Richardson's sacrifice fly to freshman Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) in right. Including the sac fly Penn retired 16 of the next 18 batters, with one walk and one batter reaching base on an error.

The Wolverines tied the game in the fifth inning as Martin collected his third double of the season to lead off the inning. With two outs sophomore LF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) drew a walk and senior CF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) lined a single in the gap in right-center to score Martin and send Roblin to third. Pickens lined out to right to end the threat.

Junior 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) opened the sixth inning with a walk, but that was the final base runner of the game for the Wolverines. Getz was 0-for-3 in the contest, snapping his hitting streak over the past two seasons at 12 games. He has hits in 40 of his last 44 games.

The Wolverines face No. 7 Georgia in second-round action of the Keith LeClair Invitational in the first game of Saturday's (March 5) tripleheader. Fifth-year senior RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) is slated to pitch for the Wolverines. Brauer is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and will be seeking his 16th career win for the Wolverines.

N O T E S

Senior co-captains Kyle Bohm and Matt Butler each extended hitting streaks to include all five games this season during the loss to East Carolina, while Chris Getz (four games) and senior/junior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS), at three games, had streaks snapped.

Bohm leads the Wolverines in hits with 10 followed by Getz and Butler each with nine hits. Butler leads the team with four doubles followed by 3B Alex Martin with three. Bohm and junior DH A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) share the team lead with five RBI. Martin shares the team lead with two sac flies and shares the HBP lead at two with catcher Kunkel.

Michigan has dropped two straight the hard way, losing 17-12 to St. John's and 2-1 to East Carolina.

Michigan's leading hitters after the first five games include 2B Chris Getz (9-for-19, .474), 1B Kyle Bohm (10-for-22, .455), OF Matt Butler (9-for-23, .391), OF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) at .375 (3-for-8) and catcher Jeff Kunkel (4-for-12, .333).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423