The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 19, 1997 - 13 .$election committee not kind to Blue By Mark Snyder Daily Sports Writer The challenge is to do it again. All season long, the Michigan hockey team's goal has been to win the national championship - again. But thanks to the NCAA selection committee, that road became a bit rock- .er Sunday when Michigan found out a am it has already seen could be its NCAA quarter- final opponent. The worst possible sce- nario for the Wolverines was realized when Michigan drew e winner of the Minnesota-Michigan State first- round game. But from the Michigan side there seems to be an answer for all possible problems. "We have to get ready for our game" Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "The game on Sunday has to be our best game - no matter who we play." Berenson was not the only one con- med with focus. "We're going to have to take it a game at a time and see what happens," assis- tant captain Blake Sloan said. "No one ever said it would be easy," captain Brendan Morrison said.,"If you want to get to the final four you have to play the best teams in the country.' While the attitude of indifference toward their opponent pervades the Michigan dressing room, the Wolverines have reason to be concerned. Both of Michigan's possible oppo- nents will have a score to settle with the Wolverines in the traditionally tight NCAA quarterfinal round. Michigan was responsible for Minnesota's most recent heartbreaking playoff defeat last year. In the very same quarterfinal round where the teams could meet Sunday, Michigan rallied from a 2-1 second peri- od deficit to record a 4-3 victory over the Golden Gophers. Just five months ago, Minnesota had its initial opportunity for revenge at the College Hockey Showcase when it faced Michigan. But Morrison devastated the Gophers once more, scoring a goal in overtime to seal Michigan's 4-3 victory. While Michigan has built the fire that exists under Minnesota, it was lit last weekend by North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux, the No. 2 seed in the West Regional, defeated the Golden Gophers in overtime in the WCHA championship game. Michigan State's vendetta against Michigan is a bit more recent. Last Saturday, Michigan denied the Spartans the CCHA playoff championship in a hard-fought victory, 3-1. And that's how Michigan State's sea- son has gone: Average games against other opponents, outstanding games against Michigan.I Two of Michigan's three defeats this season came at the the hands of the Spartans - hardly an ideal opponent for Michigan's first game in the NCAA tournament. "Even though State has beaten us twice this year, if we happen to face them again, it would be a great chal- lenge;' Morrison said. "No matter who we play, it will be a great matchup." That's not to discount the crowd factor either. East Lansing, with its swarms of green hockey fans, lies no more than an hour from Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. The proximity factor to a possi- ble opponent neutralizes any possible crowd advantage for the top-seeded Wolverines. Opposing crowds are nothing new for Michigan, and Berenson states that the noise, as he has said repeatedly about the opponent, is a non-factor. "We played in Wisconsin against Wisconsin (in 1995), we played in Michigan State against the crowd (in 1996);' Berenson said. "So (the crowd) is not an issue - it's the situation." Regardless of what Berenson says about the outside influences, Michigan must face one of two quality teams, and even he admits that the defending champs have the toughest road ahead. "We're probably in the toughest bracket in the country," he said. Maybe Michigan earned that fate with too many victories. An interest in com- petition for the nation's No. I team on the part of the NCAA is understandable, but this is a situation where the selection committee pulled off the unexpected with both possible Michigan opponents. Minnesota, which finished the season ranked No. 4 overall in the national polls, was relegated to the No. 4 seed in the West Region. And Vermont, a team that lost in the first weekend of the ECAC tournament and didn't even make the conference semifinals, received the No. 3 seed in the East Regional. "In theory, you would think the No. I would be playing the 8 or 9," Berenson said. That is a scenario which will only occur if the Spartans are victorious. Both Minnesota and Michigan State have large fan bases that travel to away games - contradicting any theory that attendance affected seedings. "I don't know why Michigan and Michigan State are even in the same bracket;" Berenson said. "If they are worried about crowds, they'd have us in one game and them in another." But Morrison's answer to the contro- versial seedings reverts to the standard Michigan response. "Every year there's something othef than what you think's going to happen," Morrison said. "You've got to beat everyone to get to the final anyway so it doesn't matter who we play." In a season where Michigan has been targeted in every game, the party line remains the same; how Michigan plays will determine how the game goes. While the players have convinced themselves that their destiny lies in their own hands, either opponent will have something to say about that. JOSH BIGGS/Wliy Brendan Morrison and the Wolverines may have to beat Minnesota for the second year in a row In order to advance past the NCAA quarterfinals. = =' Titans use fast start to crush Blue, 12-8 Wolverines' resurgent offense can't overcome awful early-inning pitching By Richard Shin Daily Sports Writer Detroit Mercy had no mercy on the Michigan baseball team, scoring seven runs in the first two innings on its way to a 12-8 victory at Fisher Stadium yester- day. The Titans (4-6) sent 15 batters to the plate in the first two frames, staking a 7- 0 lead for right hander Joel Hillebrand. Michigan, which fell to 9-7, rallied late in the game, scoring six runs in the final three