The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - April 7, 2003 - 5B
Gophers set bar
for 'M' program
YESTERDAY, GAME 1
Minnesota
Michigan
9
3
YESTERDAY, GAME 2
By Gennaro FIcec
Daily Sports Writer
With two victories yesterday, Min-
nesota not only swept the Wolverines in
a rain-shortened weekend series, but it
took a 74-73 edge in the teams' all-time
series. Dating back to its first game in
1893, the Minnestoa-
Michigan matchup
rarely fails to excite.
"You always know,
going into the Min-
nesota series, that it is
going to be a battle,"
0
8
junior catcher Jake Fox said. "It's going
to be all-out war with each team going at
each other.
"You always look forward to (a game
versus Minnesota), because it's fun. (The
series) is fun in the games that you win,
and its even fun, sometimes, in games
that you lose because you know it's such
a battle, and it's just good baseball."
Yesterday's victories improved Min-
nesota's record in the last four years
against the Wolverines to 12-2. Although
Michigan lost the first game of yester-
day's doubleheader 9-3, it played Min-
nesota tight in an 8-7 game-two loss.
Having felt that they could have won the
game, many Wolverines expressed the
confidence they gained from losing to
the Big Ten's best team (Minnesota cur-
rently sits atop conference standings
with a 6-0 Big Ten mark.
"I think (Michigan) coach (Rich)
Maloney put it well when he said, 'If
that's the best the Big Ten has to offer, I
think we're going to be right in the hunt
for the whole year,' " sophomore Matt
Collins said. "I think we compete with
(Minnesota) on a day-to-day basis."
Although Maloney has only coached
24 games in a Wolverine uniform, he
realizes the importance of the storied
series, especially in today's context.
"Minnesota is an outstanding pro-
gram, and they're certainly one of the
team's we're going to have to be able to
beat to move into the top eshelon," Mal-
oney said.
ONLY 38 SHORT OF DIMAGGIO: For the
first time in two months, Jake Fox fin-
ished a game without a hit. The Wolver-
ine catcher - who last went "0-for" on
February 23 against Georgia Tech -
snapped an 18-game hitting streak yes-
terday against the Golden Gophers. In
game one of a doubleheader, Fox strug-
gled at the plate, going 0-for-2 with a
walk. Although the first game ended
Fox's streak, he bounced right back in
game two with a 2-for-3 line that includ-
ed a walk and an RBI.
With Fox currently holding a .360
batting average and leading the team in
homeruns (8) and slugging percentage
(.708), one would think the junior would
be satisfied - but Fox still believes that
his game has room for improvement.
"Right now, I'm not hitting the ball as
well as I'd like to hit, but I'm hitting
pretty well," Fox said. "I've told Coach
Maloney that I don't feel like I'm seeing
the ball that well, and he says, 'Well, if
these are some of your worst days, then I
can't wait to see your best days.'"
Sophomore second baseman Nick
Rudden also had a hitting streak (12
games) snapped in game one of the dou-
bleheader.
Minnesota
Michigan
YESTERDAY, GAME 1
Minnesota 9, Michigan 3
Player ARHBI Player * ABR H BI
Lollio of 4 1 2 OStedl cf 5 1 1 1
Rudden 2b 4 0 0 0Pattee rf 4 1 2 1
Koman"3b 3 1 1 2Appert2b 2 1 0 0
Fox c 2 0 0 0 Welch ss 4 2 3 1
CantalamessalIf 3 0 0 0 Hunter dh 4 1 1 2
Burhansrf 2 1 2 0MacLeanpr 0 1 0 0
Sokol dh 2 0 10 Roachl1b 2 0 00
wright lb 2 0 0 1Hrncirik 3b 4 02 3
Godschmeding ss 3 0 1 0Ele2100
Pp," 0| 00 0Elder c 2 1 0 0
Feldkamp p 0 00 0Lesemanf 4 1 1 0
Total 25 3 7 3 Perkins p 0 0 0 0
Total 31 9108
LOB - Minnesota 7; Michigan 6;E - Minnesota 1:
Perkins (3), Michigan 2: Burhans (1); Wright (2). DP
SMinnesota 2; MIIgan 1. 25. Minnesota 3: Pt
tee 2(13), Hunter {6 , Hrncirik (7)- Michigan 1:
Burtwps2(7). HR-Michigan: Koman 4.MHsP -Minneso-
ta 2: Appert, Roach; Michigan: Koman, Burhans. SO-
Minnesota 2: Welch (3), Hrncirik 2(5). CS - Michigan:
Sokol (3).RHE
Minnesota 010 070 1 9 10 1
Michigan 000 120 0 3 7 2
IP H R ER BB SO
Minnesota
Perkins 7.0 7 3 3 2 6
Michigan
Penn 6.1 9 9 8 3 2
Feldkamp 0.2 1 0 0 1 0
Umpires- HP: Perry Costello, 113: Ron Nordquist, 38:
Lenny Brickens
At- IThe Fish
Attendance - unannounced Tme-2:05
YESTERDAY, GAME 2
Minnesota 8, Michigan 7 (8 in.)
