Ulij Ltd j tiijg~U Autry wins court ruling vs. NCAA Over NCAA objections, a Chicago judge ruled Northwestern sophomore running back Darneli Autry, a theater major, can take an unpaid part in a movie this summer in Italy. NCAA rules bar athletes from appearing in commercial films, and it is considering an appeal. If Autry were found in violation of NCAA rules, he likely would be suspended for a game and made to pay back any money he received for travel expenses. 11 Thursday April 4, 1996 9A y and new can't tame, j Jllh Rose DailySports Writer LANSING - Yesterday's baseball game between Michigan and Michigan State did not count toward the Big Ten standings. 1ft was the grand opening of Lansing's Oldsniobile Park-the brand new home of thminor league Lansing Lugnuts - 'the park's owners thought a game een the state rivals would be a fun way to kick off the spring. Infact, the original plan was for the Spartans to host Grand Valley State in yesterday's game. But then it was de- cided that the Wolverines would spur a little more interest, draw a few more fans. So you see, the gafe wasn't really supposed to beall that im- Eet. It was posed tobe a fun day for the fans - almost like an exhibi- tion. Try telling thattoMicHigan coach Geoff Zahn. "Oh, it's a great ballpark, absolutely," Zahn said. "But you don't play Michigan te just to play." The game started out harmlessly enough. Former Tiger and Michigan State alum Kirk Gibson - who served as hon- orary coach of the Spartans - waved to the fans, and the over-capacity crowd of 6,267.actually sang "Happy Birthday" to Lansing Mayor David Hollister after he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. But then the game began. It was clear from the start that both of se teams showed up at Oldsmobile k to do one thing - win. All polite- ness aside, they didn't seem to be inter- estes in any of this "happy to be here" stuff. That's not to say the players weren't having a great time-because they were. But as the game wore on, the intensity picked up, and no one seemed to remem- ber - or care - that this game didn't count in the conference standings. eading into the bottom ofthe seventh ig, the Wolverines held a 3-2 lead. Then Michigan State came alive. A pair of hits by the Spartans tied the score, bringing the suddenly-fired-up home team out of its dugout. Then Michi- gan pitcher Pete Martay got Michigan State's leadoff hitter to ground into a double play, and the Wolverines roared in approval. But Spartan shortstop Tom Grigg roused the Michigan State faithful seconds later, rocketing a solo homer to *field to give the Spartans a 4-3 lead. "I wasn't really looking to go deep," said the 5-foot-9 Grigg, who went 3-for- 4p the day. "I just get a power surge eyry, couple of months." Eventually, the Wolverines tied the score and sent the game into extra in- nings. And when Michigan's Mike Cervenak scored the go-ahead run in the too of the h, the Spartan-partisan crowd was si- tced. By the time Wolverine closer John Arvai finally got the last out, he was mobbed by his teammates on the field. Michigan right fielder Derek Besco, who homered and reached base three other times, credited the park for much of the excitement. "When a game gets close like that, the intensity always picks up," Besco said. "But this park just adds to it. The atmo- sphere, everything - this is just a great llpark." True, the players were taken by the park:And why not? It is a beautiful park, not to mention that it was only last week when both of these teams were snowed out on their home fields. Still, the view wastl't quite as rosy from the Michigan State dugout after the disappointing loss. "Yeah, it's a great park," Spartan tcher Carlos Fernandez said. "But man, should've won that game." y the end of the day, there were two nanimous decisions. The first was that hefangotagreat show in a great ballpark. he second was that the players, although mpr sed by the stadium, were much ore concerned with winning the game, hether it counted in the standings or not. Blue edges State in ld 10th,54 By Will McCahill Daily Sports Writer LANSING - Follow the ball. It's what the spectators did all afternoon, but what the Michigan State catcher couldn't do at the game's critical mo- ment. A wild pitch in the top of the 10th inning allowed Michigan to score the game-winning run as the Wolverines beat Michigan State, 5-4, before a crowd of 6,267 in the inaugural game at Oldsmobile Park in East Lansing. Michigan had watched a 3-0 lead turn into a 4-3 deficit before tying things back up in the eighth and send- ing the game into extra frames. Third baseman Mike Cervenak started off the Wolverine 10th with a single to left, then moved to second when Spar- tan pitcher Marty Patterson walked rightfielder Derek Besco. First baseman Bryan Besco moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt, leaving Cervenak on third as catcher Mike Haskell stepped to the plate. Patterson ran the count to 0-2 on the Wolverine sophomore - Michigan's eighth hitter - before throwing outside and in the dirt. The ball squirted past Spartan catcher Carlos Fernandez and bounded to the backstop, allowing Cervenak to mo- tor home with plenty to spare. The Spartans tried to rally against Michigan closer John Arvai but fell just short. Arvai got within one out of the win before allowing a single to right and a walk. But he was able to slam the door with Cervenak's help, getting Michi- gan State's sophomore designated