6B - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - April 7, 1997 Weather dampens Michigan- Minnesota series; teams split By Kevin Kasiborski Daily Sports Writer It's a good thing for the Michigan baseball team that the Big Ten schedule now includes single games on Fridays. Otherwise the Wolverines may have traveled all the way to Minnesota last weekend and only played a single game. Michigan (7-3 Big Ten, 17-12 over- all) defeated Minnesota (5-1, 16-11), 10-5, Saturday after falling to the Golden Gophers, 7-5, Friday, in an abbreviated weekend series. The second game of Saturday's dou- bleheader was postponed due to rain and snow and was scheduled to be made up as part of a doubleheader yes- terday. But Mother Nature again failed to -cooperate, and both contests were washouts. In the baseball that was played Saturday, Michigan jumped all over Minnesota starting pitcher Justin Pederson early. The Wolverines scored four runs in the second inning - three coming on senior captain Kirk Beermann's bases-clearing double - to chase Pederson. Michigan added a single run in the third to give pitcher J.J. Putz a 5-0 lead. Putz nearly surrendered his entire margin in the bottom of the third, giv- ing up four run-scoring singles. Bryan Guse, Ben Griffin, Eric Welter and Phil McDermott got the RBI for Minnesota. The Wolverines responded in the fifth with an RBI single by Dan Sanborn and another RBI double by Beermann, extending their lead to 8-4. Bryan Besco capped the scoripg with a two-run homer in the sixth. Sanborn, who was replacing slump- ing designated hitter Bobby Scales in the lineup, finished the game 3-for-4, with three RBI and two runs scored. Bryan Cranson relieved Putz in the fourth inning, and allowed only two hits and one run over the final 3 2/3 innings. He improved his record to 3-2. Pederson (2-3), who lasted only the first 1 1/3, took the loss for Minnesota. Although the Wolverines pounded out 13 hits, only seven of their runs were earned because the Gophers made five errors behind their four hurlers. In Friday's game, with the score tied 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth, Minnesota's Robb Quinlan hit a solo home run off Michigan starter and loser Brian Steinbach (4-3), providing Minnesota with its first lead of the game. Minnesota hurler Mike Diebolt made the lead stand the rest of the way. Quinlan's run-scoring single in the fifth cut Michigan's lead to 5-4, and Jeremy Negen tied the score in the sixth with an RBI groundout. The Wolverines established an early 3-0 lead by the third inning with the help of some sloppy play by the Gophers. Mike Cervenak opened the game with a single, went to third on a double by Jason Alcaraz, and scored on a wild pitch. In the third, Cervenak's double scored Kirk Beermann, and Cervenak came around and eventually scored on an error by Minnesota first baseman Ben Griffin. Minnesota got back in the contest in the bottom of the third on a solo home run by Welter and an RBI double from McDermott. Michigan scored twice in the fifth to push its lead back to 5-2 before Quinlan lead the Gophers back. In addition to his single and home run, Quinlan also hit his 17th double and scored two runs. Cervenak went 3-for-4 at the plate and had two RBI to lead the Michigan hitters. Diebolt (4-2) pitched a complete game for Minnesota - his second con- secutive - to get the win. After allow- ing five early runs, he completely shut down the Wolverines over the last five innings, holding them to one hit. Steinbach surrendered nine hits and six runs, all earned, in seven complete innings of work. Tyler Steketee pitched the eighth for the Wolverines, and allowed Minnesota to score an insurance run, giving up a solo shot to Troy Stein. MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily Due to a hitting slump, sophomore Bobby Scales was benched at Minnesota. Griffin-less, Blue softball struggles By Pranay Reddy Daily Sports Writer To say the least, the Michigan softball team had a difficult weekend. First of all, the Wolverines were in Iowa. Period. In addition, No. 8 Michigan (3-2 Big Ten, 30-10-1 overall) was swept by the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes (5-0, 29-5), los- ing by scores of 8-2 and 15-4. Yesterday's second game was canceled due to the weather. Finally, injury was added to insult as the Wolverines lost star pitcher/third baseman Sara Griffin for possibly the remainder of the season. Griffin and first baseman Traci Conrad collided on Saturday, as both players attempted to field a bunt. Griffin wound up breaking her left arm, her non- throwing arm, in the loss. Conrad suf- fered a slight concussion and a sprained left shoulder, as