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HOCKEY Avalanche lead, 1-0
PLAYOFFS MAJOR LEAGUE
St. Louis 2, BASEBALL
DETROIT 0 Atlanta 7,
Blues lead, 1-0 CINCINNATI 1
DALLAS 5. Los Angeles 5.
Edmonton 3 N.Y. METS 2
Stars lead, 1-0 Colorado 4,
COLORADO 6, CHI.CUBS0
Chicago 0 FLORIDA 2.
St. Louis 1
San Diego 7.
PITTSBURGH 5
Seattle 7.
DETROIT 3
MILWAUKEE 7,
N.Y. Yankees 4
CHI. WHITE SOX 9,
Baltimore 3
TORONTO 4,
Oakland 3
BOSTON 11,
Cleveland 6
PRO
BASKETBALL
DETROIT 94,
Milwaukee 85
WASHINGTON 103,
Indiana 90
Thursday
April 17, 1997
iDA
Blue baseball
bucked by
bRBroncos, 74
ByTracy Sandier
Daily ports Writer
"LAMAZOO - Another mid-week, non-conference
game, and another loss for the Michigan baseball team.
Yesterday, Western Michigan handed the Wolverines their
fifTh mid-week loss, 7-1. Ironically, the Broncos are one of
only two teams that Michigan (22-14) has beaten in weekday
games.
Usually, the Wolverines point to poor pitching as their
biggest concern, but it looks like the Big Ten leaders might
have 'a whole new problem on their hands. Normally heavy-
hitteis, the Wolverines have managed just eight hits in their
past two games, which has resulted in a total of four runs and
two losses.
"We're used to getting a lot of hits a game" third baseman
Mike Cervenak said. "These last two games, we've gotten
eight hits in two games. We're just not swinging the bats well.
It's not really so much pitching or anything. It's the fact that
were not swinging the bat. We're not seeing the ball. We're
jusfcold right now at the plate."
Michigan's only run came off a Bryan Besco home run in
the seventh inning, when it looked like the Wolverines might
start a rally.
After Besco hit his 11th round-tripper of the season, short-
stop Brian Kalczynski flew out to center, bringing team cap-
tain and second baseman Kirk Beermann to plate. He hit a
douabile, but catcher Mick Kalahar grounded out. Center
fielder Brian Bush was hit by a pitch, but Cervenak ground-
edout to end the inning.
-Since the Wolverines are accustomed to big innings, the
dry spell has been clouding the team's confidence.
"I think our guys are frustrated," Michigan coach Geoff
,said. "They're trying real hard, and they're getting
thempelves out more than the pitchers are. We'll have to
aEthat adjustment, and they can. They're good hitters"
3o homore Brian Berryman started yesterday's game and
Ilmfour innings. He surrendered six runs on six hits.
:it;her Ryan Kelley relieved him in the fifth, allowing one
r na k n three hits in two innings. In the seventh, sophomore
A1'7Wozniak held the Broncos to only one hit before giving
jimti Mike Hribernik a crack at Western. Neither pitcher
'd a run.
, think in the first inning we gave them six outs," Zahn
s4i2'You don't hold guys scoreless by doing that. Berryman
gt ine other pitch up in the air. With the wind blowing the
iy is, it's going to go out."
ough his team was not perfect yesterday, Zahn was
happy with what he saw. It was a big change from Tuesday,
w the Wolverines lost, 16-3.
:, ought Wozniak threw the ball real well," Zahn said.
" ept it down. He changed speeds. Hribernik was throw-
i . ball over the plate. I thought all the guys threw better
t'da When I get back to the office, we'll see who's going to
mae the trip this weekend:'
#.~ Wolverines begin a four-game conference series with
Iiaia tomorrow in Bloomington, knowing that if they want
tMiy atop the Big Ten, they are going to have to find their
c"I'tive swing again.
Mtink, if anything, it taught our hitters that they can't
take anything for granted," Zahn said. "If you stop working,
or you stop doing the things that allowed you to hit in the first
place, you're not going to hit. I'd much rather stop hitting in
these games than I would on the weekends. We just have to
regroup and put some things together, and then go from
there."
Knowing that the last two games are probably not going to
determine Michigan's fate for the rest of the season, the
Wolverines are not worried about a lack of confidence this
weekend.
"I think we'll go out there, and we'll play more aggres-
sive," Cervenak said. "We'll play a lot looser. We're at the top
of the Big Ten right now. We've got nothing really to lose. I
think the guys we'll be focused for this weekend. They know
what it's all about."