innings but could not over- come four errors and poor pitching, dropping its third consecutive game. Freshman Bryan Cranson, starting only his second game, was shelled, giv- ing up six runs in 1 1/3 innings of work. Cranson was tagged with the loss, drop- ping to I-I on the season. While the Wolverines struggled on the mound, they flourished at the plate, scor- ing eight runs on 12 hits. Rightfielder Derek Besco led the Wolverines offen- sively, going 3-for-5 with a run scored. Centerfielder Brian Bush added a double and a single, scored two runs and drove in another. "I'm happy with our hitting," Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said. "We did get some clutch hits today. You take away those first two innings, and we win the ballgame. "It's pitching and defense. You make four errors and give up 12 hits, and you're not going to win too many ball- games." Michigan's offense struggled early, managing only one hit in the first two innings against Hillebrand, who scat- tered seven hits across 6 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking seven. The Titans got off to a hot start, send- ing eight batters to the plate in the sec- ond inning, touch- ing Cranson for four runs before he was lifted for Ryan Kelley. All told, Detroit scored five runs in the inning and never looked back. The Titans were led by shortstop Jason Derek Besco Gombos, who hit a three-run double in the second and added a solo homer in the fourth. In the end, the Wolverines were able to make things interesting. After falling behind 10-2 after six innings, Michigan began its rally. The Wolverines chased Hillebrand in the seventh, scoring two runs on a wild pitch and a two-out single by pinch hitter Jeff Van Sickle to close the gap to 10-4. Terry Hayden relieved Hillebrand and ended the inning, fanning Michigan catcher Mick Kalahar. In the ninth, the Titans held a 12-5 lead, but Michigan took advantage of three walks and two wild pitches by Detroit's Joe Maceri to score three runs and pull the Wolverines to within four. Maceri settled down, however, and retired Michigan shortstop Brian Kalczynski on a grounder back to the pitcher to end the game. It was not the way Zahn had envi- sioned the Wolverines' home opener, and he expressed his expectations for the rest of the season. "We didn't play very well. We pretty much stunk it up," Zahn said. "We're going to have to play better if we expect to win the number of ballgames we expect to win." Michigan has now dropped three games in a row after winning nine straight. While the Wolverines' bats have been hot, their pitching has been horrid -- as a team, Michigan is batting .353 in 16 games, while the pitching staff sports a lofty 7.12 ERA. During their nine-game winning streak over spring break, the Wolverines were catching a lot of breaks - at least according to Zahn. But in the past three games, Zahn believes the tide has turned. "Somebody's got to come along and pick somebody up," Zahn said. "You make an error and somebody has to make a great play. It doesn't seem to be happening now. It seems like every fly ball that goes out there drops in. "We just have to keep battling." - U - - --' CoC0, . Join Pat Harris Leading Expert in the Nation on Law School Admissions University of Michigan Michigan League . Koessler Room Thursday, March 20th * 7:00 - 9:00 pm Call 1-800-KAP TEST to reserve your spot now! Sponsored By: Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity & Undergraduate Law Club 1-800-KAP-TEST * ,.,JOE WESTRATE/ Daily Michigan junior Mike Hribernik struck out three and walked one in the sixth inning Aegterda. The Wolverines lost to Detroit, 12-8. Zahn displeased with pitching in home opener By Sharat Raju Daily Sports Writer Pitching wins ballgames - a time- wo.rn baseball adage that might prove all too true for the Michigan baseball team this season. :*In yesterday's game at Fisher Stadium against Detroit Mercy, the Wolverines managed to put eight runs on the score- board. i 'You score eight runs, that should be enough to win a ballgame" Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said. - It wasn't. The Titans drove in 12 runs against the Michigan pitching staff - seven in the first two innings against freshman starter &yan Cranson and sophomore Ryan Miley. It was Cranson's second start for Michigan this season. Were the Wolverines just working out the kinks? "It's not 'kinks' if our pitchers aren't going to pitch any better than that,;'Zahn said. The Wolverines are 9-7 - due in no. small part to a team batting average of .353. Hitting is not the problem. A team ERA of 7.12 is the problem. Only four pitchers have sub-5.00 ERAs, and three of those Wolverines have com- bined for just 7 1/3 innings. "We've got very young pitchers,"Zahn said. In fact, the two top pitchers from last season, Mark Temple and reliever John Arvai, were lost to graduation. Temple and Arvai were All-Big Ten first- and second-team selections, respectively, a year ago. Their departures means Zahn loses 11 wins and seven saves from last season's 24-30 squad. The Wolverines do have some fresh, young guns who might be up to the task - a plethora of sophomores with lively arms. J.J. Putz (three starts), Luke Bonner (four) and Kelley (two) along with junior Brian Steinbach (four) will, most likely shoulder most of the starting load. Junior Tyler Steketee has started one game for Michigan this season, as well. Perhaps yesterday's performance was somewhat understandable, considering near-arctic wind chills that have been known to numb pitching arms. Still, Michigan pitchers have given up an average of more than eight runs an outing - a significant number. In col- lege baseball, where aluminum bats are not only legal but omnipresent, it is a lit- tle easier to score runs than in profes- sional leagues. "I think we'll be okay with our bats," Zahn said. "We'll just have to work on our pitching and have patience for our guys to mature." i I Mi" CARRWM. TRUST ME. $7.00 AN HOUR AT