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Softball
sweeps
.series
BDy Even Braunstein
4)aily Sports Writer
It's not easy being this good.
The Michigan softball team contin-
uies to rewrite the record books in the
midst of its best season ever. Not sur-
prisingly, the No. 2 Wolverines added
more marks to their win column this
past weekend, sweeping No. 16
*Minnesota in a three-game series.
With the victories, the Wolverines
34-3 overall, 11-0 Big Ten) remain in
first place in the Big Ten, ahead of
- Minnesota and Northwestern. The
sweep brought the Wolverines' win
stekto 15 games and halted the
~Golden Gophers' six-game tear. The
~Wolverines are seven games shy of
'the 22-game streak set during the
S993 season, a Michigan record.
WH alfway through their Big Ten sea-
son, the Wolverines are 11-0, and are
attempting to win their fourth straight
Big Ten title. The undefeated start is
the best ever by a Michigan team.
"We really want it this year"senior
pitcher Sara Griffin said. "We're tak-
ing it one step at a time, but if we keep
playing the way we are, I think we
have a really good shot. We have a
great team this year and we haven't
peaked yet."
Griffin notched all three decisions
for the Wolverines, improving her
See SWEEP, Page 4B
aoe ,kicligan tll
PORTS
ONDAY
buried
'M' baseball
takes three of
four at home
By Jacob Wheeler
Daily Sports Writer
Halloween was almost five and a half months ago,
but the Michigan baseball team waited until this past
weekend to remove the hideous mask it has worn all
season.
And, lo and behold, the Wolverines now bear a strik-
ing resemblance to last year's ball club, which went
17-6 in the Big Ten and won the regular season con-
ference title.
Michigan (5-7 Big Ten, 15-16-1 overall) finally
played like a defending champion, persevering
through three tight games against Minnesota on Friday
and Saturday before the Golden Gophers (7-5, 25-9)
won the series finale, 6-3, yesterday.
This weekend's was Michigan's first home Big Ten
series, and it couldn't have come at a better time, after
subpar weekends at Illinois and Ohio State. The
Wolverines lost three of four games against each team
and fell further and further in the conference stand-
ings.
"These were big games for us," Michigan coach
Geoff Zahn said. "We were backed in the corner and
we had to win some ballgames, but the kids respond-
ed."
At the forefront of this weekend's turnaround was
Michigan closer Tyler Steketee, who pitched every
day, saving Friday's 5-4 victory and Saturday's 3-2
thriller. Minnesota had a runner in scoring position
and the go-ahead run at the plate in both games, before
Steketee came in and slammed the door.
The Gophers entered this series in second place with
a 6-2 record, only a game behind red-hot Illinois. And
the Wolverines found themselves in a much humbler
position - five games out of first. But the two teams
went in the exact opposite directions this weekend.
See BASEBALL, Page 5B
LOUIS BROWN/Daly
J.J. Putz and the Michigan baseball team leveled Minnesota in their Big Ten home opener this weekend, taking three of four games in the series.
The Wolverines improved their conference record to 5-7 and are now just four games behind first-place Illinois with 12 Big Ten games remaining.
Despite dropping three games, the Golden Gophers remain in second place in the conference with a 7-5 record.
Go EAST,
YOUNG
WOMAN
A world away from her native California, Sara Griffin is rewriting the Michigan record books
BY T.J. BERKA DRinx SPORTS WRIER
Untouchable. Remarkable. Superstar. In a league of her
own. These adjectives barely scratch the surface on
the talent of Michigan senior Sara Griffin. A native of
California, Griffin has brought her talents east and put them
on display during the past four seasons, delighting fans and
thering opponents at the same time.
Griffin has been a rock this season for the No. 2
Wolverines, compiling a perfect 21-0 record with a scant
1.20 ERA. She also has added a home run - establishing
the Michigan career mark - and 32 RBI on the season.
The Michigan all-time win leader, Griffin is to the
Michigan pitching staff what Michael Jordan is to the
Chicago Bulls - her teammates and opponents expect great
things when she steps onto the diamond.