both players missed yes- terday's game. And the two were sorely missed by the Wolverines. Iowa punished Michigan starter Kelly Holmes early and often, scoring four runs on four hits before finally getting an out. Michigan's Jamie Gillies was called in to relieve Holmes of her duties and suc- cessfully closed out the first inning. It was smooth sailing after that for Gillies - for an inning. Iowa struck harder in the fifth inning, scoring six runs to give the Hawkeyes an 10-0 lead. Saturday's contest wasn't quite as lopsided from the start, but it definitely was by the end. Iowa's 5-2 lead was interrupted by a two-hour rain delay, and when the two teams came back to play, it was more of the same. Michigan struggled with its hitting all afternoon, tallying just four hits off Iowa pitcher Debbie Bilbao. Michigan pitching could have only hoped for the same success as Bilbao in Saturday's game. Griffin started the game for the Wolverines, but was moved to third base at the start of the third inning after giving up four runs - two of which were unearned. GRIFFIN Continued from Page 1.6 the University. "It typically takes three months to completely heal this kind of injury, but it depends on how the bone heals in the individual patient:' Carpenter said there's a chance Griffin could see limited playing time before the end of the season, with a cast on. "The doctor was happy with what he saw and with the operation itself," Griffin's father said. "If we don't have any infection over the next few days, we'll start some kind of rehab as soon as we can." Griffin will spend one to two more days in the hospital before returning home with a cast on her arm. The injury was not new to Griffin. She broke the same bones in a roller- skating accident in grade school, according to her father. The collision ruined a landmark day in Griffin's career. When the junior reached first base on a field- er's choice in the first inning, driving in Conrad, Griffin set the Michigan mark for career RBI with 133, break- ing the record previously held by Tracy Carr. The Wolverines are losing the star of their team, arguably the best play- er to ever play softball for Michigan. Not only is Griffin a dominant offen- sive player - coupling her RBI record with a .397 career batting average - but she is also the team's ace pitcher. Griffin plays third base when not pitching so her bat can stay in the lineup. Saturday, Griffin was dealt only her second loss of the season, giving her a 15-2 record and a 0.99 ERA. Griffin is only one victory short of the Michigan mark for career wins a record that will likely have to wait a year to be broken. Griffin was lucky in one respect: She broke her left arm, not her pitch- ing arm. Griffin has earned a slew of hon- ors in her three-year career at Michigan. The All-American was twice named the NSCA national player of the week, the most recent being a month ago. Last year, Griffin was named the Michigan female ath- lete of the year and Big Ten player of the year. Griffin has pitched one of two perfect games in Michigan soft- ball history. , The injury puts Michigan's squad in a precarious situation. It will now only have two pitchers to rely on, including inexperienced freshman hurler Jamie Gillies. Throughout the season, Michigan coach Carol Hutchins has been say- ing how important it is to have three pitchers, pointing to two reasons. She doesn't want to overwork any of them, and she wants to to take added pressure off of Gillies. Last season, Michigan only had two pitchers, Griffin and Kelly Holmes. Gillies and Holmes did not get off to a good start in taking over all of the pitching duties. The two surren- dered a combined 15 runs in six innings in a 15-4 loss to Iowa yester- day. 'M' netters. split two Big Ten matches By Andy Latack Daily Sports Writer It was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of weekend for the Michigan men's tennis team. After crushing conference foe Iowa, 6-1, Friday, the Wolverines (3-3 Big Ten, 5-10 overall), in turn, became the crushee, losing by the same count to Minnesota on Sunday. The two match- es were very similar, except for the fa that Michigan was on opposite ends. The matchup against Iowa (1-4, 7-8) was hardly a contest. The Hawkeyes only forced a third set in three of the six singles matches, and the Wolverines coasted to the victory. Michigan also won two of three dou- bles matchups, earning the doubles point in a match for only the second time this season. The Wolverines were not so luc against Minnesota, however. After dropping all three doubles matches, sophomore Jake Raiton posted the Wolverines' only victory, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, over