Running in the Land of Lincoln
The Michigan men's track and field team, which was originally slated to
be idle this weekend, will instead be hitting the cinders at the
University of Illinois Spring Sports Festival on Saturday. The team will
be looking to build on a first-place finish at last weekend's Colonial
Relays, where junior Neil Gardner won the 400-meter hurdles and the
Wolverines outscored second-place Seton Hall 42-31.
lot
Thursday
April li, 1996
Wolverine softball splits with Spartans
By Dan Stillman
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING -In extra innings,
Michigan State's Keri Lemasters parked
a two-out, 1-0 pitch over the leftfield
fence to give the Spartans a 6-4 win
over the Michigan softball team in the
first game of a doubleheader yesterday.
The Wolverines (8-2 Big Ten, 29-10
overall) escaped from East Lansing with
a split after eeking out a 3-2 victory in
the nightcap.
Trailing 4-3 going into the seventh
inning ofthe first game, the Wolverines
scored a run off a passed ball to force
the game into extra innings.
After Michigan went down in order in
the top of the eighth, Wolverine pitcher
Sara Griffin quickly retired the first two
Spartan batters in the bottom of the in-
ning. But an infield-single by Spartan
center fielder Tiffany Yager set the stage
for Lemaster's game-winning home run.
"Keri is a really good hitter," Griffin
said. "I just threw her something flat
inside."
Michigan State (2-6, 18-13) took an
early 2-0 lead with runs in the first and
third innings.
The Wolverines rallied to tie the game
in the fourth. Michigan first baseman
Traci Conrad reached first on an error
to start the inning.
Following a Griffin single, third
baseman Tracy Carr's sacrifice bunt
moved the runners up.
And one out later, second baseman
Jessica Lang lined a single to deep right
center to score Conrad and Griffin, and
tie the game.
Things soon fell apart for the Wol-
verines, however.
A Spartan single, combined with a
throwing error by Carr on the ensuing
bunt, gave Michigan State runners at
first and second with nobody out.
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins then
took starting pitcher Kelly Holmes out of
the game in favor of Griffin, who retired
Lemasters for the first out of the inning.
Lang then dropped a ground ball for
the Wolverines' second error of the
inning, which loaded the bases for
Michigan State pitcher Stacey Smith,
whose two-run scoring single gave the
Spartans a 4-2 lead.
"(Holmes) didn't have her best stuff,"
Hutchins said. "Her drop ball was a
little fat."
The Wolverines cut the lead to 4-3 in
the sixth before tying the game in the
seventh.
Griffinwho took the loss, came right
back out to start the second game.
Defense decides outc(
By Andy Knudsen
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING - Keri Lemasters, the first batter for
the Michigan State softball team in yesterday's double-
header, drove a Kelly Holmes pitch deep to left field.
Freshman leftfielder Cathy Davie raced to the-corner,
extended her glove hand, jumped, caught the ball, and
bounced off the tall outfield fence at Michigan State's Old
College Field.
It was a spectacular catch robbing Lemasters of an extra-
base hit.
You would think this would be an omen for a great
defensive contest - but you would be wrong.
The Michigan and Michigan State softball teams com-
bined for four errors and three unearned runs in yesterday's
extra-inning opener.
"You play bad defense in a tight game, and you're not going
to come out on top," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said.
Dmes for Michigan
Someone must have hexed both team's gloves before the
fourth inning, in which three of the gaffes occurred.
It started with Spartan second baseman Patti Raduenz
stumbling underneath Traci Conrad's routine pop-up and
dropping the ball.
Conrad then advanced to second on Sara Griffin's first
of four singles for the day, moved to third 'oh Tracy.
Carr's sacrifice, and hit paydirt on Jessica Lang's tWo
run single.
But when the Wolverines took the field in thebottom half
of the inning, they saw Michigan State's error andraised the
ante.
Carr picked up Tiffany Yager's bunt and tried to throw~out
pinch-runnerJ ill Nanak at second. But the throw was off target
and could not be corralled in time. The bases were loaded after
a Stefanie Nolfsinger grounder bounced out of Lang's glove:
setting up a two-nm single by pitcher Stacey Smith.
See SOFTBALL, Page 12A
ed a 3-2 pitch up the inthe Wolverines' third and final run of
I single that cut the the game.
one run. Throughout both games, the Wolver-
vould get no closer, inesmanagedtoshutdown Raduenz(l-
n (17-5) got the next 4, 1 RBI), whose nine home runs and
ut. .506 batting average earned her four
s took an early 2-1 intentional walks on the day.
s looked to manufac- The Wolverines and Toledo play a
st. doubleheader at 2 p.m. today at
nning triple knocked Michigan's Alumni Field.
