Collins, Schmidt Highlight Michigan Win Over Concordia

Thursday, April 10

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

13-12

Concordia (Mich.)

9-26

Concordia

Michigan

Collins, Schmidt Highlight Michigan Win Over Concordia

4/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore RHP Matt Collins (Bloomfield, Mich./Country Day) with three-hit pitching over 6.2 innings and freshman RF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) with his first career homer highlighted the University of Michigan baseball team's 11-4 non-conference victory over Concordia Thursday afternoon (April 10) at Ray Fisher Stadium. The game was added to the schedule when both teams suffered weather-related postponements during the week.

	Collins		Schmidt

The Wolverines (13-12) scored three times in the first and three times in the sixth inning and added four runs to close out the win in the eighth. Concordia starter Zach Schneider (1-5) worked the first two innings and took the loss. Collins (2-1), who entered the game with a 15.83 ERA, struggled in the first inning, allowing a run on a run-scoring groundout by Ann Arbor native Peter Thomashefski.

However, the Wolverines gained a defensive spark on an 8-3-2 double play as senior Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) made a catch in centerfield for the first out and he fired to cutoff man fifth-year senior 1B Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS), who made the throw to catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) for the double play tag at the plate to end the inning.

Lollio led off the bottom of the first with a walk, moved around to third on a pair of infield outs and scored to tie the game 1-1 on a single by junior DH Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS). Senior 2B Jordan Cantalamessa (Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) singled to send Fox to third and then he stole second base. Junior LF Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) doubled to right, giving the Wolverines a 3-1 lead. The Roberts double was the game-winning RBI.

Collins allowed a first-inning single to leadoff hitter Jake Pawlak and that was the only hit for the Cardinals until Pawlak's double in the fifth inning. Collins dropped his ERA to 9.92 with the win as he fanned six in his 6.2 innings. In fact, Collins fanned the last batter he faced in the game, but the batter reached on a wild pitch.

The Michigan bullpen retired seven straight to end the game, with senior RHP Tim Leveque (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS) getting four outs and freshman Jeff Niemiec (Livonia, Mich./Catholic Central HS) worked a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Wolverines scored once in the fifth with a single by Lollio, to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, followed by a double by Sokol and a sacrifice fly by Fox. Schmidt launched his first career homer in the sixth to make the score 6-1. Kunkel doubled to left-center and later scored on a Sokol squeeze bunt.

Concordia (9-26) scored three runs on a single and a couple of Michigan errors in the seventh inning to chase Collins, but the Wolverines countered with four runs in the eighth inning. Schmidt opened the eighth with a walk and later stole second base. With two outs Lollio walked, Sokol singled in one run and senior 3B Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) dropped a run-scoring double into right. Fox closed out the scoring with a two-run single.

Michigan hosts Illinois in a four-game Big Ten series starting Friday (April 11, 3 p.m.).

N O T E S

Senior OF Gino Lollio's fifth-inning single extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

Senior 3B Brock Koman had an eighth-inning RBI double, moving his career total to 65 doubles. He is second on the U-M career doubles list and needs just two doubles to tie the career mark of 67 set by Mike Cervenak (1996-99).

Michigan's hitting leaders after 25 games include (35 plate appearances minimum): sophomore SS Nick Rudden (.435, 20-for-46), senior 3B Brock Koman (.404, 44-for-109), junior C Jake Fox (.366, 34-for-93), sophomore OF Chris Burhans (.365, 19-for-52), senior DH/OF Mike Sokol (.352, 31-for-88) and senior OF Gino Lollio (.346, 36-for-104).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423