MN W(2.12) Mkvnaotak(16410)
Player AS R H SI Player A8 R H BI
Lolliocof 5 2 2 2 Steidlcof 3 3 2 1
Sokol dh/1b 5 2 3 1Pattee rf 5 2 4 2
Koman 3b 5 0 3 2 Appert 2b 5 1 1 0
Sc hmidtpr 0 Welhss 4 110
0 Hunterdh 1 0 1 2
Kunkelc 1 000 np 1 00
Cantalamessa 2 M4 0 1 0 MF ni ph 1 0 0 0
Roberts if 4 0 0 1 onse p1000
Burhansrf 4 1 2 0 -Roachb 2 00 0
Wright lb 4 1 3 0 Becker ph/lb 1 0 0 0
Goldschmedingp 0 0 0 0 Hrncirik 3b 3 0 0 0
Ruddenss 3 1 1 Elder c 2 1 0 0
Tognetti p 0 0 00 Dick ph/c 1 00 0
Taylor p 0 0 0 0 Leseman If 3 00 0
Garza p 0 0 0 0 Woodrow p 0 00 0
Husain p 0 000Bulp 0 00 0
Murray p 0 0O0O0Moen p 0 00 0
Total 3S7 17 7Total 32 89 5
LOB - Minnesota 7; Michigan 11; E - Michigan 2:
Koman (11); Rudden (5).lMinnesota none;DP - Min-
nesota 2;"Michigan none; 25 - Minnesota 5: Pattee
2(15); Steidi (4 Appert (13);Hunter 6; Michigan 3:
t~l o2(9)" Sokol (10) HBP- Cantalamessa; Roberts.
5 - Steidl (5); Pattee (3).
8
7
Junior Jake Fox and the Wolverines suffered a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Big Ten-leader Minnesota.
BROCK KOMAN FILE
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 198 pounds
Position: Third base
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Year: Senior
Hometown: Pueblo, Colo.
Yesterday: In a weather-
shortened two-game series
against Minnesota, Koman
continued to roll offensively,
improving his average to .413.
In the first game of yesterday's
doubleheader, Koman finished 1-for-
3 with a homerun and two RBIs.
Game two saw the senior add three
more hits (in five at-bats), as well as
two RBIs. Koman also flashed the
leather in the seventh inning of the late
game when Minnesota's Jon Becker hit a
shot back up the middle. The ball bounced off
of Michigan pitcher Craig Murray and slowly
rolled toward third base. Charging hard,
Koman bare-handed the ball on the run
and fired a strike to first base for a key
out. r
en route to winning the Ray Fisher Award (Michigan's Most
Valuable Player) and the Bill Freehan Award (Michigan's top
hitter). He also was honored by the conference in 2001,
earning a spot on the All-Big Ten second team. Last season,
Koman made the switch from third base to shortstop, but
repeated as winner of the Ray Fisher and Bill Freehan
awards, as well as another spot on the All-Big Ten second
team. Feared by pitchers around the league last season,
Koman's numbers dropped a little but were still
impressive (.361, 7 homeruns, and 41
RBIs). This season, Koman has con-
tinued to pace Michigan, lead-
ing the team in hits (43),
doubles (13), RBIs (30)
and total bases (68).
Coach Maloney on
Koman:
"Brock's one of
the premier hit-
ters, not only in
the league, but
in the country,"
Maloney said. "He
continues to work
hard on his defense, but
the thing about Brock is
his offense. His bat is
very special - he has
very quick hands, he
has power, and he gen-
erates a lot of bat
speed.
"He's one of our
leaders this year,
and we'll really
miss him next
year."
Career at Michigan: The
steady senior has start-
ed 181 games
(38-106,SS-
By Waldemar Centeno
Daily Sports Writer
Brutal weather proved to be a fac-
tor in the Michigan baseball team's
efforts toward victory against Min-
nesota this weekend.
Although Michigan's offense was
not affected by the weather, Michi-
gan's defense noticeably showed
signs of being hampered in the field.
In the matchup between Michigan
and Minnesota, both teams' chaotic
defensive play cost them a total of
five runs in a doubleheader at the
Fish.
