Sokol's Walk-Off Grand Slam Stuns Purdue in Opener

Friday, May 17

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

19-31, 12-16

Purdue

23-30, 12-17

Purdue

Michigan

5/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior/junior co-captain Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) launched a dramatic grand slam homer off the Track Building in rightfield with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lead the University of Michigan baseball team to a 6-3 Big Ten win over Purdue Friday afternoon (May 17) at Ray Fisher Stadium.

Sokol

Sokol was 3-for-5 in the game and the homer was his second of the season and gave the Wolverines (19-31, 12-16 Big Ten) the comeback win after allowing Purdue (23-30, 12-17 Big Ten) to take the lead in the top of the ninth.

Senior RHP Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) battled for the win, pitching his seventh complete game of the season and allowing just five hits and three runs (one earned). Korecky (5-6) was his own worst enemy, making both of Michigan's errors in the game. His errant pickoff set up the first run of the game, scored on a squeeze bunt by Purdue 1B Kris Luce in the fourth inning, and Korecky's fielding error loaded the bases during Purdue's two-run ninth.

Purdue used a pair of sacrifice flies in the ninth by 3B John Gusich (to tie) and pinch hitter Adam Fazio (to take the lead) to grab a 3-2 lead and set up the wild finish.

After taking the lead Purdue LHP Brent Coudron (3-6) entered the game to pitch the ninth inning looking for his third save of the year. Coudron hit leadoff batter RF Matt Butler (Glendale Heights, Ill./Driscoll Catholic HS) with a 1-2 pitch and he made an error on junior CF Blake Rutkowski's (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) sacrifice bunt, giving the Wolverines a pair of runners with no outs.

Junior SS Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) moved the runners along with an infield grounder to second base. Purdue's Gusich made a fine defensive play on a grounder by sophomore LF Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) and threw Butler out at the plate for what would have been the third out of the inning.

The crowd thought the game had been tied on a Coudron wild pitch, but the ball nicked sophomore catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) to load the bases as Rutkowski's potential tying run was returned to third base. Sokol added to the drama, hitting a soft line drive to right that landed just foul, and Purdue catcher David Harrell made a save on another potential wild pitch to keep Purdue in the lead. Sokol then lined the 1-2 pitch for the game-winning homer.

The Wolverines trailed 1-0 with two outs in the sixth inning when Fox hit his team-leading ninth home run to tie the score against Purdue ace RHP Chadd Blasko. The veteran Blasko worked the first 6.2 innings and left the game on a pitch count with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Purdue lefty Brian Karpel replaced Blasko and was greeted by a double by Butler. Karpel's wild pitch put Butler on third and he scored the go-ahead run on Rutkowski's infield single.

Sokol's three hits paced the 12-hit Wolverine attack that featured two hits each by Butler, Koman and Fox.

Michigan (19-31, 12-16 Big Ten) hosts Purdue in a Big Ten doubleheader Saturday (May 18, 1 p.m.) with junior LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS) and junior RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) on the mound. Hill, with seven consecutive Big Ten complete games, is 3-6 with a 3.50 ERA, while Brauer is 3-6 (5.40 ERA).

N O T E S

Senior/junior DH Mike Sokol's walk-off grand slam home run was the first for the Wolverines since Casey Close, who was Baseball America's College Player of the Year in 1986, beat the defending national champion Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes in the 10th inning (7-5) in the championship game of the Wheaties Tournament April 6, 1986, in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.

Sokol's game-winning homer was the first (non-grand slam) for the Wolverines since Rob Bobeda beat UNLV in the 10th inning in a tournament game at Texas A&M (3/22/99) and the first "gamer" at Ray Fisher Stadium since Andy Wade beat Siena Heights (4/23/95).

Sokol's 3-for-5 game was his 13th multiple-hit game of the season and his 29th career multiple-hit game and his eighth career three-hit game.

Senior RHP Bobby Korecky's complete game was his seventh in 11 starts in 2002 and his 20th career complete game in 35 starts. With his nine innings vs. Purdue on Friday, Korecky pushed his career innings pitched total to 295.1 innings, which ranks second on Michigan's all-time list.

Junior SS Brock Koman's 2-for-4 game was his 20th multiple hit of the season and the 54th of his career. He now has hits in 21 of the last 23 games, 43 of the 50 games this season and in 85 of his last 102 games the past two seasons. Koman has 195 career hits.

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 50 games (36 at-bat minimum) include: junior SS Brock Koman (.377, 69-for-183), senior/junior DH Mike Sokol (.327, 48-for-147), sophomore C Jake Fox (.318, 41-for-129), junior OF Gino Lollio (.299, 44-for-147), sophomore LF Brandon Roberts (.288 (47-for-163) and senior RHP/2B/DH/LF Bobby Korecky (.288, 15-for-52).

Michigan's Big Ten-only hitting leaders after 28 games include: SS Brock Koman (.396, 38-for-96), DH/1B Mike Sokol (.369, 24-for-65), OF Matt Butler (.316, 25-for-79), C Jake Fox (.311, 23-for-74) and OF Brandon Roberts (.273, 27-for-99).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423