Michigan Loses Extra-Inning Heartbreaker at MSU

Friday, April 17

East Lansing, Mich.

3:05 PM

Michigan

20-15, 0

Michigan State

13-21, 0

Michigan

Michigan State

4/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Site: East Lansing, Mich. (Kobs Field)
Result: Michigan State 8, Michigan 7 (11 innings)
Records: U-M (20-15, 4-6 Big Ten), Michigan State (13-21, 4-6 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 18 -- vs. Michigan State (Wilpon Baseball Complex), 1:05 p.m.

Boxscore | Postgame Notes

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team had an early lead, saw it slip away and regained the lead twice more, only to lose in 11 innings to host Michigan State on Friday afternoon (April 17) at Kobs Field. Junior Mike Dufek's (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) dramatic two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th put the Wolverines on top, but the Spartans roared back for two runs in the 10th and one in the 11th for the victory.

Senior starting pitcher Chris Fetter(Carmel, Ind./Carmel) pitched through eight innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out six before taking a no-decision as the U-M bullpen, which used three different relievers over the final one-and-two-thirds innings, could not hold the lead twice in the late innings.

Scoreless through the first two innings, the Michigan offense came alive in the third, scoring four times. Sophomore shortstop Anthony Toth(Lorain, Ohio/St. Ignatius) provided a leadoff single and scored the first run on an RBI single by senior second baseman Kevin Cislo(Novi, Mich./Novi). Senior leftfielder Kenny Fellows(Holt, Mich./Holt) then drove home freshman third baseman John Lorenz(Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) -- who had walked -- giving the Maize and Blue a 2-0 lead. A pair of sacrifice flies from sophomore centerfielder Ryan LaMarre(Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) and Dufek gave Fetter the 4-0 cushion.

The Spartans came right back with a pair of runs in their half of the third on an error by Lorenz and a sacrifice fly, cutting the U-M lead to 4-2, where it stayed until the fifth when MSU got a leadoff homer off Fetter to get within one, 4-3.

The U-M offense provided an insurance run for Fetter in the eighth when junior rightfielder Nick Urban(Whitehall, Mich./Whitehall) doubled and scored on an RBI single by Toth, giving the Wolverines a 5-3 advantage.

Sophomore righthander Tyler Burgoon(Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) came on to work the ninth and was touched up for a pair of runs, both unearned on his own errant throw on a bunt attempt that cleared the bases and tied the game at 5-5. With the bases loaded after a pair of intentional walks, Burgoon got help from his defense as Cislo turned a rare 4-2-5 double play and then made a highlight-reel stab and flip to second on a ball headed into centerfield to preserve the tie and send the game to extra frames.

In the 10th, Dufek grabbed the momentum for the Wolverines with a two-run homer to right centerfield, which gave U-M a 7-5 lead and new life, but in the bottom of the inning, the Spartans rallied again, scoring twice off the pitching combination of Burgoon, sophomore Matt Miller(Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) and junior Eric Katzman(Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) to again extend the contest with the score tied at 7-7.

Sophomore catcher Chris Berset(Vienna, Va./Heights School) led off the U-M 11th with a single to center but was erased on a double-play ball by Lorenz. After Cislo was hit by a pitch, he was erased attempting to steal second to end the Michigan threat.

In the 11th, off tomorrow's expected starter Katzman, the Spartans put together one final rally, scoring the winning run on a two-out grounder to short that got under the glove of Toth, making the final 8-7.

Toth was 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and Berset added a pair of hits in five chances, while Dufek posted a team-best three RBI in the loss.

The Maize and Blue will be back in action at the Wilpon Baseball Complex on Saturday (April 18) for game two of the three-game series with the Spartans with first pitch slated for 1:05 pm. Prior to the game, the baseball program will retire former Wolverine pitcher Jim Abbott's No. 31 jersey in a ceremony beginning 20 minutes prior to first pitch.

N O T E S

Michigan (20-15, 4-6 Big Ten) dropped into a tie for seventh place in the Big Ten with Michigan State (13-21, 4-6 Big Ten) after Friday's (April 17) 8-7 loss at MSU. In other Big Ten action Friday, Ohio State beat Purdue, 1-0, Penn State beat Indiana, 9-7, and Northwestern topped Iowa, 4-3. Minnesota was playing at Illinois in the only night game on Friday.

Junior/sophomore SS Anthony Toth was 3-for-5 in Friday's 11-inning loss at MSU as he extended his current hitting streak to six games. Toth collected the first three-hit game of his career and it was his 14th multi-hit game of the season. Toth, who is hitting .339 (42-for-124), has hits in 19 of his last 21 games.

Junior 1B Mike Dufek was 1-for-4 in Friday's 8-7 loss at MSU with his team-leading 12th homer of the season, a two-run shot, that gave the Wolverines a 7-5 lead in the 10th inning. Dufek's extra-inning homer extended his current team-leading hitting streak to nine games. Dufek, who is hitting .328 (45-for-137), has hits in 24 of his last 25 games and ranks second on the team with 41 RBI.

Junior catcher Chris Berset was 2-for-5 with a double at MSU for his first multi-hit game of the season after returning to the lineup vs. Eastern Michigan on Wednesday (April 15). Five of Berset's eight hits this season have been for extra bases with four doubles and a homer.

Senior RHP Chris Fetter pitched eight innings, allowing eight hits and three runs, one earned, in a no-decision start. Fetter is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA, and his six strikeouts pushed his team-leading total to 70 in 65.1 innings.

Fetter pushed his career strikeout total to 248. Fetter ranks fourth on U-M's career strikeout list and next up on the U-M K list is Fritz Fisher (259 Ks, 1961-63) in third place.

Fetter has a 26-8 career record and is tied for fourth on U-M's career win list with Jim Abbott (26 wins, 1986-88). Next on U-M's career win list is Steve Howe (1977-79) in third place with 27 victories.

Sophomore CF Ryan LaMarre, who leads the Wolverines with a .373 (47-for-126) average in overall action and .455 (15-for-33) clip in Big Ten play, was 1-for-3 with a walk, a sac fly, a stolen base and one RBI. LaMarre leads the team with 45 RBI.

Senior OF Kenny Fellows was 1-for-4 on Friday at MSU as he extended his current hitting streak to a season-high seven games and moved his overall batting average to .349 (44-for-126), which ranks second on the team. Fellows, who added his ninth stolen base of the season, has hits in 18 of his last 21 games.

Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423