Michigan junior leftfielder Jordan
Cantalamessa and senior centerfield-
er Gino Lollio experienced a few
misplays in the matchup against the
Gophers. Cantalamessa over-ran a
ball early in the fifth inning of the
first game, which later cost the
Wolverines a run.
Lollio then followed Cantalames-
sa's misplay with his own difficulties
in thef field.
With the bases loaded in the fifth
inning of the first game, Lollio took a
step in, as a shot to center field, hit
by Minnesota senior rightfielder Ben
Pattee, rapidly flew towards him.
"I just read the ball wrong," Lollio
said. "It was just a bad read of the
ball, and it was totally my fault. They
hit it really well."
The ball continued to soar over his
head and fell for a double to give the
Gophers some crucial runs en route
to their victory over Michigan.
"He did have crazy wind going
right at him today," Michigan coach
Rich Maloney said. "You could even
see that (Minnesota's) players were
misjudging the ball as well."
With the wind blowing throughout
the game, Michigan and Minnesota
experienced trouble in the outfield.
"It was a difficult day in their posi-
tion, but, at the end, Lollio's play
ended up to be huge," Maloney said.
"It was unfortunate."
Despite Michigan sophomore
pitcher Michael Penn's effective
pitching performance, the lack of
defense forced more pressure on
Penn throughout the game and conse-
quently ruined his day on the mound.
"I thought Michael Penn pitched
really well today," Maloney said.
"When you look at the box score you
don't see that, but he was pitching
well. (Minnesota) hit a lot of little
bloopers, and if we made that play in
center, it would have ended up to be a
low-scoring ball game."
Also in the second game of the
doubleheader, senior third baseman
Brock Koman's misplay inthe fifth
inning contributed to Michigan's dif-
ficulty in the field.
"Well I couldn't tell what truly
happened," Maloney said. "I thought
that we got him. I guess because he
dove and hit the ground then that's
when he lost control of the ball. You
think you see the play clearly, but the
umpire was right on top of it."
Even though the Michigan defense
was obviously affected by the nasty
weather, the Wolverines do not feel
that the weather is a handicap with
their performance in the field. But,
Maloney knows that playing ball in a
warmer climate will allow a team to
practice more.
"There's no doubt playing in the
North is a different environment than
playing in the South," Maloney said.
"But, it's the same for Minnesota, all
the Mid-America Conference schools
and a lot of the Big Ten schools. So,
there is actually a lot more of us than
there are them in the warm weather.
Unfortunately, they seem to control
the game. But, the truth of the matter
is that we're used to the weather. This
is what we play in."
Despite the recent defects on the
defensive side of the ball, Maloney
feels that the team is still en route to
a successful season.
"I feel good about our team," Mal-
oney said. "Our kids battle. Their
hearts are in the right place, but they
just have to play better baseball."
Even though the nasty weather
may not go anywhere, Michigan is
excited for the opportunity for take
advantage of being in Ann Arbor for
the upcoming games.
"Traveling takes a lot of wear and
tear on you," Lollio said. "Being
home is great. Just having the famil-
iar aspects of everything around us is
wonderful. Being able to play on our
field and having our fans around is
good for our team."
Minnesota
Michigan
Minnesota
Woodrow
Bull
M oen
Michigan
Togneti
Taylor
Garza
Husain
M urray
Windy Fish no
help in the field
4.0
0.2
0.2
0.2
2.0
7
0
1
0
1
5
1
1
0
1
4
0
0
1
1
2
0.
1
3
0
2
0
0
42, DH- 24, 1B-9) in a Wolverine uniform: Although
Koman did start 51 games as a freshman in 2000, he truly
broke out of his shell as a sophomore. In 2001, Koman tore
apart pitching, hitting .383 with 14 homeruns and 60 RBIs,
211 021 01
101 401 00
IP I R
2.1 32 1
2.1 2 0
8 9 0
7 17 2
ER BB SO
6 01
11 0
00 4
DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
BASEBALL
Continued from Page 1B
but the ball got away. It was just a freak
play."
Moloney came out to argue the call
to no avail.
"He said he saw it clearly and he was
right on top of it so, that's the way it
goes," Maloney said.
Minnesota added another run in the
inning to tie the game at six.
In the top of the sixth, Minnesota
grabbed the lead on another botched
run-down play. Michigan pitcher Ali
Husain picked off Pattee, but Michigan
shortstop Nick Rudden could not han-
dle the throw to second, and Minneso-
ta's Sam Steidl scored from third.
"I don't think there is that much dif-
ference between these two teams," Mal-
oney said. "We made some mistakes,
and they capitalized on them. That's
what good teams do."
