13th Unlucky for Wolverines: Ohio State Takes Opener

Wednesday, May 25

Champaign, Ill.

12:05 PM CT

Michigan

40-16

Ohio State

36-17

Ohio State

Michigan

5/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In one of the most exciting Big Ten Baseball Tournament opening games in the 25-year history of the event Ohio State used a four-run rally in the 13th inning to defeat the University of Michigan 7-3 in first-round action Wednesday afternoon (May 25) at Illinois Field. The loss drops the fourth-seeded Wolverines (40-16) into Thursday's (May 26) elimination game against third seed Iowa (27-29), while Ohio State (36-17) will play Purdue. Minnesota defeated Iowa 14-7 in the other first-round game Wednesday.

The tournament opener featured the two "winningest" teams in the Big Ten as Michigan entered the game as the only 40-game winner in the conference and had won 21 of the previous 24 games, while OSU had won 17 of 20 entering the postseason. The two teams tied for fourth place with 17-12 conference marks and U-M got the fourth based on the 11-3 victory in the nationally televised game on ESPN in the only game played between the teams during the regular season.

Wolverine starter fifth-year senior RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS), the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, entered with a 4-0 career record vs. Ohio State and he pitched a masterpiece. The good news was Brauer allowed just five hits and two runs, both unearned, in 10 innings of action. The bad news for the Wolverines was that the game went 13 innings.

Michigan's record in extra innings dropped to 1-3. In Brauer's last two starts he has pitched 18.1 innings and allowed just three earned runs in two no-decisions in games lost at Penn State in 11 innings and to OSU in 13 innings. Brauer has dropped his ERA to 2.34 in 103.2 innings of work this season.

OSU redshirt freshman RHP Rory Meister (8-0) worked 5.2 innings after replacing Buckeye starter Dan DeLucia in the eighth inning, and despite allowing two game-tying rallies he held on to record his fifth consecutive win in the last five OSU wins. He beat Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday (May 17), got three wins in the Minnesota series last weekend (May 21-22) and the fifth against the Wolverines on Wednesday.

While OSU 2B Jason Zoeller had the game-winning hit, a bouncing RBI double in the top of the 13th, it was 1B Paul Farinacci who came up with the two biggest plays of the game. He bailed Meister out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the 12th inning by starting an inning-ending double play and he pounded a two-out, three-run homer that iced the game in the 13th for the final 7-4 margin.

The Wolverines, who never led in the game but had scored in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings, had a chance to steal the game in the 12th inning. OSU had taken a 4-3 lead in the top of the 12th inning on a two-out single by RF Matt Angle off U-M's junior RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS), but the Wolverines had another comeback ready.

With one out freshman RF Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) smoked a double to left and junior 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) lined a double in the gap in left-center, scoring Pickens with the tying run. When the ball was bobbled at the fence, Getz took advantage, heading to third base with the potential winning run.

OSU followed the "baseball book" by issuing intentional walks to the next two hitters -- sophomore CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS) and senior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS) -- bringing senior LF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) to the plate. Butler, who has 16 career game-winning hits, hit a sharp grounder down the first-base line, but Farinacci, who was in tight guarding the line, made a fine stop and started an inning-ending 3-2-3 double play with catcher Eric Fryer. The fired up Buckeyes then scored four times against Feldkamp (9-4) for the win.

Ohio State opened the scoring Wednesday with a pair of unearned runs in the second inning off Brauer. With one out the Buckeyes collected back-to-back singles by 2B Zoeller and DH Wes Schirtzinger and they moved up a base on a passed ball. With two outs 1B Farinacci's grounder up the middle was deflected for an error by SS Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) and both runners scored despite the fact 2B Getz tracked down the ball and made a throw to the plate.

OSU LF Steve Caravati doubled with two outs in the third inning, but Brauer struck out 3B Ronnie Bourquin to retire the side. Brauer fanned Zoeller to open the fourth with his third strikeout of the game and his 230th career strikeout as he moved into fourth place on the all-time U-M K list, passing former teammate Rich Hill (229 strikeouts, 2000-02).

Meanwhile the Wolverines had gone into their two-out offense which included a two-out single by sophomore DH Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./River School) in the second inning and a two-out single by Getz in the third. In the fourth inning the two-out attack clicked for a run as senior/junior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) singled to left. On a 3-2 pitch with Kunkel running, Roblin lined a doubled to right-center to put Michigan on the scoreboard. In the sixth with two outs senior Butler singled up the middle, but he was left stranded at first.

OSU DH Schirtzinger singled with one out in the seventh inning to snap a streak of 11 straight Buckeyes retired by Brauer, but SS Jedidiah Stephen hit the next pitch for a 5-4-3 double play from junior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills,Mich./Lahser HS) to 2B Getz to senior 1B Bohm.

Roblin led off the seventh with a single, his third hit of the game, and he moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Scheidt. Mahler hit a rocket at Bourquin at third base for the second out, and Pickens grounded out to second to end the inning. Getz led off the eighth with his second single of the game and sophomore CF Rose advanced him with a sac bunt. With Bohm at the plate OSU made a pitching change with Meister replacing starter Dan DeLucia. Meister got Bohm on a fly to center and Butler on a grounder up the middle.

The Wolverines battled back in the ninth as Roblin walked, reaching base for the fourth time in the game. Roblin stole second base, his 17th steal of the season, and scored on a single by Scheidt. With two outs and two on, Getz grounded to short to end the rally, and the game went to extra innings.

Sophomore DH Roblin and junior 2B Getz each had three hits to pace the 13-hit Wolverine attack in the tournament opener vs. OSU and each had a crucial RBI along with 3B Scheidt as the U-M fought back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to tie the game in the ninth and 12th innings.

The Wolverines will meet Iowa in the first elimination game of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday (May 26, 12:05 p.m. CDT) at Illinois Field with senior RHP and first team All-Big Ten selection Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian) on the mound. Penn is 6-2 with a 2.67 ERA and beat Iowa during the regular season.

N O T E S

 Senior RHP Jim Brauer's 10-inning stint against Ohio State pushed his innings pitched total for the season to 103.2. Brauer became the fourth Wolverine pitcher to record more than 100 innings in a season, and his total ranks as the second best as he trails Fritz Fisher (113 innings, 1962). He moved ahead of Ray Ricken (100.2, 1994) and former teammate Bobby Korecky (101.1, 2001) during Wednesday's game.

 Brauer's career milestone numbers included another step on the career innings pitched list as his 10 innings of work moved his career innings pitched total to 296.1 and into second place ahead of Saline's Bobby Korecky (295.2, 1999-2002).

 Brauer also made a move on the U-M career strikeout chart as he fanned six in the playoff opener vs. Ohio State, moving his career total to 233. He moved into fourth place ahead of former teammate Rich Hill (229, 2000-02).

 Michigan is making its 17th appearance in the Big Ten Tournament and the Wolverines have won six championships (1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1999). Twice the Wolverines have lost the tournament opener and bounced back to play in the championship game, winning in 1987 and losing to OSU in Battle Creek, Mich., in 1994. U-M has only lost the first two games of the tournament one time, losing to host Penn State and to Illinois in 1996.

 Michigan's leading hitters after 56 games are: catcher Jeff Kunkel (67-for-169, .396), 2B Chris Getz (79-for-207, .382), 1B Kyle Bohm (80-for-211, .379), OF Matt Butler (70-for-196, .357), OF Eric Rose (41-for-132, 311) and OF Brad Roblin (43-for-145, .297).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423