*. "°"°
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Olympian and world-record holder TomW
Dolan announced yesterday that he will
give up his final year of college eligibilty.
Dolanwill-
not smq
Michigan survived a seventh-inning
scare in the nightcap and gained a split
with a 3-2 victory.
With Michigan up 3-1in the seventh,
Griffin hit the first batter of the inning.
Lemasters followed with a single
before Griffin retired the next two bat-
ters on a ground-out and a strikeout.
The Big Ten's leading hitter, Spar-
tan senior second baseman Patti
Raduenz, then line
middle for an RB
Spartan deficit toc
The Spartans w
however, as Griffi
batter to ground o
The Wolverine
lead as both teams
ture runs in the fir
Conrad's fifth-i
for Blue
in '96-'97
.
G* [
Blue youth
shines on
glorious
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Michigan's Derek
Besco is safe at
second trying to
stretch a single to
a double in the
Wolverines' 6-5
victory over
Hillsdale
yesterday.
Michigan's
rightfielder later
tagged out a
runner of his own,
nailing Charger
Aaron Pederson,
the potential tying
run, at the plate.
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
spring dayL:
By Will McCahill
Daily Sports Writer
"It seemed like it was 80 degrees out
here," Mike Cervenak crowed after
yesterday's 6-5 victory over Hillsdale,
and boy, was he ever right.
It was, indeed, a glorious day for base-
ball, a day when the crisp calls of the
umpires match the long, clear rays of
sunlight - a day for players and fans
alike to bask in the little joys of the game.
Yesterday's time at the park was,
well, summer to the winter that was the
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M' baseball just gets over the Hill, 6-5
sA
L
last game the
Wolverines
played at Ray
Fisher Stadium.
That was last
weekend against
Minnesota, and
the frigid breeze
brought snow-
flakes tumbling
from the steel-
grey sky.
By James Goldstein
Daily Sports Writer
Eight is enough? Nope.
The Michigan baseball team survived
a late-inning rally by Hillsdale as Wol-
verine stopper John Arvai - Michigan's
ninth pitcher of the day - sealed
Michigan's 6-5 win over the Chargers
yesterday at Ray Fisher Stadium.
Arvai entered the game for Pete Martay
with two outs in the ninth inning and
Hillsdale's Ryan Soldan at second base.
The Michigan side-armer quickly got
the count to one ball and two strikes on
Charger leftfielder Jason Hensley, who
represented the tying run.
The Wolverines' closer bent down,
hurling the ball in his side-armed fash-
ion. Hensley reached out with his bat,
getting just a piece of the ball. Arvai
jumped off the mound to grab the drib-
bler up the first-base line and fired to
Michigan first baseman Brian Besco
for the final out of the game.
The game wouldn't have gone down
to the final out if the Wolverines' pitch-
ing staffcould have held on to a 6-1 lead
in the sixth inning.
Michigan's Marlon Wright allowed
three hits and gave up one run in the
sixth. And teammate Brad Scheiner
didn't fare any better in the seventh.
Scheiner walked the leadoff batter.
Mike Dunham followed with a slow
grounder that Michigan second baseman
Bobby Scales snagged and held on to as
Dunham reached first. One out later,
Soldan smackeda base hit up the middle
to knock in a run. The big hit came
when Aaron Pederson hit a soft-liner
that fell between Ryan Bush and Jason
Alcaraz in left-centerfield. After an-
other walk, out went Scheiner and in
came Ryan Kelly.
All of a sudden it was 6-5 with two
men aboard.
"I was getting a little nervous toward
the end," Michigan third baseman Mike
Cervenak said. "But I had a lot of con-
fidence in our pitching. They were re-
ally hitting their spots. And we were
making the plays behind him."
And that's what saved the Wolver-
ines - a play in the field. Catcher Ben
Schemmel hit Kelly's third pitch be-
tween first and second base. Around
came Pederson from second - but
Michigan's rightfielder Derek Besco
picked up the ball in short rightfield and
fired a perfect strike to Mike Seestadt,
who easily tagged out Pederson at the
plate to deny Hillsdale the tying run.
Matt Herr started the game for the
Wolverines, pitchingforthe firsttime this
season after playing withthe hockey team.
Herr pitched just one inning and retired
the Chargers in order, striking out one.
