Michigan
27-20, 14-10
Northwestern
23-19, 13-11
Taylor's Shutout Gives Michigan Split with Northwestern
5/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Scores: Michigan 3, Northwestern 0; Northwestern 8, Michigan 3 (8 innings)
Records: U-M (27-21, 14-11 Big Ten), Northwestern (24-19, 14-11 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Sunday, May 11 -- vs. Northwestern (Ray Fisher Stadium), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada) pitched a three-hit shutout to beat Northwestern 3-0 in the opener as the University of Michigan baseball team split a Big Ten doubleheader at Ray Fisher Stadium Saturday afternoon (May 10). Northwestern scored five times in the eighth inning for an 8-3 extra-inning win in the nightcap behind the five-hit pitching of Dan Brauer (5-2).
| | Taylor has recorded five wins and a no-decision in his last six starts for the Wolverines. |
Taylor (7-1) retired the first nine batters he faced before allowing a leadoff single by NU 2B Eric Roeder in the fourth inning. Taylor allowed two hits in the sixth inning but used a double play to get out of the inning.
The Wolverine defense came through for Taylor as senior CF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) made a diving catch in right-center to save a run in the fourth inning and fifth-year senior 1B Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) made a pair of nice stops. In the seventh inning with one on and one out, pinch hitter Stanley Finch grounded the ball down the first base line and Sokol knocked it down to keep the ball fair and Taylor scooped it up and beat the runner to the base for the second out of the inning, which kept the tying run out of the batter's box.
The Wolverines, facing three-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week J.A. Happ, who fanned 16 Iowa Hawkeyes in seven innings a week ago, scored all three runs in the fourth inning of the opener, with senior 2B Jordan Cantalamessa (Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) starting the rally with a single to right-center.
Sokol slammed the first pitch into the rightfield corner for his third double of the weekend and Cantalamessa scored all the way from first with the winning run. Junior DH Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) doubled to right-center with two outs to score Sokol and sophomore RF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic HS) drove in Roberts from second on an infield single up the middle.
Michigan junior RHP Bobby Garza (Southgate, Mich./Anderson HS) was the hard-luck loser for the Wolverines in the second game, allowing just two earned runs in 7.1 innings of work as his record dropped to 5-2.
The Wolverines scored three runs in the second inning of game two as junior catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) opened the inning with a sharp single to left and Cantalamessa drew a four-pitch walk. Sokol drilled a single off the third baseman to make the score 1-0 and then Roberts dumped a single into centerfield and the bases were loaded with no outs. Freshman LF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) singled to right to make the score 2-0 and Butler hit a sacrifice fly to score Sokol and the lead was 3-0.
Garza retired the first six batters, but Northwestern bounced back in the top of the third as singles by LF Dan Pohlman, catcher Ken Padgett and Roeder produced a run and put runners on first and third. The Wildcats took advantage of the first Michigan error of the day, on a double-play grounder, to tie the score 3-3.
Garza (5-2) allowed just two singles from the fourth through the seventh innings, but Padgett led off the eighth with his third hit of the game and eventually scored the winning run, the only earned run of the five-run eighth inning. DH Mark Ori, the probable starting pitcher on Sunday (May 11) for the Wildcats, singled to center off redshirt freshman reliever Ali Husain (Ann Arbor, Mich./Ypsilanti HS) to knock in Padgett, who had reached third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt by Roeder.
Brauer gained control after allowing the Wolverines the three runs on four hits in the second inning as he yielded just one hit in the final six innings, but that one hit led to a scoring chance as Roberts collected his third hit of the doubleheader in the fourth inning. Schmidt forced Roberts for the second out of the inning but then stole second and reached third on a wild pitch before Butler drew a walk. Lollio grounded out to end the threat.
Brauer retired 12 of the final 13 batters, with Lollio's seventh-inning walk providing the last Wolverine base runner of the game.
Roberts had three hits to lead Michigan's 14-hit attack in the doubleheader, while Butler, Schmidt and Sokol each collected two hits.
The Wolverines conclude the weekend series with Northwestern on Sunday (May 11, 1 p.m.) with sophomore RHP Phil Tognetti (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS), 5-3 with a 3.59 ERA, listed as the probable U-M starter. The eight Wolverine seniors will be introduced before the start of their final scheduled home game as part of the Mother's Day contest.
N O T E S
Brock Koman's first-game single moves his career hit total to 265, two shy of Ken Hayward (267, 1982-85) for third on the U-M career hit list, and the one total base gives him 426 to snap his tie with Jim Paciorek (425, 1979-82) for fourth. He is just one total base behind Hayward (427) in third.
Koman played in his 204th and 205th games as a Wolverine on Saturday to tie and then move ahead of former teammate Scott Tousa (204 games, 1998-2001) into eighth place on the all-time Michigan games played list. Bryan Besco (207 games, 1995-99) is seventh.
Mike Sokol's game-winning double in Saturday's opener gives him the team doubles lead at 18, with Brock Koman (17) and Jake Fox (16) close behind. The double was Sokol's 44th career double and he ranks ninth. Sokol has two game-winning hits this season.
Sophomore RF Matt Butler had a busy day as he went 2-for-2 in the opener and had a sacrifice fly and a walk in the second game. He reached base four times in five plate appearances.
Freshman OF Mike Schmidt collected a pinch hit in the opener of the doubleheader and added a run-scoring single in the nightcap for his first Big Ten hits at Ray Fisher Stadium. He is hitting .333 in Big Ten play (3-for-9). His other hit was a run-scoring single at Iowa.
Michigan's doubleheader split with Northwestern was the first in eight twinbill for the Wolverines. Michigan has swept five doubleheaders at Bethune-Cookman (March 1), at Iowa (March 30), vs. Michigan State (April 19), vs. Penn State (April 26) and at Ohio State (May 3) while losing two vs. Minnesota (April 6) and vs. Illinois (April 12).
Michigan's hitting leaders after 48 games include (80 plate appearances minimum): senior 3B Brock Koman at .376 (70-for-186), juunior C Jake Fox (.355, 61-for-172), senior 1B Mike Sokol (.355, 60-for-169), sophomore SS Nick Rudden (.353, 42-for-119) and senior OF Gino Lollio (.341, 63-for-185).
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Taylor, Drew (7-1)
L: J.A. Happ (7-4)
Base Running:
HBP: Dan Pohlman 1
Batting:
2B: Sokol, Mike 1 ; Roberts, Brandon 1
RBI: Sokol, Mike 1 ; Roberts, Brandon 1 ; Butler, Matt 1
SH: Rudden, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cantalamessa, Jordan 1 ; Sokol, Mike 1 ; Roberts, Brandon 1
CS: Butler, Matt 1
