Asommomf-d 41P 'A IdL cl 4le atictigun 1:. 1;N I Grpf b reaks arm, fture uncertain Pitcher has surgery after bunting incident By Josh Kieinbaum Daily Sports Writer It was supposed to be a sacrifice bunt, nothing more. But when the ball came off Brandi Macias' bat Saturday, the Iowa right fielder delivered what could be the most damaging blow to the Michigan softball team this season. .i First baseman Traci Conrad and third This baseman Sara Griffin were both pinched weel in at the corners, anticipating the bunt. It 'M' mis wasn't even a good bunt - a little pop- Griffin a up in front of home plate. Conrad was swept a charging. Griffin was charging. Neither For the player heard the other call for the ball. see Pag "It was so quick and instantaneous; they just collided," said Sara's father, Casey Griffin. "They were both diving for it, making tremendous efforts, and they dove into each other." Immediately, the severity of the collision was apparent. Griffin and Conrad were both lying on the ground, injured. Yet somehow, Conrad had come up with the ball. The two left the game and were brought to the local hospital. Conrad was diagnosed with a mild concussion and a sprained left shoulder. She missed the final game of the series yesterday, and is listed as day- - to-day. But Griffin's injury is much more seri- kend ous. She was diagnosed with a both- sed bone fracture of her left arm, which and was ~means that both her radius and her ulna at Iowa. were broken. She was operated on yes- story, terday in Ann Arbor by Dr. James ge 61. Carpenter, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University. The surgery was successful. Two plates were put in her lower left arm to set the bones, one on each. "It's not all that common with athletes," Carpenter said. "But it's a fairly common proce- dure. It probably happens a couple times a week at See GRIFFIN, Page 6B Sara Griffin was not happy about breaking her arm against Iowa. Blake Sloan assisted on teammate Harold Schock's. - .- _ . Blake Sloan assisted on teammate Harold Schock's oal in the U.S.'s 5.4, overtime loss to Canada. Schock, Sloan score for U.S. Defensemen trade maize and Sblue for red, white and blue By Jim Rose Daily Sports Writer DETROIT - Friday night, a pair of Michigan hock- ey players ... er, former Michigan hockey players - seniors Harold Schock and Blake Sloan - found them- selves in an unfamiliar situation. Never mind that their temporary team, Team USA, was on the disappointing end of a 5-4, overtime loss to Team Canada in the inaugural World University H4ockey Championship at Joe Louis Arena. What was really strange was that even though Michigan coach Red Berenson was in the building, the outgoing Wolverines were taking orders from Michigan State coach Ron Mason. Mason coached the team of U.S.-born seniors, while Berenson watched the game from the stands. Team USA also featured players such as Shawn Bates - star of the Boston University team that bounced Michigan from the NCAA tournament last week - and Michigan State's Tony Tuzzolino. *"It was nice to play with those guys for a change, instead of having to hold them back all the time' Sloan said. "They're good guys. They just happen to wear the wrong colors, that's all." Sloan was an assistant captain for Team USA, while Schock was added to the roster Tuesday as a late replacement for Boston defenseman Jon Coleman, who withdrew for personal reasons. Once the action started, Schock wasted no time mak- ing his presence felt. He started the game on the blue line with Sloan and scored the first goal of the night, 5:32 after the opening faceoff. Sloan got the only assist on the goal. Berenson, who watched from the stands, said after the game that he was impressed with the pair. "They had a strong showing," Berenson said. "They played well; they played hard. They definitely belong out there." Team USA led for much of the night, and seemed to be headed for a victory, before Canada tied the game with 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Less than two minutes into overtime, the Canadians scored to win. See HOCKEY, Page 3B6 1 s s Michigan win s region beats 'Bamla Tide had won 10 straight By Jacob Wheeler Daily Sports Writer We are the champions, my friend - and we'll keep on fighting till the end. Those magnificent words of Queen were finally heard over the loud speaker late Saturday evening in Crisler Arena after the Michigan women's gymnastics team rocked the Central Regional championships en route to an overwhelming 197.7-196.25 victory over second- place Alabama. Saturday marked the end of an era of the Crimson Tide's domination in the Central Region as Michigan stopped Alabama's streak of 10 consecutive regional championships. "The regional title is something that has eluded us for a number of years," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. "It's something that we've waited a long time for, but we knew we had a great opportunity to do it this year." After showing their poker face all season, the Wolverines finally played their ace Saturday, recording the highest all-around score in school history. Michigan dominated from the beginning, scoring a 49.55 on the vault after opening with a first-round bye. Alabama faltered on its first event, the uneven bars, with a 48.525. Michigan sophomore Lisa Simes and freshman Sarah Cain recorded stellar vault scores - as usual - with a 9.95 and a 9.925, respectively. Simes tied with Louisiana See REGIONALS, Page 4B Senior Andrea McDonald scored an impressive 9.875 on the beam - just third best among the Wolverines. Sweet thing Candy Cain likes her licorice, gymnastics By Sara Rontal Daily Sports Writer W herever Sarah Cain goes, a bag of licorice goes with her. As she walks on the beam or sits on the vault, she is always seen munching on candy. And again after practice, like a little kid, Cain prances around the floor, all smiles, Twizzlers in hand. Yes, she is 18. Yes, she is a fresh- man. But no, she is not a child in gym- nastics by any means. Although the Central Regional meet Cain's hopes for winning an all- around title were dashed when she took two hard falls on the balance beam, scoring a season-low 8.85 on the apparatus. "I was really disappointed in myself for falling, but I am glad the team did well," Cain said. The Wolverines, ranked second in the nation going into Saturday's meet, won the Central Regional title, their first in 10 years. As a freshman, Cain has experienced a great season, especially in the Big of the year and gymnast of the year. Only one other Wolverine, Beth Wymer, has ever received both awards, and Wymer won three NCAA championships. Notonly did the meet earn Cain the awards, but on the bus ride home, her teammates pre- sented her with the most coveted award of all - Cherry Twizzler Pull 'N Peels. Twizzlers are her favorite food, and it makes one wonder how an Harold Schock didn't i even know he was going to play Friday - until Michigan team- mate Peter Bourk's r; ' '; . I FILE PHOTO/Daily Mg Ureri . CIRniUU f4p ~ W