Maloney Earns 500th Win in Michigan Rally Over Akron

Sunday, March 1

Jacksonville, Fla.

Noon

Michigan

7-2

Akron

0-7

Michigan

Akron

3/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Site: Jacksonville, Fla. (Sessions Stadium)
Event: Jacksonville University Invitational
Results: Michigan 10, Akron 7 (8 innings)
Records: U-M (7-2), Akron (0-7)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 6 -- vs. Siena (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), 1 p.m.

Boxscore

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The University of Michigan baseball team used a five-run eighth inning, keyed by a two-run single from sophomore centerfielder Ryan LaMarre(Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) for a comeback win over Akron, 10-7, in eight innings to cap the Jacksonville University Invitational on Sunday (March 1) at Sessions Stadium. In a game shortened to eight innings due to the combination of a late start and travel plans for both teams, head coach Rich Maloney notched his 500th career win in 14 seasons.

After a one-hour and thirty-minute rain delay to start the game, Michigan jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI groundout by junior/sophomore designated hitter Jake McLouth(Whitehall, Mich./Grand Rapids CC).

Akron quickly answered, scoring a run in each of the first two innings and two more in the third, all off sophomore starting pitcher Kolby Wood(Eau Claire, Mich./Berrien Springs), to take a 4-2 lead into the fourth. The Zips added two runs in the fourth and a single run in the fifth to push their advantage to 7-2.

The Michigan bats came alive in the sixth when senior/junior leadoff man Nick Urban( Whitehall ,Mich. / Whitehall ) was hit by a pitch. Urban had to leave the game, but sophomore/freshman pinch-runner Bryce Aspinwall( Sharpsburg, Ga./Woodward Academy) later scored on a two-run homer by fifth-year senior Tim Kalczynski( Farmington Hills, Mich./Brother Rice) -- the first of his career -- to cut the deficit to 7-4. The Wolverines were not done as LaMarre produced an RBI single to get Michigan within two, 7-5.

Junior Mike Dufek(Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain), the starter at first base, came on to pitch in the sixth and shut down the Zips through the next two innings, setting the stage for the Michigan eighth-inning comeback.

In the eighth, with time constraints looming, the Wolverines scored five times, the big blow coming on a two-run single by LaMarre, which proved to be the gamewinner as the Wolverines went on to win, 10-7.

Dufek (1-0) picked up the win in relief, pitching the final three innings and allowing just one hit while striking out three.

LaMarre capped a stellar weekend at the plate with a 3-for-4 day and four RBI, pushing his weekend RBI total to 15. Senior second baseman Kevin Cislo( Novi ,Mich. / Novi ) and senior leftfielder Kenny Fellows( Holt ,Mich. /Holt) each posted two hits on the day with Fellows adding an RBI and Cislo scoring three runs.

The Wolverines finish off their 2009 spring trip with a 7-2 record as they head back home to Ann Arbor before heading back south again to take on Siena in game one of a three-game series. U-M kicks play off on Friday (March 6) at 1 p.m. at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

N O T E S

With Sunday's 10-7 comeback win -- a game shortened to eight innings due to the combination of a late start and travel plans for both teams --head coachRich Maloney notched his 500th career win in 14 seasons.

Michigan closed out the spring trip with a 7-2 record, the best in Maloney's sevenseasons as the Wolverine head coach. The seven spring-trip wins are the most since the 1997 team won eight games.

Sophomore CF Ryan LaMarre's two-run single in the eighth inning pushed UM to an 8-7 lead and proved to be his first game-winning hit of the season and the second of his career.LaMarre continued his hot hitting, reaching base in each of his five at bats, going 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and four RBI. LaMarre, who leads the team with a .421 (16-for-38) batting average and has a five-game hitting streak, has 15 of his team-leading 17 RBI in the last four games.

LaMarre hit .500 (11-for-22) in the five games at the Jacksonville Invitational with two doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI. His slugging percentage for the week was 1.000 with a .542 on base percentage.

Senior co-captain 3B Tim Kalczynski hit his first career home run, a two-run shot in the sixth inning, after entering the game as a defensive replacement.

Junior 1B/RHP Mike Dufek, who struggled at the plate with an 0-for-4 game after starting the game at first base, pitched three shutout innings to record the win. Dufek drew a walk and scored a key insurance run in the five-run winning rally in the eighth inning. For the season, Dufek is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and a save in his two pitching appearances.

Senior co-captain 2B Kevin Cislo was 2-for-3 with two walks and scored three runs in the win to extend his hitting streak to five games. Cislo had a great week, hitting .444 (8-for-18) in five games and scoring nine runs with three doubles, six walks and a.583 on base percentage.

Senior LF Kenny Fellows, making his first appearance in the No. 2 spot in the U-M lineup, went 2-for-4 with a run-scoring double in the five-run winning rally andscored the winning run. For the season, Fellows is hitting .387 (12-for-31) and has four multi-hit games.

Sophomore/freshman Bryce Aspinwall, who collected his first career hit as a Wolverine with a ninth-inning single in the 21-3 win over Jacksonville on Saturday (Feb. 28), added his second hit with a run-scoring single in the five-run winning rally. Aspinwall is hitting .500 (2-for-4) and has scored three runs in spot action in five games this season.

Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423