Wolverines Eliminated from Regional by South Carolina

Sunday, June 5

Atlanta, Ga.

Noon

Michigan

42-19

South Carolina

40-22

South Carolina

Michigan

Wolverines Eliminated from Regional by South Carolina

6/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

ATLANTA, Ga. -- South Carolina scored four runs in the third inning and held on for several hours that included a 3:32 hour rain delay to eliminate the University of Michigan baseball team from the Atlanta Regional by a 4-3 score Sunday afternoon and early evening (June 5) in Russ Chandler Stadium on the campus of Georgia Tech. The loss ends the season for the Wolverines (42-19), while South Carolina (40-22) reaches the 40-win plateau and remains alive in the regional against host Georgia Tech.

The script had been played out several times in 2005, but the magic ran out as the Wolverines had the tying run in scoring position in the final four innings but could not get the fourth run across the plate to continue the best season this century. The 42 wins mark the most since the 1989 team won 49, and U-M reached NCAA Tournament action for the first time since 1999.

In the ninth sophomore LF Brad Roblin (Wayland, Mass./River School) opened the inning against Carolina closer Brent Marsh, who suffered a blown save in the first meeting between the two schools, and was hit by a pitch. Junior 2B Chris Getz (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) put down a sacrifice bunt, moving Roblin to second with one out.

With two outs senior co-captain 1B Kyle Bohm (Stevens Point, Wis./Area HS), who had singled in the tying run against Marsh in the series opener, received an "unintentional intentional" walk, bringing up senior co-captain Matt Butler (Lombard, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) with the game on the line. Butler, who entered his final at-bat as a Wolverine as the active leader with 16 career game-winning hits, popped to third to end the game.

Senior/junior LHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College) worked a scoreless first with two fly balls, a walk and a popup, and in the second he had two strikeouts and allowed a single to 2B Tommy King, who was thrown out trying to steal by senior/junior catcher Jeff Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest).

The Wolverines opened the second inning with back-to-back singles by Butler and catcher Kunkel, but South Carolina starter Zac McCamie buckled down and got out of the inning on a strikeout and a double play.

South Carolina scored all four runs in the third inning with SS Steve Tolleson driving in the first run with a single and 3B Neil Giesler stroking a three-run homer to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and push the score to 4-0. Taylor (4-3) settled down and retired 14 straight after getting the final out in the four-run fourth inning. He worked 7.1 innings and allowed six hits and the four runs. He allowed hits in just two of the eight innings he pitched.

Taylor walked 1B Steve Pearce with one out in the eighth and he was replaced by senior/junior Ali Husain (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti HS). Husain allowed a single to Giesler and then junior RHP Derek Feldkamp (Adrian, Mich./Blissfield HS), making his third straight appearance in the regional, retired the next two batters to end the threat. Feldkamp worked into the ninth and was replaced by sophomore/freshman LHP Clayton Richard (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon HS), who recorded the final two outs.

The Wolverines reached the scoreboard in the third inning the hard way after there were two outs and nobody on. Getz, who had singled in the first inning, drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Shortstop Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep), batting second in the lineup for the first time all season, lined a single to left to score Getz. It was Mahler's sixth hit of the tournament.

Bohm opened the sixth with a single and was forced by Butler, and Kunkel followed with a single. Junior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) hit a 3-2 pitch with two outs for a double and both runners scored.

The Wolverines missed a great opportunity in the seventh inning as Roblin reached on an error and Getz fouled out on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Mahler followed with a hit-and-run single, sending Roblin to third, but Mahler was picked off first by McCamie. It was McCamie's seventh pickoff of the season and the third time he has picked off two runners in a game. Bohm drew a walk and Butler grounded out to end the inning.

Freshman OF Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) had a pinch single in the eighth, and the rain started to pour as Scheidt had a nine-pitch at-bat before hitting a fly to left for the second out of the inning. The game was stopped as sophomore CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield HS) stepped up to the plate at 2:28 p.m. The field was not tarped and then was covered with water, so both teams went back to the hotel and the game was not restarted until 6:02 p.m.

Following the rain delay freshman Derek VanBuskirk (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair) pinch hit for Rose while Marsh replaced starter McCamie (9-4). After fouling off several pitches, VanBuskirk hit a fly to right to end the inning to set up the drama in the ninth.

Kunkel and Mahler paced the Wolverine attack in the season finale and Bohm had a single, was hit by a pitch and walked twice as he reached base 10 times in his last 11 plate appearances as a Wolverine.

N O T E S

 Jack Ritter, a member of the 1953 Michigan national championship team who now lives in the Atlanta area, was on hand for the Wolverine regional games.

 With one hit each vs. South Carolina on Sunday, 1B Kyle Bohm and 2B Chris Getz each have 88 hits, the fifth-best season total in U-M history. In fact in the ninth inning Getz collected a sacrifice bunt and Bohm drew a walk to keep the tie as leading hitters for the year at .386 as each finished 88-for-228.

 Junior RHP Derek Feldkamp made his 63rd career appearance and his third appearance of the regional and his second vs. South Carolina on Sunday. Feldkamp ranks alone in eighth place on U-M's all-time pitching appearance list.

 Feldkamp's appearance was his team-leading 25th of the season, tied for seventh best U-M season total with Todd Marion (25, 1992) and Bobby Korecky (25, 1999).

 Senior/junior LHP Ali Husain's appearance in the South Carolina game on Sunday was the 61st of his career, moving him into a tie for ninth with Nick Alexander (61, 1998-2001)

 Chris Getz collected his 29th stolen base in the first inning and it was his 44th career steal as a Wolverine, tying Barry Larkin and Mike Watters (both 44, 1983-85) for fifth on U-M's career stolen base list. Getz has 49 career stolen bases, including five he had as a freshman at Wake Forest.

 With hits in all three games in the regional, Getz finishes the season with hits in 85 of his last 100 games.

 Junior A.J. Scheidt collected his team-leading 17th double in Sunday's game vs. South Carolina. Scheidt finished the season 24 extra-base hits (17 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR) tied for the team lead in extra-base hits with Matt Butler (15 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR).

 Michigan's final leading hitters for 2005 (61 games) are: 2B Chris Getz (88-for-228, .386), 1B Kyle Bohm (88-for-228, .386), catcher Jeff Kunkel (73-for-190, .384), OF Matt Butler (76-for-217, .350) and 3B A.J Scheidt (58-for-195, .297).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423