John Cheregi. . Lars Hjarrand, a former Gopher who toured on the pro circuit this year before re-enrolling at Minnesota, handed Michigan's No. I David Paradzik his first loss in three matches, 7-6, 6-1. Paradzik led Hjarrand, 6-5, j the first set but dropped three straig set points as his opponent took the first frame. "It was pretty pathetic," Paradzik said of his inability to close out the first set. "I had him where I wanted him. In the second set, he just played lights out." Paradzik was not the only Wolverine to play his opponent closely. Matt Wright, Arvid Swan and Br McFarlane all battled their opponen to a third set before falling. Wright fell to .500 (6-6) in, dual matches on the season with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 loss to Ben Gabler. Gabler and Hjarrand also teamed up to saddle Swan and McFarlane with a 9-7 dou- bles loss, dropping the Michigan duo to 2-2 on the year. Michigan coach Brian Eisner. warned that the score was not a 466- sive as it appears. V "The matches were very cose" Eisner said "We were in a position to win every one. The problem is that we didn't do it. Minnesota hung in and won the close matches:' It was also apparent to the Wolverines that they were far away from the friendly confines of home, where they have won eight in a row dating back to last season. The cou6 at Iowa and Minnesota gave the horw teams a distinct advantage. The Hawkeyes played on a stickier surface, while the Gophers played inside air filled, dome-like bubbles. "In the years past, the discrepancy in quality between Big Ten teams was quite large," Eisner said. "Now, as abil- ity gets closer and closer, the home court becomes a larger advantage." TEAM LEADERS: Junior co-captain Paradzik and sophomore Willi,. Farah continued their hot streak of late, each picking up their team-leading 20th win over the weekend. Paradzik defeated Iowa's Tom Derouin, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, and posted his 65th career victory. Farah, playing at No. 4, dispatched of the Hawkeyes' Damir Seferovic, 7- 5, 5-7, 6-4 , en route to career win No. 44. Farah also leads- the team with 4 11-4 mark in dual-match play. A RINGER?: Minnesota No. 1 Lars Hjarrand, a recent addition to the Gophers lineup, played in only his sec- ond match of the season against the Wolverines. Hjarrand has been playing some events on the pro tour, but has re- enrolled at Minnesota during the heart of the season, needing one more quar- ter of classes to graduate. OWNING THE HAWKEYES: With theW victory on Friday, the Wolverines boosted their series record against Iowa to an impressive 35-5. Michigan defeated Iowa by an identical 6-1 mar- gin last year in Ann Arbor. DOUBLES TROUBLE: Michigan won the doubles point in the match against Iowa for only the second time this sea- son. Wright paired with Raiton, and Paradzik joined with junior Mi0 Pusztai to take two of three doubles matches from the Hawkeyes. Both duos are 2-2 on the season. Did you get *. n#i .r a. A local research group is seeking non-smokers with stable asthma to " participate in a research study. The purpose of the research is to study the difference between the investigational medication with usual care against usual care for asthmatics. There are a total of 7 visits over the study periods of 6 1/2 months. Some procedures include pulmonary function tests, electrocardiograms, and blood draws. Participants will receive treatment and study related procedures " at no charge. Participants will receive $40 each visit. -4 All visits will occur in a private research clinic in the Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti area. If you are interested in participating, please call (313) 426-3344. Evenings at the Rackham presents Women and Sports: Lessons from the Playing Field Join our speakers-a noted women's sports authority, a university scholar, a sports journalist, and a student athlete-as they reflect on the pains and gains for women in sports since the passage of Title IX, and look ahead to the ways in which those experiences can benefit future generations of women. Panelists: Dr. Donna Lopiano, Executive Director, Women's Sports Foundation Dr. Nancy Cantor, Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Psychology. Nancy Colasurdo, Michigan Journalism Fellow and Sports Writer Tearza Johnson, University of Michigan alumna and Track and Field Athlete Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Hackett, Lecturer in the Women's Studies Program and Advisor, Student Academic Affairs 7:00 p.m. Wednesdav. Anril 9. 1997 After ail t and writin - I t7 h r h g r We carn bind your report while you wait. Now you can celebrate.... ith t triin i si5