Michigan Knocked Off at Home by Eagles

Tuesday, March 24

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

14-6

Eastern Michigan

4-18

Eastern Michigan

Michigan

3/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wilpon Baseball Complex)
Result: Eastern Michigan 3, Michigan 1
Records: U-M (14-6), Eastern Michigan (4-18)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 27 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 6 p.m. CDT

Boxscore | Postgame Notes | Photo Gallery | Video Report

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team struggled to put runs on the board for freshman starting pitcher Brandon Sinnery(Worcester, Mass./Worcester Academy), who allowed three runs in five innings of work in a 3-1 loss to Eastern Michigan on Tuesday afternoon (March 24) at the Wilpon Baseball Complex.

Sophomore shortstop Anthony Toth(Lorain, Ohio/St. Ignatius) was the lone Wolverine with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 on the day as U-M had nine different players -- including junior first baseman Mike Dufek(Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain), who extended his career-high hitting streak to 11 games -- recorded hits but stranded 10 base runners in the loss.

After the two teams dueled to a scoreless tie through three innings, the Eagles got on the board in the fourth courtesy of a two-run home run off Sinnery to take an early 2-0 lead.

The Eagles started the fifth inning with back-to-back singles to chase Sinnery as sophomore Matt Miller(Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) came in for the Wolverines and picked up an out on a sacrifice bunt before issuing an intentional walk to load the bases. The Eagles then executed a suicide squeeze, pushing their lead to 3-0.

The Wolverines got on the board in the bottom of the seventh as senior Kevin Cislo(Novi, Mich./Novi) hit a hard grounder to second to drive in senior Tim Kalcynski(Farmington Hills, Mich./Brother Rice), cutting the lead to the eventual final score of 3-1.

Sophomore reliever Tyler Burgoon(Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) came on to pitch the final two innings for U-M, allowing just one hit and striking out two.

Cislo picked up the only U-M RBI on the afternoon but saw his career-high 15-game hitting streak come to a close, going 0-for-3 with a walk.

The Wolverines are back in action on Friday (March 27) when they open Big Ten play with a trip to Iowa City, Iowa, for a three-game series at Duane Banks Field. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT.

N O T E S

Junior/sophomore SS Anthony Toth was 2-for-4 with seventh and ninth-inning singles. Toth extended his career-best hitting streak to six games and has hits in 10 of his last 11 games. For the season, Toth is hitting .309 (21-for-68).

Junior 1B Mike Dufek extended his current team-leading and career-best hitting streak to 11 games with a two-out single in the sixth inning. Dufek has moved his season average to .325 (25-for-77).

Senior OF Kenny Fellows, who made his first RF start of the season, was 1-for-4 in the loss and extended his career-best hitting streak to six games. Fellows, who started the first 19 game of the season in LF, has hits in 11 of the last 12 games and ranks second on the team with a .353 (24-for-68) batting average. Fellows also flashed the leather, making a highlight-reel catch against the fence to save two runs in the second inning.

Senior co-captain 2B Kevin Cislo was 0-for-3 as his career-best and team season-high hitting streak was snapped at 15 games. Cislo, who has reached base in all 20 games this season, was on twice with a walk and a HBP and drove in the lone U-M run with an infield ground out.

Sophomore RHP Matt Miller pitched a pair of scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and recording two strikeouts. For the season Miller lowered his ERA to 2.45 with 18 strikeouts in 14.2 innings in eight appearances.

Sophomore RHP Tyler Burgoon made his team-leading ninth pitching appearance of the season. Burgoon allowed one hit with two strikeouts in two innings of work, dropping his ERA to 3.26 with 16 Ks in 19.1 innings.

Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423