8B - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - March 23, 1998
Softball red hot, but boys of
summer still await warmth
By Nick Koster
For the Daily
For the second straight year, the
Michigan softball team left the
Boilermaker Classic undefeated in the
tournament and looking to carry
momentum into the Big Ten season.
Last year, the Wolverines (21-3) swept
through the Classic and proceeded to
win their next five games. Yesterday,
Michigan completed a sweep of a
revised tournament schedule, outscor-
ing their opponents 29-3 in the process.
'The Wolverines finished off their
three-win weekend yesterday by beating
Bowling Green for the second time in as
many days, 9-2. Marie Barda started for
Michigan before being relieved in the
third inning by Jamie Gillies. Gillies (7-
1) picked up her second win over the
Falcons (4-17-1) in the tournament.
A balanced offensive attack plated
two runs in each of the first three
innings, and three more in the fourth.
Kim Bugel led the way for the
Wolverines with two RBI, and Tammy
Mika and Rebecca Tune chipped in with
four hits and three runs scored between
them.
"It was good to get everyone a chance
to play this weekend, and especially sat-
isfying to see everyone play so well,"
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said.
Earlier yesterday, Michigan dropped
Illinois State, 8-0, largely due to a five-
run sixth inning. With the score 3-0, the
Wolverines ran off five runs on three
hits, two errors and two bases on balls.
Bugel delivered the big blow again with
a two-run pinch-hit single, scoring Tune
and Lisa Kelley.
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Sara Griffin pitched a complete-game
shutout for the Wolverines. In the sixth
inning, Griffin (11-0) fanned the
Redbirds' Erin Zwinck to break the
Michigan career strikeouts record with
466. Griffin added another strikeout to
bring her career total to 467. Current
Michigan assistant Kelly Kovach had
held the record since 1995. Illinois State
(7-10) managed just two hits and one
walk against Griffin.
On Saturday, Michigan trounced
Bowling Green, 12-1, in the first of the
two weekend meetings. The Falcons
were stopped by Wolverine hurler Jamie
Gillies in her first outing of the tourna-
ment. Gillies scattered six hits over five
innings, allowing the lone Falcon run in
the fourth inning.
Teeing off on Bowling Green pitcher
Garrett Gholston (3-12), the Wolverines
exploded for 12 runs on 13 hits. Melissa
Gentile blasted a three-run home run in
the top half of the fifth inning to cap off
the scoring. Gentile's home run, her
third of the season and ninth of her
career, moved the sophomore catcher
into third place on the all-time Michigan
home run list.
Leadoff hitter Traci Conrad also had a
big day at the plate. The junior first
baseman collected a double and two sin-
gles, while scoring three runs for
Michigan.
"Our offense was very good over the
three games, which puts us in a very
solid position to start the Big Ten sea-
son," Hutchins said.
The Wolverines begin Big Ten play
with a three-game series against
Indiana, in Bloomington, on Mar. 28-9.
Weather
halts games
By Josh Sorkin
Daily Sports Writer
Just as the temperatures were
rising and the Michigan baseball
team was getting ready for an
important homestand with Iowa, a
snowstorm hit the Detroit area.
This past weekend, the
Wolverines' series with Iowa was
canceled due to snow.
Michigan (5-9-1) was scheduled
to play doubleheaders Saturday
and yesterday. Michigan's homIe
opener against Iowa was highly
anticipated by head coach Geoff
Zahn's ballclub.
"We were really looking forward
to playing this weekend," junior
left fielder Jason Alcaraz said. "We
came back from a so-so trip in
Texas and we have not played in
two weeks."
The Wolverines faced several
prominent Texas teams on their
spring trip. But due to the lack of
prctice and minimal game experi-
ence this season, the Wolverines
were not at full strength.
"It was the beginning of the
year, and it takes a while to get into
the swing of things," Alcaraz said.
"Some of the Texas teams had
already played 15 games, and that
really is an advantage for them.'
FILE PHOTO
While both Melissa Gentile (facing) and Traci Conrad (22) continued their superior hitting, it will take more solid defensive
plays to preserve Michigan's stellar 21-3 record. The Wolverines swept this weekend's tournament at Purdue.
Blue netters split weekend conference matches
By Drew Beaver
Daily Sports Writer
Fans hope that this isn't turning into a
trend -- but it certainly seems like one.
The Michigan women's tennis team is
becoming famous for streaky play.
The trend started with four of five vic-
tories to open the year. These were fol-
lowed by three straight losses.
On Friday, the team appeared to
rebound from the minor losing streak by
beating Illinois 6-1, but Saturday against
Purdue, the Wolverines fell 6-1 again.
"Against Purdue, everyone had good
spurts and played well, but couldn't hold
it together," sophomore Jen Boylan said.
The weekend split gave the
Wolverines a 2-1 record in the Big Ten
and moved them to 5-5 overall.
The Boilermakers, who surprised No.
21 Northwestern three weeks ago, have
demonstrated that 'they intend to be the
darkhorse of the Big Ten this year.
Purdue opened the match by winning the
doubles point, taking two of the three
doubles matches.
'The No. 3 tandem of Tumeka Harris
and Erryn Weggenman earned a 9-7 vic-
tory for the Wolverines.
The Boilermakers then went on a tear
through the singles. Only Michigan
sophomore Danielle Lund held off a
Purdue shutout, winning her No. 2 sin-
gles match in straight sets.
"I think losing to Purdue gives us
some fire to get back out there and face
them again," Lund said. She could get
her wish at the Big Ten Championships
next month.
The weekend began for the
Wolverines on a positive note. Michigan
dominated Illinois in Champaign on
Friday, winning 6-1.
The Wolverines opened the meet by
sweeping the doubles matches to take a
1-0 lead in the team competition. In sin-'
gles play, Michigan did not slow down.
The Wolverines swept the No. 2 through
No. 6 singles matches, dominating their
opponents in the process.
At No. 4 singles, Michigan sopho-
more Erryn Weggenman gave up only
one game en route to a 6-0, 6-1 win over
Allison Gottlieb. Lund controlled her
opponent in a similar fashion at No. 2
singles, winning 6-3, 6-2.
Michigan's only loss came at No. 1
singles, where sophomore Brooke Hart
lost in three sets to Illinois' Simone
Kung.
The Wolverines' loss to Purdue was
their first Big Ten loss since the 1996
Big Ten Championships.
Michigan swept their Big Ten oppo-
nents last year in regular season play and
then won all three of its matches at the
SENIORS, BEFORE YOU SAY GOOD-BYE TO U-M, SAY THANKS'
TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED YOU ALONG THE WAY!
$U
"Losing to Purdue
gives us some fire
to get back out
there"
- Danielle Lund
Michigan women's tennis player
Big Ten Championships to claim the
title.
The BigTen women's tennis champi-
on is decided at the conference tourna-
ment, with seedings based on regular
season records.
Wisconsin has taken an early lead in
the conference standings with a 4-0
record.
Net returns
The Michigan women's tennis
team is keeping busy, with five
matches scheduled in 10 days.
The Wolverines began the stretch
on the road last weekend against
Illinois and Purdue. Their next
three matches are at home -
against Notre Dame on
Wednesday and against Indiana
and Ohio State next weekend.
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