hitter Kevin Kernen to ground out to third. "I think I was trying to be too picky, as far as hitting corners," Arvai said after picking up his second win of the season. "But then I finally said, 'Just throw it,' and that's when I started throwing strikes." The Wolverines, behind starting pitcher Mike Hribernik, bounded out to a 3-0 lead behind slugging from shortstop Kelly Dransfeldt and Derek Besco. Besco made history in the bottom of the second as he sent a Brian Murphy pitch well over the left-field fence, giving Michigan a 1-0 lead. The dinger was the first at the new field. Dransfeldt soon followed suit. With second baseman Kirk Beermann hav- ing knocked a single off Spartan starter Brian Murphy (literally; Beermann's drive bounced off Murphy's right hip and forced him to leave the game), . Dransfeldt put a Bernie Gibbons pitch off the wire fencing at the top of the left field fence. A shaky couple innings for Michi- gan southpaw Pete Martay let the Spartans back into it. The rally was highlighted by shortstop Tom Grigg's deep - indeed, unplayable- shot to the nether reaches of left, which gave Michigan State a 4-3 advantage. Although Michigan's opponent was from the Big Ten, the win - due to the game's special circumstances - will not count in the conference stand- ings. The Wolverines (6-2 Big Ten, 9- 15 overall) face Western Michigan tomorrow at home. JOE WESTRATE/Daily John Arval picked up the win In Michigan's 54 extra-Inning victory over Michigan State yesterday in Lansing. The win was Arval's second on the season and the Wolverines' ninth overall. Men's golf tries to get back on par By John Friedberg Daily Sports Writer After struggling last weekend in windy Texas at the Dr. Pepper invita- tional, the Michigan men's golf team hopes to end its season-long funk in stormy West Virginia. Michigan is one of 18 teams in this weekend's Marshall Invitational in Huntington, W.Va., beginning Friday. The event is scheduled to be played at the Guyan Golf and Country Club. The weekend features some familiar foes for the Wolverines. Rival Ohio State is the favorite of the strong field. Xavier's top player, Jim Zettler, took home top individual honors last week- end at the Dr. Pepper invitational. He led the Musketeers to a seventh place finish in Dallas. Miami (Ohio) is com- ing off a ninth-place showing at the Dr. Pepper invitational. This 54-hole tournament is a golden opportunity for the Wolverines to re- cover from their recent lackluster play. "Hopefully, we have the right group of guys this weekend," Michigan coach Jim Carras said. "We hope to play our way into the top five this weekend, but it (the invitational) has a good, strong field. Many of the teams are in District four and we will be up against them for the rest of the season." Carras has once again shaken up the lineup for this weekend. Senior captain Chris Brockway is back in his familiar, No. I slot after missing last weekend's Dr. Pepper invitational. Brockway had played in 14 consecu- tive tournaments before sitting out last weekend. The senior from Ann Arbor has struggled this year. His 77.4 aver- age is the highest of his Wolverine career. Junior Kyle Dobbs is in the No. 2 slot for Michigan. He is coming off a disap- pointing 40th-place showing last week- end. While Dobbs struggled in Texas, he has still been Michigan's most consistent golfer this year, posting a 76.68 average. Moving down to the No. 3 spot is freshman Isaac Hinkle. Hinkle has struggled with his consistency this sea- son. His 237 last weekend is a far cry from his career-best df 226 that he shot in the fall. Keith Hinton will be manning the No. 4 position over the weekend. The sophomore from Port Huron has also found difficulty regaining last year's form. The only walk-on making the trip this weekend, Hinton looks to improve upon last weekend's 235 in Dallas. Brent Idalski moves into the No. 5 position after not playing in last weekend's invitational. The left-hander from Alpena is trying to improve upon his efforts of the fall season, which he ended with a 79.5 average. Junior David Jasper is out of the lineup this weekend . Jasper came back from last weekend's tournament very sick. "Jasper's absence is gonna hurt us," Carras said. "David's been our most consistent golfer lately, but we hope to do well without him this weekend." Jasper was Michigan's top finisher last weekend. His 226 was his best 54- hole effort of the year. The Wolverines hope to do something this weekend that they did not accom- plish last weekend. They hope to start playing up to their own expectations. "There is no getting around the fact that we are struggling right now," Carras said. "I don't think any of us expected to be at the level we are based on last year's success. "Marshall always provides a tough field and we're going to have to play our best to be there at the end." JOE WESTRATE/Daily The Wolverines celebrate Derek Besco's second-Inning home run yesterday. Introducing The Amtrak Explore America Fare. Over 500 Destinations. Unlimited Stopovers. One Low Price. Plus Discounts From Five Of Choice Hotels' Chains, Avis, And Amtrak'* When You Pay With VISA*. Ok, you've survived lectures on the What's more, when you pay with VISA, Peloponnesian War and your midterms, so grab your you'll also get: "5% off Amtrak sleeping accommodations. --- (*Not applicable to fares) , And with the Student Advantage Card you'll get an additional 15% off Amtrak fares. For more information (- _ i I