"Matt's going to be fine," Michigan
coach Geoff Zahn said. "But he's not in
shape yet by any stretch of the imagina-
tion. It's going to take him a little time,
but he's going to help before it's over."
Zahn used the mid-week game as an
opportunity to get his reserves some
playing time. Scales started at second,
Brian Kalcynski played at shortstop -
everyday shortstop Kelly Dransfeldt
moved to designated hitter - and
Seestadt got the start at catcher.
The Wolverines got off to a 3-0 lead in
the first inning highlighted by Cervenak's
liner off Schemmel's glove at third base.
Two runs scored, and Derek Besco's sac-
nfice fly knocked in another.
Michigan stretched out its lead in the
fourth inning as Scales lined a double
over Hensley's head in leftfieldtoscore
Dransfeldt from second.
Michigan goes to Detroit-Mercy to-
day for a 3 p.m. game.
By Doug Stevens
Daily Sports Writer
Sorry, Michigan sports fans, but it
comes with the territory.
Part of the glory of being a studen~
an institution that receives some o
finest high school talent in the country
is that these athletes soon discover tha
they are too dominant for, well, the res
ofthe country. Hence, it is time too
on to the next level.
Swimmer extraordinaire Tom Dolan
arguably the best in the world in hi
sport right now, is the latest Wolverm
to forgo his final year of eligibityt
pursue loftier goals.
Although Dolan will remain ijAh
Arbor the next two years to work to
ward his degree and train with th #ei
the nine-time NCAA champion tilpn
longer compete as a Wolverine.
While there is currently no prefes
sional swimming circuit for Dolawt
turn to, there are other reasons for 'h
decision.
For one, Dolan will be competilig i
the 400 individual medley, the 2
and the 400 freestyle at the 01l:
this summer in Atlanta.
Since he is no longer a coI et
athlete, success at the Olympics wil
open numerous doors financially, in
cluding the opportunity to receivespn
sorships from major corporations
"On an NCAA level, I have achievle
every goal I could ever want to," Dola
said. "I have an opportunity this sum
mer with the Olympics being in
lanta. With the restrictions the NCA
has on what we are allowed to do i
regard to publicizing ourselves and o
sport, I came to the conclusion th4t
need to take advantage of the opport
nity that has arisen."
It is truly a high priority for Dolan t
get his name publicized in hopes-
becoming sort of an ambassador forh
sport ofswimming in the United Stafe
"More than anything else, I want t
help promote the sport," Dolan sai*
hope to go out and give clinics and talk
I hope to make my name a little bigger(i
hopes of improving my ability to pub
cize the sport). I do not see the sport
swimming as a secondary sport."
Dolan, with the support of his fa
ily and coach Jon Urbanchek, decide
that NCAA restrictions would pr
hibit him from fully participating i
the Olympic experience and in re
senting the University. The ju
announced his decision to his tea
mates earlier this week.
"The window ofopportunity in swi
ming is pretty much during the Oly
piCs," Urbanchek said. "Unfortunatel
the Olympics are not next year. Rig
now, swimming needs a role model a
more exposure. Tom Dolan will repr
sent the sport well.
"He won nine NCAA titles andhe
Michigan to the team title in 199
time for him to move on, and take t
opportunity to expose swimming on
national scale. Swimming needs som
one to pick up the sport and publici
it."
It wasn't just a great game from that
angle, either. Although the contest was
a little closer than it should have been
(the Chargers, after all, are in NCAA
Division II), the benefits for the Wol-
verines are immeasureable.
The game was everything Michigan
coach Geoff Zahn could possibly have
wanted. After weeks offutility in trying to
play mid-week, non-conference games
where he would get a chance to juggle
things around, to look at young players
who wouldn't normallysee actionin con-
ferenceplay, Mother Nature finally smiled
upon the first-yearcoach andgrantedhim
his wish. And a win, besides.
Nine Wolverine pitchers came in to
face Hillsdale. A pairof different catch-
ers occupied the other half of the bat-
tery. Players normally confined to the
outfield or to roles as pinch-hitters or
runners got to test the infield waters -
what Zahn was looking for, and just
what the doctor ordered. And, lest one
forgets, on a nice day, to boot.
This is a young team. There are only
four seniors on the roster, three of whom
play regularly. What this team needs is
experience. All the young regulars have
been accumulating it since the team's
first game nearly six weeks ago, and it's
already starting to pay dividends. Michi-
gan is in first place in the Big Ten, and
See BASEBALL, Page 12A
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