April 10, 2009

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Illinois rebounded from an early two-run deficit and entered the bottom of the seventh tied at 2, but Michigan scored runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take the 4-2 win at the Wilpon Baseball Complex. First baseman Matt Dittman (Libertyville, Ill.) had a two-run double in the fourth and Phil Haig (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) pitched seven solid innings as Illinois dropped to 19-8 overall, 4-3 in the Big Ten.

"Matt came up with a big hit tonight," Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said. "It was a good ballgame, but we need to find a way to win these close ones. I was pleased with Phil, though. He seemed like he was back to being himself tonight."

Michigan got on the board first in the bottom of the second on three hits off Illini starter Phil Haig for a quick 2-0 lead. But Haig responded with a pair of strikeouts and a flyout for a quick third inning.

That allowed the Illini offense to put together a rally in the fourth when shortstop Brandon Wikoff (Peoria, Ill.) drew a one-out walk and catcher Aaron Johnson (Sussex Corner, New Brunswick) was hit by Wolverine starter Chris Fetter's 2-2 offering. First baseman Matt Dittman (Libertyville, Ill.) worked the count to 3-2 before blasting an opposite-field double to left-center that brought home both runners to tie the game at 2.

Haig pitched out of trouble in both the fifth and sixth innings, tiptoeing around a leadoff walk and a two-out error in the fifth and striking out the final two hitters in the sixth after a leadoff double and a sacrifice bunt, keeping the game tied 2-2.

But the Wolverines managed to push across a run in the seventh when center fielder Ryan LaMarre drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on first baseman Mike Dufek's check-swing double past the third-base bag. Pinch hitter Coley Crank drove a sacrifice fly deep to center to score LaMarre and push Michigan ahead 3-2.

The Maize and Blue added an insurance run in the eighth when shortstop Anthony Toth hit a leadoff triple off reliever Nick Chmielewski and came home one out later on an RBI single through the left side to go ahead 4-2. Illinois wasn't able to mount a ninth-inning rally and dropped its eighth loss of the season

Wikoff and right fielder Nick Stockwell (Harvey, Ill.) both went 1-for-3 and Dittman was 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Johnson was hit by a pitch twice and scored a run. Fetter, a second-team All-American a year ago, struck out 13 Illini in his complete-game effort, using 138 pitches.

Up Next: The Illini and the Wolverines will play the second game of the series Saturday at 2:05 p.m. CT. Ben Reeser will take the hill for Illinois against Michigan's Eric Katzman.