Huge Baseball Comeback

[Still-One]

U-M's Rich Maloney on amazing 14-run comeback: 'Never seen anything like it'

David Goricki / The Detroit News

Ann Arbor -- It's tough to come back from a two touchdown deficit in football. But a 14-0 deficit in baseball?
Amazingly, it wasn't too much for Michigan's baseball team to overcome Sunday. The Wolverines wiped out a 14-0 third-inning deficit to defeat Northwestern 15-14 on Mike Dufek's walk-off homer in the 10th inning at U-M's Wilpon Baseball Complex.
"I've never seen anything like it, certainly have never been involved in a game like it," Michigan coach Rich Maloney said. "And, it came in such a meaningful game, too. We still have a real chance to win the Big Ten title.

"Fans came down on the field to hug the players. A man I didn't even know came up to me and told me he had watched Michigan football for 35 years and it was the greatest comeback he's ever seen. Sometimes things are even bigger than the game and this was one of them."

Maloney wanted to make sure the Wolverines didn't lose their class after falling behind in front of their family and friends Sunday.
"We were down 14-0 so I gathered them up and talked to them," Maloney said. "I told them no team of mine had ever quit before and it wasn't happening today. I said I know we're all embarrassed, but we're going to run out balls. We're not going to throw our bats or our helmets. Next thing you know we score six runs in the bottom of the third.
"I just told them they're running out of pitching. We just need to chip away."
And, chip away the Wolverines did. Still, it looked highly unlikely they would pull out the miracle victory.
After scoring three in the fifth, Ryan LaMarre bounced into a double-play to strand a runner at third. Then in the sixth, Chris Berset was thrown out at the plate. The Wolverines still scored a run in that inning to pull within 14-10.
Berset hit a two-run homer in the seventh to cut the deficit to 14-12, then hit another two-run shot with two out and two strikes in the ninth.
"Ryan LaMarre had just hit a deep shot to left with a runner on second in the ninth and the left-fielder caught it at the wall and it was like, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" Maloney said. "I mean, you can only get so much for saying, 'Great effort guys. You battled all the way, but we just fell short.' It was incredible when Berset hit another homer -- and with two outs and two strikes."
The comeback wouldn't have happened if not for the outstanding relief pitching of Matt Miller, who worked 5 2/3 innings of scoreless ball, striking out seven while giving up two hits and two walks.
"One of my coaches told me Matt said after the ninth inning that he couldn't go back out. He had nothing left," said Maloney of Miller. "Next thing you know he's running to the mound after Berset's homer yelling, 'Don't take me out! Don't take me out!' I wasn't about to."

Miller stranded two runners in the 10th by striking out Geoff Rowan, who had an RBI single in Northwestern's eight-run second and a sacrifice fly in the six-run third.
Then, Dufek started the wild celebration with a lead-off homer over the center-field fence.
"It was pandemonium after Dufek hit that mammoth home run," Maloney said. "Players were jumping up and down. Fans came on the field. We've won three Big Ten titles, but nothing compares to that game. Those types of things just don't happen."

[masanori]

I feel bad when the yankees blow 5 run lead. Can not imagine 14runs