Page 8-The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - April 5, 1993
Blue hitters drop four
more in West Lafayette
by Michael Rosenberg
Daily Sports Writer
Last year, the Michigan baseball
team traveled to West Lafayette and
took three of four from Purdue. This
year, the Boilermakers are better, the
Wolverines are worse, and the result
was ugly: Purdue swept Michigan in
a four-game series by the combined
score of 36-6.
All four starters for Purdue (5-3
Big Ten, 21-5 overall) went the dis-
tance, giving the Boilermakers com-
plete games in all 8 conference
matchups this season. Jason Smith
(4-1), Tom Morey (4-1), Dan
Zanolla (4-1), and Jeff Isom (4-1)
stymied Michigan (5-22, 0-8) all
weekend, scattering 22 hits over four
games.
The Wolverines' 0-8 conference
record is the worst in school history,
surpassing the 0-7 start, of the 1951
Michigan squad. Michigan's 11-
game Big Ten losing streak, dating
back to last year, is also a Wolverine
record.
If there was a silver lining in this
storm cloud of a weekend for Michi-
gan, it was centerfielder Rodney
Goble's hitting performance. The
sophomore went 6-for-11 with two
doubles in the four games.
The Wolverines, who have been
plagued by inconsistent glovework
all season, only committed two er-
rors in the first three games. How-
ever, the fielding fell apart in the
fourth game, as five Michigan mis-
cues hampered the team's effort.
Not that the effort was over-
whelming. Michigan managed only
five hits in the contest, which Purdue
won, 14-0.
The Wolverines nearly stole one
from Purdue in yesterday's first
game. Michigan jumped out to a 2-0
lead, but in the sixth inning, the
Boilermakers quickly loaded the
bases.
After a wild pitch by Wolverine
starter Heath Murray allowed Purdue
leftfielder Ron Gabrisko to score,
Todd Marion came in to relieve
Murray. Marion allowed a sacrifice
fly and a pinch-hit, two-out single to
Boilermaker Shannon Stigleman to
give Purdue a 3-2 lead. Michigan
never advanced a runner past first
base after that and the Boilermakers
escaped with a 3-2 triumph.
SOFTBALL
Continued from page 1
victory, allowing seven hits in her
complete game shutout.
Hutchins praised her two starting @
pitcher's efforts, though they're
performances were dissimilar.
"I was really pleased (with the
pitching)," Hutchins said. "Kelly
Forbis pitched a shutout, even
though she wasn't at her sharpest.
And Kelly Kovach was outstanding,
she was really sharp today."
Forbis was helped by the
Wolverine's early run production.
Michigan produced five runs in
the first two innings, which was
more than enough for the victory.
Tracy Carr drove in the day's first
run, lining a ball past the Gopher
third baseman, scoring Senior Patti
Benedict. Karla Kunnen crossed the
plate when right fielder Lesa Arvia
bounced a ground ball past second
baseman Jenny Lopez.
The only real scoring threat for
the Gophers began when
Minnesota's Lisa Sojka barreled her
way onto first by knocking over
Silver at first. But the scoring threat
was killed by a double play initiated
by shortstop Campana.
KRISTOFFER GILLETTE/Daily
Michigan's Scott Winterlee fouls off a pitch against Eastern Michigan last week. The Wolverines were swept by
Purdue this weekend by a combined score of 36-6. Michigan has lost nine straight games and is 5-22 on the year.
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SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK
New home for hitters?
by Rachel Bachman
Daily Softball Writer
EAST LANSING - Due to wet field conditions in
Ann Arbor, the Michigan softball team's two double-
headers against Minnesota, scheduled for Friday and
Saturday, were canceled. The teams settled on just one
makeup doubleheader yesterday.
Because Alumni Field was still too wet to negotiate,
the Wolverines temporarily relocated to East Lansing,
on the home field of Michigan State.
LOOKS ARE EVERYTHING: After getting beaned
in the head by Minnesota pitcher Sarah Maschka in the
first game of yesterday's doubleheader, senior out-
fielder Kari Kunnen laid on the ground, holding the
area around her eye in pain. The usually concerned
crowd of coaches and players circled around her,
awaiting her diagnosis.
Trying to break the tension and get Kunnen to her
feet, Michigan assistant coach Cathy Wylie said,
"Don't wofry, you're still the best looking twin."
Kari's sister Karla plays catcher for the Wolverines.
SOMETHING'S JUST NOT RIGHT: It wasn't too
strange when Minnesota's Jennifer McGuinness was
called out at the plate after leaning into the strike zone
on a 3-2 count to take a pitch. But when the customary
seven innings played in a softball game stretched to 13,
things started getting weird. The play that clinched the
strange softball yesterday was the controversial "no
catch" call in the top of the 13th.
After appearing to catch a fly to deep left center,
Gopher left fielder Melissa Wold crashed against the
fence and fell to the ground. Yelling that the ball was
fair and still in play, the umpire later said he had seen
Wold bobble the ball, then trap it against the fence. The
call turned a possible out into a game-winning, inside-
the-park home run for Michigan's Michelle Silver.
Upon exiting the field for the day, one umpire said,
"Every time I do a Michigan doubleheader, something
funky happens."
MOVE OVER, MONICA SELES: Sophomore
pitcher Kelly Kovach punctuates her pitches with loud
puffs of air, otherwise known as competitive grunts.
"I was taught to let my body do whatever it does,"
Kovach said. "Sometimes it does it and sometimes it
doesn't."
dShe must be doing something right. Last year's Big
Ten Pitcher of the Year as a freshman, Kovach has a
record of 6-4 and an ERA under 1.50. Already fourth
on Michigan's all-time strikeout list with 164, she has
45 strikeouts to her credit in just 60 innings of work.
Yesterday, Kovach pitched- 13 innings of shutout
ball, the equivalent of pitching almost two games back-.
to-back with no break.
STAR PITCHER, TAKE TWO: Kovach is not the
only Kelly filling up the Wolverine record books. With
four more wins, Kelly Forbis will move into the third
spot on Michigan's all-time win list. Yesterday, she
racked up five strikeouts.
Both Forbis and Kovach stressed that they are espe-
cially enjoying this year because with only two pitchers,
there is "no competition" within the pitching staff. The
hurlers each allowed just one hit in their first seven in-
nings on the mound.
AND THEY CAN HIT, TOO: Three Wolverines had
three hits in yesterday's first game: Mary Campana,
Karla Kunnen, and Patti Benedict.
Benedict leads the team in batting, and boasted an
average over .500 before the games against Minnesota.
Second in hitting in the Big Ten last year, she met the
number one hitter yesterday, Minnesota's Lezlie Weiss.
The results: Benedict was 3-for-4 in the first game
and 0-for-5 in the second. Weiss went 1-for-3 with one
walk in the first and 0-for-5 in game two.
Benedict and Weiss are the only two active hitters on@
the Big Ten's all-time top ten hit list.
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