"California Kids" Combine on Three-Hitter vs. Hillsdale

Wednesday, May 15

Ann Arbor, Mich.

2:00 PM

Michigan

18-31

Hillsdale

15-29

Hillsdale

Michigan

"California Kids" Combine on Three-Hitter vs. Hillsdale

5/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan scored three times in the seventh inning and used three-hit pitching to defeat Hillsdale 3-2 Wednesday afternoon (May 15) in a non-conference baseball game at Ray Fisher Stadium.

Freshman RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS) and sophomore LHP Chad Garson (Calabasas, Calif./Harvard-Westlake HS) combined on a three-hitter as Tognetti allowed a leadoff single in the first and faced the minimum 12 batters in his four innings of work, fanning four. Garson (2-0) allowed two hits and two runs in his five innings to record his second win of the season. Garson lowered his ERA to 3.98 while making his 13th appearance of the season.

Hillsdale (15-29), coached by former Major Leaguer Paul Noce, grabbed a 1-0 lead off Garson without a hit in the seventh. The Chargers had back-to-back walks and used a sacrifice bunt with one out to put runners on second and third. Garson's wild pitch put the first run of the game on the board.

The Wolverines (18-31) exploded with six consecutive hits after two outs in the bottom of the seventh for the winning rally against Ryan Anderson, the third of four Charger pitchers. Junior CF Blake Rutkowski (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) started the two-out rally with a double to left-center and he scored on a single by junior RF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS).

Lollio raced to third on a single to right-center by junior SS Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS). Lollio scored the go-ahead run and Koman hustled to third base on a wild pitch and sophomore DH Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) singled to center to drive in the third run.

U-M loaded the bases on singles by senior/junior 1B Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS) and junior catcher Jason Wuerfel (Cedar, Mich./Glen Lake HS), but the rally stalled when Hillsdale's Marcus Harris moved from CF to the pitching mound and he retired freshman LF Matt Butler (Glendale Heights, Ill., Driscoll Catholic HS) on a 3-1 grounder on a 3-2 pitch.

Harris, after making the nice defensive play, led off the eighth with a double, only the second hit of the game for the Chargers. Harris moved up on a pair of fly balls with SS Aaron Turner getting the sacrifice fly for the RBI.

Hillsdale put two on after two out in the ninth as 1B Kevin Gilchrist singled and losing pitcher Anderson, who moved to rightfield during the seventh-inning pitching change, walked. Garson battled for the win by getting LF Tony DeMonaco to ground out to Koman to end the game.

Lollio paced the Wolverines as he reached base four times, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, and he also had a sacrifice bunt. Wright, wearing jersey No. 35 for the first time in his career, had two hits as did sophomore 3B Brandon Jominy (Coral Springs, Fla./Westminster Academy). Jominy and Rutkowski had doubles, the lone extra-base hits for the Wolverines.

Michigan (18-31) hosts Purdue in a four-game Big Ten series to close out the regular season starting with a single nine-inning game on Friday (May 17, 3 p.m.). Senior RHP Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) is scheduled to pitch the opener. Korecky is 4-6 with 4.70 ERA.

N O T E S

Michigan's Baseball Banquet hosted by the DugOut Club will be in the Schembechler Hall Commons on Monday, May 21.

Autograph Day will be held following the Michigan-Purdue doubleheader on Saturday, May 18. The twinbill starts at 1 p.m. with the autograph session after the second game.

Michigan's hitting leaders after 49 games (36 at-bat minimum) include: junior 3B/SS Brock Koman (.374, 67-for-179), senior/junior DH Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) at .317 (45-for-142), sophomore C Jake Fox (.312, 39-for-125), junior OF Gino Lollio (.299, 44-for-147) and sophomore LF Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) at .297 (47-for-158).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423