Michigan Drops Series Finale to Illinois in Extra Innings

Sunday, April 18

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

18-14, 7-5

Illinois

12-19, 5-7

Illinois

Michigan

Michigan Drops Series Finale to Illinois in Extra Innings

4/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Illinois scored the last run on a wild pitch and claimed a 9-8 win over Michigan in 11 innings in the Big Ten baseball series finale Sunday afternoon (April 18) at Ray Fisher Stadium.

Illinois (12-19, 5-7 Big Ten) scored on a single and two wild pitches in the 11th inning, and the Fighting Illini turned their ninth double play of the weekend and third in the last three innings to close out the win as the Wolverines (18-14, 7-5 Big Ten) had loaded the bases for the third time in the final four innings.

Michigan scored three times in the eighth inning and tied the game 8-8 on a two-out, two-run single by junior 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS). Bohm, who entered the weekend leading the Big Ten with a .407 overall batting average, was 3-for-5 on Sunday to push his average to .413.

Michigan had an excellent opportunity to win the game in the 10th inning against James Morris (2-0) as the Wolverines loaded the bases without a hit. Freshman shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep), making his first Big Ten start, walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS). Rose reached on a fielding error, one of six Illini errors in the game. A wild pitch pushed the runners to second and third, and sophomore 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) received an intentional walk, loading the bases with no outs and setting the stage for junior OF Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic), the team leader with seven game-winning RBI.

Butler worked the count to 1-2 and hit a fly ball to centerfield. Vince DiMaria, who entered the game as a pinch hitter and was inserted into rightfield but moved to center as Butler came to the plate, made a strong throw to catcher Chris Robinson, who tagged Mahler for a bang-bang 8-2 double play. Bohm was walked intentionally and Morris escaped with a pop foul.

The winning rally for Illinois in the 11th was a single by 1B Trevor Frederickson off freshman LHP Michael McCormick (Goodrich, Mich./Goodrich HS), and after a wild pitch pushed him to second he was replaced at second base by pitcher/OF Ted Rowe. With one out McCormick (1-1) was replaced by freshman RHP Matt Lentz (Farmington Hills, Mich./Brother Rice). Pinch runner Rowe moved to third on a grounder and scored on a two-out wild pitch before Lentz collected a strikeout to retire the side.

Wolverine sophomore/freshman catcher Matt Rademacher (Bay City, Mich./Central HS), reached on an error to start the bottom of the 11th, and he moved to second on a Nick Rudden (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) sacrifice bunt and to third on freshman LF Brad Roblin's (Wayland, Mass./Rivers School) third hit of the game. Mahler walked to load the bases and Illinois turned a quick 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

Michigan had taken a 1-0 lead on a run-scoring double by Bohm in the first inning, regained the lead with two runs in the fourth, and made the score 5-2 with two more runs in the fifth. Roblin was in the middle of both rallies as he singled and scored in the fourth and hit a two-run double in the fifth. Roblin leads the Wolverines with a .433 (13-for-30) batting average in Big Ten play.

Illinois scored four times in the sixth inning to take a 6-5 lead, added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings, and held an 8-5 edge heading to the bottom of the eighth. The Wolverines tied the score with junior Rudden starting the rally with a pinch single and Roblin knocked in the first run and Bohm the two for the tie that sent the game into extra innings for the fifth time this season. Michigan is 1-4 in overtime, winning in 12 innings vs. Minnesota, but losing in 11 innings three times and once in 13 innings.

Michigan had several key defensive plays during the game, including a line drive snared by Mahler with the infield in and runners on second and third in the fourth inning and a fine play by sophomore 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) ranging to his left to rob pinch hitter DiMaria of a hit with runners on second and third with two outs in the ninth.

Bohm and Roblin each had three hits for the Wolverines in the loss, while Getz, Butler and senior DH Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) each had two hits as Michigan had 14 hits in the contest.

The Wolverines host Cleveland State in a non-conference game Wednesday (April 21, 3 p.m.) with most of the pitching staff expected to see action.

N O T E S

In Big Ten action Sunday Ohio State claimed first place with a 12-9 comeback win at Michigan State as the Buckeyes took three of four to replace MSU in first place. Michigan's loss to Illinois, combined with Penn State's 4-3 win over Minnesota creates a four-way tie for second place with Michigan, MSU, Minnesota and PSU. Indiana used an 11-run inning to beat Iowa 25-9 and Purdue topped Northwestern 11-4.

Big Ten Standings (after Sunday's Games)

 1. Ohio State 8-4 .636 2. MICHIGAN 7-5 .583 Michigan State 7-5 .583 Minnesota 7-5 .583 Penn State 7-5 .583 6. Purdue 6-6 .500 7. Illinois 5-7 .417 Indiana 5-7 .417 Northwestern 5-7 .417 10. Iowa 4-8 .250

Kyle Bohm was 3-for-5 in Sunday's finale against Illinois, including the two-out, two-run single to tie the game 8-8 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Bohm was 8-for-16 (.500) in five games last week with two doubles, four homers and 12 RBI. He had a 1.375 slugging percentage for the week. He scored six runs, collected six walks and was hit by a pitch, reaching base 15 times in 23 plate appearances for a .652 on-base percentage.

Chris Getz extended his overall hitting streak to a team season-high 11 games with two hits against Illinois on Sunday. He has a nine-game streak in Big Ten games.

Michigan's hitting leaders after 32 games are: 1B Kyle Bohm at .413 (50-for-121), Jeremy Goldschmeding (Allegan, Mich./Allegan HS) at .359 (33-for-92), Matt Butler at .336 (39-for-116), OF Eric Rose at .333 (25-for-75), Chris Getz at .323 (40-for-124), 3B A.J. Scheidt at .320 (41-for-128), Brandon Roberts at .320 (32-for-100), Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) at .318 (28-for-88) and Brad Roblin at .302 (26-for-86).