Success wasn't guaranteed in softball for Griffin. In fact,
her parents were skeptical that her career would continue
st age 10.
" started playing when 1 was eight because my best friend
wanted me to play on her team,' Griffin said. "I started out
in left field, where all I did was pick flowers, do cartwheels
and catch butterflies."
Considering the fleeting attention span, it looked as if
Griffin's softball career would be over before it started. But
Griffin had a plan of her
own. nASARA STILLM
"The next year, I told
my dad that I wanted to
pitch," Griffin said. "He wasn't too
sure about it, but I liked to play and
wanted to be part of the action"
After some thinking, Dad relented and let Griffin pitch,
starting a successful career that has includes three College
World Series appearances, several Michigan records and an
appearance in the Olympic Festival. Mr. Griffin's generosity
toward his daughter has also resulted in many frustrated bat-
ters the past few years.
After securing a spot on the mound, Griffin looked to pay
her father back for allowing her a chance to play.
her father back for allowing her a chance to play.
"I told my parents when I was 12 that I wanted to play soft-
ball competitively in college, " Griffin said. "I
was determined to get a scholarship."
That determination drove Griffin to
Daik excel in high school.
She quickly became an elite high
school player in California, playing for
an elite travel team in the offseason.
.+!Much of the success she enjoys now
at Michigan is the byproduct of
traveling throughout California.
"My coach in high school
taught me so much, not only on
the field, but in life as well,"
Griffin said. "He said to
play for him, you have to
be serious and dedicated.
If we did those two
things, he could guarantee us a college scholarship."
True to her coach's word, scholarship offers began popping
up everywhere for Griffin. As a native of southern
California, it was assumed that Griffin would stay home and
attend UCLA, a nationally renowned softball school. Griffin
even bought into the Bruins' program for quite a while.
"When I was younger, the only place I wanted to go to
was UCLA," Griffin said. "Everyone thought I was going to
go there or go to Washington"
The Wolverines came into the equation almost by acci-
dent. When Griffin attended her first Olympic Festival in
1993, one of her teammates was current Michigan assistant
coach Bonnie Tholl, a Wolverine from 1988-91.
"I played with Bonnie at the Olympic Festival, and I liked
how she played and how she carried herself," Griffin said.
Thanks to Tholl, Griffin came to Ann Arbor for a visit in
the fall of 1993. A world away from California, she fell in
love with the maize-and-blue tradition.
See GRIFFIN, Page 4B
'M' women's tennis pulls out
upset as doubles teams falter
By Drew Beaver
Daily Sports Writer
It's only one point. You wouldn't think it would be that
important. But that one point cost the Michigan women's ten-
nis team one Big Ten match this past weekend, and nearly cost
them two.
The point in question is, of course, the doubles point. In Big
Ten play, whichever team takes two of the three doubles match-
es heads into singles with a one-point advantage. The other
team then needs to win four of the six singles matches to earn
a team victory. Michigan was forced into this situation twice
this weekend.
. In six doubles matches this weekend, the Wolverines man-
aged only one victory. Two of their five doubles losses came in
tiebreaks, as did their one victory.
Michigan could not manage to come back from the one-
'M' tennis shells
Penn State, 7-0
By Stephanie Offen
Daily Sports Writer
. In its third match of the week, the Michigan tennis team
started to tire, giving Penn State the perfect opportunity to
come up with its first Big Ten win. But Penn State, after a near-
upset of undefeated Illinois earlier in the season, was not able
to outlast the Wolverines.
Michigan (6-0 Big Ten, 11-3 overall) blanked Penn State 7-
0 yesterday at the Varsity Tennis Center, despite the fatigue.
"When you throw that third match of the week in, all of a
sudden people emotionally and physically get drained,"
Michigan coach Brian Eisner said. "When you get tired, you
start losing concentration. And when you start losing concen-
tration, you don't play the quality of points you want to."
Even with the fatigue factor, the Wolverines did not let up
against the Nittany Lions, earning their second shutout of the
season.
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