Hill, Koman Combine to Lead Wolverines Past Penn State

Sunday, May 20

Columbus, Ohio

12:05 PM

Michigan

28-27

Penn State

29-29

Penn State

Michigan

Hill, Koman Combine to Lead Wolverines Past Penn State

5/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- University of Michigan sophomore LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS) allowed three hits and two runs in 7.2 innings and made sophomore 3B Brock Koman's (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) three-run, first-inning homer stand up in a 10-2 win over Penn State Sunday morning (May 20) in Big Ten Baseball Tournament play in Bill Davis Stadium.

The win for the Wolverines (28-27) was their first of the year over Penn State and the loss eliminated the Nittany Lions (29-29) from the tournament. U-M's win over PSU leaves three teams alive in the tournament, and Michigan will face Minnesota later on Sunday. Michigan, seeded sixth, has eliminated No. 2 seed Purdue and No. 4 seed Penn State.

Hill (3-5) and sophomore RHP Tim Leveque (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS) combined for a three-hitter. Leveque retired the final four batters of the game. Hill escaped the first inning in which he faced six batters, allowing one hit with two walks and two strikeouts and leaving the bases loaded.

The Wolverines jumped on Penn State RHP Justin Nash in the bottom of the first inning. Nash walked the first two batters -- senior 2B Scott Tousa (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS) and junior/sophomore DH Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) -- and top hitter Koman hit his team-leading 14th homer. Koman moved his RBI total to 59.

Nash retired eight straight until Koman singled with two outs in the third. After a walk to catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS), sophomore LF Jordan Cantalamessa (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) singled to left, but Koman was out at the plate on a throw from PSU LF Rod Perry.

Hill faced three batters in the fifth inning. He walked his sixth batter of the game -- matching his previous team-high six vs. Michigan State earlier in May -- but senior middle infielders Tousa and SS Bill LaRosa (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) turned a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Michigan added a pair of runs in the fifth inning as Tousa singled to center and moved to third on a groundout and a passed ball. Tousa broke for the plate on Koman's slow roller to short and he scored easily on a two-base error. Fox singled Koman to third to knock Nash out of the game. Cantalamessa greeted reliever Aaron Tressler with a sacrifice fly.

Hill worked a scoreless sixth, walking one for a season-high seven walks, and he added two more strikeouts for nine in the game and 72 for the season.

The Wolverines put the game away with five runs in the seventh inning as Fox drove a run with a double and junior/sophomore 1B Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS) singled with the bases loaded for two more runs and Cantalamessa scored from first on a throwing error. Sophomore RF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) closed out the scoring with a run-scoring single to drive in Wright.

With the win Michigan will play Minnesota in Sunday's third game at 4:05 p.m. If Minnesota beats Ohio State in the 12:35 p.m. game, the Wolverines will have to beat the Golden Gophers twice to win the title. If Ohio State wins at 12:35 p.m., the winner of the 4:05 p.m. game will play OSU for the championship.

N O T E S

Scott Tousa had one hit vs. Penn State Sunday morning, pushing his career hit total to 216 to break the tie for seventh place on the all-time Michigan hit list with Phil Price (215 hits, 1987-90). Next is former teammate Bobby Scales (226 hits, 1996-99).

Tousa added three more career at bats vs. Penn State to move his career at bat total to 693. He ranks fourth on the Michigan career at bats list.

Tousa scored twice to give him 151 career runs scored, tying him for ninth on Michigan's career list with Jim Durham (151 runs, 1986-89).

Michigan's hitting leaders (for players with at least 80 at bats) after 55 games are: sophomore 3B Brock Koman (.373, 72-for-193); senior 2B Scott Tousa (.328, 66-for-201); junior/sophomore 1B Nate Wright (.327, 52-for-159); sophomore LF Jordan Cantalamessa (.319, 53-for-166); sophomore OF Gino Lollio (.312, 40-for-128); and freshman catcher Jake Fox (.312, 49-for-157).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423