Hawkeyes Hand Wolverines Hard-Luck Road Loss

Saturday, March 28

Iowa City, Iowa

Noon CT

Michigan

15-7, 0

Iowa

9-11, 0

Michigan

Iowa

3/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Site: Iowa City, Iowa. (Duane Banks Field)
Result: Iowa 2, Michigan 1
Records: U-M (15-7, 1-1), Iowa (9-11, 1-1)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 29 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 1 p.m. CDT

Boxscore | Postgame Notes

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Michigan baseball bats struggled to get going in the frigid temperatures on Saturday (March 28), mustering only one run on six hits in a 2-1 loss at Iowa at Duane Banks Field. The loss evened the weekend series at a game apiece.

Senior second baseman Kevin Cislo(Novi, Mich./Novi) posted U-M's lone RBI and was one of six different Wolverines with a base hit in the contest. Junior starting pitcher Eric Katzman (Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) took the hard-luck loss -- his second of the season -- striking out three through six-and-one-third innings of work.

Iowa jumped on top first, scoring a run in the fifth off Katzman on an RBI single by shortstop Justin Toole to take a 1-0 lead. Meanwhile, Hawkeye starting pitcher Jarred Hippen held the Wolverine bats at bay as wind-chill temperatures reached into the low 20's, fanning a career-high nine over six-and-two-thirds innings.

Michigan threatened to score a number of times, putting runners at third in the second, third and fifth innings but were unable to push a run across.

The Wolverines finally got on the board in the seventh inning, putting together a two-out rally that started with a double down the leftfield line by senior catcher Tim Kalczynski(Farmington Hills, Mich./Brother Rice). Kalczynski was lifted for pinch runner Nick Urban, who came around to score on a single through the left side by Cislo to tie the game at 1-1.

The Hawkeyes answered with the go-ahead run in their half of the seventh inning. Three Wolverine pitchers could not put out the fire as Iowa pushed across the game-winning run on a wild pitch by sophomore Tyler Burgoon(Defiance, Ohio/Defiance), making it 2-1.

The Wolverines went down in order in each of their final two at bats as Iowa closed out the one-run victory.

The Wolverines are back in action on Sunday (March 29) for game three of the conference-opening series with the Hawkeyes at Duane Banks Field. Inclement weather is expected in the Iowa City, Iowa, area Saturday night and into the morning Sunday, but first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CDT.

N O T E S

Senior tri-captain 2B Kevin Cislo went 1-for-3 with a run-scoring single in the seventh inning that tied the game 1-1. Cislo has hits in 18 of his last 19 games and has reached base in all 22 games this season. Cislo, who reached base in his last 45 games of 2008, has reached base in 67 consecutive games.

Cislo (28-for-83, .337) shares the team-batting lead with sophomore CF Ryan LaMarre, who is 29-for-86 for a .337 average.

Junior 1B Mike Dufek extended his team-leading and career-best hitting streak to 13 games with a second-inning double. Dufek, who is hitting .333 (28-for-84), leads the team with 10 doubles.

Junior/sophomore SS Anthony Toth used a third-inning double to extend his career-best hitting streak to eight games. Toth, who is hitting .307 (23-for-75), has hits in 12 of his last 13 games.

Senior co-captain Tim Kalczynski was 1-for-3 with his first double of the season. Kalczynski, who is hitting .400 (2-for-5) in Big Ten play, extended his career-best hitting streak to three games.

Junior LHP Eric Katzman pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and two runs. Katzman (3-2) left the game in a 1-1 tie but was responsible for the winning run that scored on a wild pitch. Katzman kept his ERA at 2.84, and he has 30 strikeouts in 31.2 innings.

Freshman 3B John Lorenz was 1-for-4, extending his hitting streak to five games.

Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423