Six-Run Seventh Boosts Michigan Over Golden Grizzlies

Wednesday, April 16

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

16-15

Oakland

13-18

Oakland

Michigan

Six-Run Seventh Boosts Michigan Over Golden Grizzlies

4/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) paced the offense with two doubles and a triple, but it was junior RHP Bobby Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS) who closed out the University of Michigan baseball team's 10-9 win over Oakland in non-conference action Wednesday afternoon (April 16) at Ray Fisher Stadium.

Leveque allowed two hits and fanned three in 2.1 innings to earn his first win of 2003.

The Wolverines (16-15) used a six-run seventh-inning rally for a comeback win over Oakland (13-18) and held off the Golden Grizzlies in the ninth to record their third straight win. Garza, who shares the team lead in wins (3), collected his first career save as he struck out Oakland's Brad Leach to end the game with the bases loaded.

Senior RHP Tim Leveque (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS) the third of five Wolverine pitchers, earned his first win of the season as he collected the final out of the sixth inning with Oakland holding an 8-3 lead and tossed a pair of scoreless innings, allowing the Wolverines to battle back with one run in the sixth and six more in the seventh. Leveque, who earned his sixth career win as a Wolverine, struck out three batters to move his bullpen totals to 17 strikeouts in 17.1 innings of work in 12 appearances.

Fox gave the Wolverines a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a long triple off the top of the fence in left-center gap, and he smashed a two-run double in the seventh that tied the game at 8-8. Moments later junior RF Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) singled to left, driving in Fox with the winning run. Roberts leads the team with four game-winning RBI.

Freshman 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) made his third consecutive start and played another solid game as he singled in the third and scored all the way from first on a bunt single by sophomore 2B Nick Rudden (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) and a throwing error. Scheidt started the six-run seventh inning rally with a walk and knocked in the final run of the inning with a infield groundout.

In the seventh-inning rally Scheidt walked and moved to second as Rudden was hit by a pitch. Fifth-year senior 1B Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) singled to score the first run, and senior DH Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) singled in the second run and before time was called Koman advanced to second base as the potential tying run. Fox doubled to score Sokol and Koman and the score was tied at 8-8.

While Fox led the Wolverines with three hits in the 13-hit Wolverine attack, Rudden, Sokol and Roberts each chipped in with two, and Sokol and Roberts each had a double.

Oakland scored six runs on long homers as catcher John Sullivan hit a monster two-run homer over the NCAA logo on the hitting backdrop in dead center in the second inning for a 2-1 lead and first baseman Peter Varon snapped a 3-3 tie with a grand slam homer off the track building in rightfield in the fifth inning. Sullivan paced Oakland's 14-hit offense with three hits and added a sacrifice fly.

Michigan travels to Lansing, Mich., on Friday night (April 18, 6 p.m.) to face Big Ten archrival Michigan State in Oldsmobile Park in the start of a four-game weekend series that includes Saturday's (April 19, 1 p.m.) home doubleheader at Fisher Stadium and Sunday's (April 20, 1 p.m.) series finale at Kobs Field on the MSU campus.

Sophomore RHP Michael Penn (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian HS) is listed as the probable starter for the Wolverines in the opener. Penn is 1-5 with a 5.36 ERA and leads the Wolverines in strikeouts (36) and innings pitched (45.1).

N O T E S

Junior catcher Jake Fox is 5-for-7 so far this week with two doubles, two triples and five RBI. Fox has jumped his batting average to .376 and he leads the team with 21 extra-base hits, including 14 doubles, two triples and eight homers. He leads the team with his 38 RBI and his .709 slugging percentage.

Fox with three RBI in the win over Oakland grabbed the team lead with 38 as he snapped the three-way tie at 35 with Brock Koman (36) and Jordan Cantalamessa (35).

Senior 3B Brock Koman had one hit vs. Oakland, moving his career hit total to 246, which is good for fifth on Michigan's all-time hit list. Koman needs eight hits to tie Jim Paciorek (254, 1979-82) for fourth place.

Koman's seventh-inning single, which extended his hitting streak to 12 games, moved his career total-base total to 395, snapping his tie for fifth place on the all-time U-M total base chart with Jason Alacaraz (394, 1996-99).

Michigan's hitting leaders after 31 games include (37 plate appearances minimum): sophomore SS Nick Rudden (.422, 27-for-64), senior 3B Brock Koman (.398, 51-for-128), DH/OF/1B Mike Sokol (.380, 41-for-108), junior C Jake Fox (.376, 44-for-117), senior OF Gino Lollio (.336, 41-for-122) and sophomore OF Matt Butler (.314, 11-for-35).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423