Michigan answered in the sixth
inning when Brandon Roberts came up
with the bases loaded and launched a
ball deep down the right field line. The
Wolverines raced to the top of the
dugout to watch the ball clear the fence
and hit off of the field house beyond
the fence. The home plate umpire
raised his arm to signal ... a foul ball.
"When he hit it, I thought it was
going to be fair," Lollio said.
in their last three turns at bat. The
Wolverines had 17 hits on the day, but
managed to score just seven runs.
"We had runners in scoring position
the whole game," Koman said. "But we
couldn't come through."
The Wolverines had a chance to win
after Craig Murray pitched a scoreless
seventh inning. Nate Wright led off
with a single to center and was sacri-
ficed over to second by Rudden. With
the whole Michigan squad standing at
the top of the dugout anticipating a
game-winning hit, Lollio grounded out
and Sokol struck out with the winning
run standing 90 feet from the plate.
One more chance was all Minnesota
needed. With two outs, Murray came
close on a few two-strike pitches before
walking Steidl. The walk was followed
by a Pattee double of the wall in left-
center to score Steidl. Michigan could
not answer again, and Minnesota
claimed a hard-faught, 8-7 victory.
"We had opportunities to get the
final run in, and we couldn't do it,"
Maloney said.
"They found a way to win, and that's
what winning programs do."
The first game was not nearly as
close as the second. The game was tied
1-1 after four innings, but Minnesota
broke it open in the fifth. A walk and a
single were followed by a double that
dropped in front of left fielder Jordan
Cantalamessa. Pattee would then send a
line-drive out to center that was mis-
played by Lollio. He took a few steps in
and could not recover as the ball went
flying over his head to the wall.
"The toughest play for an outfielder
is the ball hit right at you, and with this
swirling wind, it was a difficult day for
them," Maloney said.
Minnesota went on to score seven in
the inning, and Michigan could not
recover. The Gophers coasted to an
easy 9-3 win.
UmIces - HP: Ron Nordquist, iB: Lenny Brickens, 3B:
At- TheFish
Attendance -257 Time .2:42
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Conference Overall
Team W L W L
Minnesota 6 0 16 10
Indiana 5 3 19 7
Penn State 5 3 10 12
Ohio State 4 4 13 10
Purdue 4 4 14 12
Michigan 3 3 12 12
Northwestern 3 3 10 10
Illinois 3 5 14 9
Iowa 2 6 8 13
Michigan State 1 5 7 18
Friday's results;
Ohio State 4, PENN STATE 3
Minnesota, MicGAN (CANCEEM)
Indiana, IOWA (PoSTPoNED)
Saturday's results:
PURDUE 5, Illinois 3
PENN STATE 2, Ohio State 1
Indiana 4, IOWA 2
Illinois 5, PURDUE 2
Ohio State 7, PENN STATE 5
Indiana 4, IowA 2 (10 INN.)
Minnesota, MICHIGAN (DH) (CcAmLED)
Northwestern, MICHIGAN STATE (DH)
(CANCELLED)
Yesterday's results:
PURDUE 7, Illinois 6
Indiana 5, IOWA 1
Minnesota 9, MICHIGAN 3
MICHIGAN STATE 3, Northwestern 2
PENN STATE 10, Ohio State 2
PURDUE 4, Illinois 3
IOWA 8, Indiana 5
Minnesota 8, MICHIGAN 7 (8 INN.)
NORTHWESTERN 2, MICHIGAN STATE 0
UPCOMING
DETROIT
WEDNESDAY
Detroit (6-13) will be coming to Ann
Arbor to take on the Wolverines.
The Titans are led by their junior
first baseman Tim Poley, who leads
the team with a .385 batting aver-
age. In their last meeting, Michigan
convincingly beat Detroit 10-0 last
year. Coach Chris Czarnik is in his
third season with the Titans and led
his team to a pair of victories in the
Horizon League Baseball Champi-
onship last year.
ILLINOIS
NEXT WEEKEND
Michigan will look to get over the
.500 mark in Big Ten action as it
YOUNG GUNS
Averaging more than 8.5 runs a game this season, the Wolverines have rarely
struggled with the bat. Unfortunetly, pitchinghasn't been as consistent, as Michi-
gan opponents currently average seven runs a game. One reason for the Wolver'
ines' struggles on the mound through 24 games is the team's youthful pitching
staff. Of the nine hurlers who have appeared for the Wolverines at least five,
times, seven are underclassmen. Here is how each Michigan youngster has fared
toeing the rubber this seasons
ERA W-L APP SO YEAR
Derek Feldkamp 4.26 24 12 16 Fresh.
Craim Murray 4.86 0-2 10 9 Fresh.
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