Gainesville glory?
Blue readies
for first
NCAA title4
By Jacob Wheeler
Daily Sports Writer
Num - ber - one!
The phrase has a nicering to it. It's
a number commonly shouted, sung
and chanted by exhausted and teary-
eyed yet triumphant men and women
after winning championships.
If all goes well for -the top-ranked
Michigan women's gymnastics team
at the NCAA championships in
Gainesville, Fla. this weekend, the
Wolverines will be the ones weeping'
happy tears with their index fingers ir
the air.
But two major factors could plug
the champagne and prevent
Michigan's celebration Friday night
- Georgia and Michigan sophomore
Nikki Peters. Both dilemmas appear
to be out of the Wolverines' hands. 4
It's too bad that defense isn't
allowed in women's gymnastics,
because Michigan coach Bev Plocki
might be able to devise a nifty zone,
defense in hopes of preventing the.
Bulldogs from doing what comes nat-
ural to them.
Georgia, however, struggled at the
Southeast Regionals.
Michigan heard the best news ofits
season over the phone, in the form o
195.725 -- Georgia's low regional.
score. That, along with Michigan's
record-breaking all-around score at the
Central Regional, gave the Wolverines
added hope for a national title.
"We gained a great deal of confi-
dence last weekend," Plocki said. "The
kids are high, and I know that for the
first time they really believe that they
can win a national championship."
But will lightning strike twice? ..
After scoring 1.535 below their sea-
son average, the Bulldogs may be a
volcano waiting to erupt and any early
See NCAAS, Page 12A
Heather Kabnick
and the rest of the
Michigan gymnas-
tics team are tee-
tering on the brink
of a national
championship.
NCAAs begin
today in
Gainesville, Fla.
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily
Softball splits with Chippewas, home-win streak ends
By B.). Luria
Daily Sports Writer
Alumni Field has been kind to the No. 12 Michigan
softball team over the past few seasons.
Very kind.
So kind, in fact, that the Wolverines had a 27-game
home winning streak entering yesterday's doubleheader
with Central Michigan.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
For the first time since March 30, 1996, Michigan (7-
4 Big Ten, 37-13-1 overall) was defeated within the con-
fines of its home field, dropping the second game to the
Chippewas (24-13), 5-3.
In the first game of the day, Kelly Holmes pitched a
complete-game shutout for the 1-0 win, her 15th of the
season.
The ironwoman pitched three more scoreless innings
in the second game.
Holmes outdueled Central Michigan's Tina Kinney,
who only allowed five Michigan hits.
Michigan scored its only run in the bottom of the first.
Left fielder Kellyn Tate led off the game with a walk.
Tate moved to second on a sacrifice by Lisa Kelley. After
Cathy Davie struck out, the hot-hitting Tammy Mika
smacked a double to plate Tate.
In Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of Penn State,
Michigan pushed across 12 runs, including a school-
record three home runs in one of the games.
Yesterday, however, the hitting woes that plagued the
Wolverines last weekend against Northwestern
returned.
They stranded five base runners in the first game and
left 10 on in the second. In the loss, the Wolverines left a
runner in scoring position in each of their final six
innings.
One major problem that the Wolverines had was swing-
ing at bad pitches.
On more than one occasion, Michigan batters helped
Central Michigan pitchers out of a jam by swinging at
pitches out of the strike zone.
"I'm thinking that you have to be tough at the plate,
and ... swing at good pitches," Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins said.
Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Wolverines yester-
day was Holmes' performance. 0
The senior has shouldered the bulk of the pitching load
since the loss of Sara Griffin to injury. And Holmes is
showing no signs of slowing down.
"If I have one kid who has really stepped up here,
Kelly Holmes has been stellar," Hutchins said. "She did
not give up any runs today, so I think that you have got to
think that even if she is tired, she is in there getting the
job done."
Michigan's other pitcher yesterday was Jamie Gillies,
who picked up the loss in the second game of the dou-
bleheader.
The freshman gave up five runs in four innings o
work. Four of the five runs were scored with two outs. ,-
"Jamie needs to have better movement and keep th
ball away from the zone," Hutchin said. "It's too closetop"
the zone and even with two strikes and two outs to be;
able to shut the door to an inning and shut the door on a
batter."
The Wolverines have played six games in the past four,-,
days and now have two days to rest before Minnesota'
comes to Ann Arbor this weekend.
The teams will play three games on Saturday an*
Sunday. The Wolverines hope that home will continue4 t
be as good to them as it has been in the past year.
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