Wolverine Bats Awaken to Salvage Game Three at Ohio State

Sunday, May 3

Columbus, Ohio

1:00 PM

Michigan

24-21, 0

Ohio State

34-11, 0

Michigan

Ohio State

Wolverine Bats Awaken to Salvage Game Three at Ohio State

5/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Site: Columbus, Ohio (Bill Davis Stadium)
Score: Michigan 9, Ohio State 2
Records: U-M (24-21, 7-11 Big Ten), OSU (34-11, 13-5 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, May 5 -- at Western Michigan (Kalamazoo, Mich.), 3:05 p.m.

Boxscore | Postgame Notes

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The University of Michigan baseball team pounded out 11 hits and scored nine runs, including three in the first, as it salvaged the final game of the weekend series at Ohio State on Sunday (May 3) with a 9-2 victory at Bill Davis Stadium, helping the Maize and Blue stay one-half game behind Purdue in the Big Ten playoff race.

Junior first baseman Mike Dufek(Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) went 3-for-5 with a team-high three runs batted in, while sophomore centerfielder Ryan LaMarre(Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi), senior third baseman Tim Kalczynski(Farmington Hills, Mich./Brother Rice) and sophomore designated hitter Jake McLouth(Whitehall, Mich./Grand Rapids CC) each added a pair of hits, with McLouth also driving in two runs.

The Wolverines wasted no time staking junior starting pitcher Eric Katzman(Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) to a lead, scoring three unearned runs in the first inning to jump on top 3-0. After fifth-year senior leadoff man Kenny Fellows(Holt, Mich./Holt) reached on an error by the OSU shortstop to start the inning, Dufek delivered an RBI double and junior second baseman Nick Urban(Whitehall, Mich./Whitehall) added an RBI groundout, before McLouth capped the scoring with an RBI single of his own.

The Wolverines added a run in the third on another RBI single by McLouth to take a 4-0 lead as Katzman continued to dominate the Buckeye hitters, striking out four -- all in a row -- through the first three innings and allowing just one hit.

Katzman ran into trouble in the fifth, loading the bases with one out and then hitting OSU's Ryan Dew with a two-out breaking ball to force home the first Buckeye run of the day before getting his fifth strikeout of the game to end the rally with the Maize and Blue still on top 5-1.

The Wolverines got that run right back in the sixth when Kalczynski led off the frame with a double and later scored on successive wild pitches to give U-M a 6-1 lead.

Junior Alan Oaks(White Lake, Mich./Divine Child) moved from rightfield to relieve Katzman on the mound in the sixth and was touched up for a run in the frame but got out of the jam and then again in the seventh, preserving a 7-2 Michigan lead through seven.

Michigan padded the lead in the eighth with a pair of runs as Kalczynski led off with his second double of the game and scored on fielder's choice from sophomore shortstop Anthony Toth(Lorain, Ohio/St. Ignatius), who later came around on an RBI single by Dufek to make it 9-2.

That score held true through the final inning as Oaks earned his first save of the season, going the final four innings and allowing just one run; Katzman moved to 7-4 with the victory.

The Wolverines return to the diamond on Tuesday (May 5) when they travel to Hyames Field to take on the Western Michigan Broncos in a non-conference midweek matchup at 3:05 pm.

N O T E S

Michigan (24-21, 7-11 Big Ten) remained in seventh place in the conference standings -- just behind Purdue (7-10) -- with Sunday's (May 3) 9-2 win at Ohio State (34-11, 13-5 Big Ten). The U-M win, which snapped a four-game Wolverine losing streak -- the longest since 2005 -- knocked OSU out of first place. In other Big Ten action Sunday, Purdue stayed in sixth place with its 5-2 win over fourth-place Indiana (11-6) and Michigan State (11-7) remained in fifth place with a 6-5 comeback win for a sweep over eighth-place Penn State (5-13). Illinois (14-4) took over first place with a 9-0 win for a sweep at ninth-place Northwestern (3-13), and Minnesota (13-4) moved into second place ahead of OSU with a 12-3 win for a sweep vs. 10th-place Iowa.

Junior 1B Mike Dufek was 3-for-5 with a double and three runs batted in to pace U-M's offense in the 9-2 win over Ohio State on Sunday. Dufek's team-leading 19th double gave U-M a 1-0 lead in the first inning and proved to be his team-leading seventh game-winning RBI of the season and the 10th 'gamer' of his Wolverine career. Dufek, who is hitting .310 (54-for-174), used his seventh three RBI game of the season to grab a share of the team RBI lead (48) with OF Ryan LaMarre. Dufek leads the team with five three-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games and shares the team lead with 16 multi-hit games.

Sophomore OF Ryan LaMarre was 2-for-4, scored twice and collected a pair of stolen bases Sunday in the win at Ohio State. LaMarre moved his overall batting average to .338 (52-for-154) to share the team lead with OF Kenny Fellows and he regained the team lead in Big Ten action with a .328 (20-for-61) mark. LaMarre helped the Wolverines build the lead at OSU as he singled, stole second base and scored in both the third and fifth innings. LaMarre ranks third on the team with 11 stolen bases.

Junior/sophomore DH Jake McLouth was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI singles at OSU on Sunday. McLouth collected his seventh multi-hit game of the season and pushed his RBI total to 18.

Senior co-captain Tim Kalczynski was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles while making just his third start of the season at third base. Kalczynski, who extended his career-best hitting streak to five games, doubled leading off both the sixth and eighth innings to start two-run rallies for the Wolverines. Kalczynski and freshman C/DH Coley Crank share the current team lead with five-game hit streaks.

Junior LHP Eric Katzman collected his team-leading seventh win of the season, working the first five innings at Ohio State. Katzman allowed four hits and one run while striking out five in the win. Katzman is 7-4 with a 2.94 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 64.1 innings. Katzman earned his 12th career win with Sunday's decision.

Junior OF/RHP Alan Oaks, who started Sunday's series finale against OSU in rightfield, pitched the final four innings to record his first career save. Oaks allowed five hits and one run against the Buckeyes.

Junior/sophomore SS Anthony Toth was 1-for-3 and scored three runs in the win at OSU on Sunday. Toth, who is hitting .321 (52-for-162) to rank third on the team in hitting, has hits in 25 of his last 31 games. Toth, the only Wolverine to start all 45 games at the same defensive position, is hitting .304 (21-for-69) in Big Ten play.

Senior OF Kenny Fellows, who shares the team lead in hitting (.338, 54-for-160) with Ryan LaMarre, was 0-for-2 'officially' vs. OSU on Sunday but chipped in to help U-M get the win. Fellows reached on an error to lead off the game, collected his team-leading 15th stolen base and scored the first run. Later in the game, Fellows was hit by a pitch and set up a pair of runs in the sixth and eighth innings with sac bunts following Kalczynski's leadoff doubles. Fellows leads the team with seven sac bunts.

Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423