12A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 30, 2000
Eight i*s enough for 'M' Nine
By Raphael Goodstein
Daily Sports Writer
There was no sushi in the stands, but
more importantly, there were no errors
on the scoreboard for the Michigan base-
ball team (0-4 Big Ten, 7-13-1 overall)
- something the Wolverines haven't
been able to say all year.
Oh, and the errorless Michigan Nine
also won a game, another thing they
haven't been able to say in eight games.
Aside from competent fielding, the
Wolverines also featured an offensive
explosion and good pitching in their 6-2
win over Bowling Green (7-11-1) yester-
day.
"It's about time we finally put it alto-
gether;' senior co-captain Rob Bobeda
said.
Bobeda, who suffered through 17 days
without a win, watched his team commit
28 errors and hit only .288, it was about
time.
' MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
Tuesday, Michigan was flat against Western Michigan, but the Wolverines were
en~.able to get back up and celebrate victory yesterday.
Bobeda broke out of his slump with a
double, triple and two runs.
"You're always going to have slumps
over the course of a season," Bobeda
said. "But having a good game like this,
I'll be able to build upon."
The Wolverines broke out of their
slump when Falcons' shortstop Nick
Elrod bobbled a Brock Koman ground
ball in the first inning.
The error led to a run, but also rattled
pitcher Joe Cheney. Outfielder Rob
Bobeda followed the error with an RBI
triple, freshman Jay Dines took a fastball
to the hand - and first base, and Jeff
Trzos lined a base hit.
When Alex Coleman grounded out to
end the inning, Michigan had scored
four runs.
Michigan finished the game with I I
hits, the most since it tied defending
national champion Miami 10 days ago.
"When you face a team that was com-
ing out swinging like Michigan. you're
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going to pay for it,' Bowling Green
coach Danny Schmitz said.
The early lead allowed sophomore
pitcher Bobby Korecky to relax.
"I relaxed and threw the ball over the
plate;' Korecky said. "I'd take one pitch
to get a batter out rather than three any
day.~
The two runs allowed was the lowest
since March 5, seven losses and a tie ago.
"It's good to finally get a win,'
Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said with a
smile. "Our guys have been upset
because they knew they could play bet-
tcr This proves they can play and it's a
great up for them."
It will be imperative to stay on this
high when Michigan goes travels to
Indiana this weekend for a four-game
series. The series is important for
Michigan because Minnesota swept the
Wolverines at home last weekend, leav-
ing the Wolverines with little room for
error.
At: Ray Fisher Stadium
Attendance: 250
Start: 3:00 p.m.
Time: 1:55
BOWLING GREEN MICHIGAN
Player . ASR HBI Player AB R k r
Christman cf4 1 1 0 CatATresm24 1 2 0
Eliaslif 4 0 00 Tousa ss 4 11 0
Gilhousen dh 4 0 1 1 Koman 3b' 4 1 1 1
RymU2 4 0 00 Bobeda cf 3 22 1
Matinxrf 4 03 0 Dines rf 3 1160
Marcum c 2 0 00 Trzosl1b 4 02 2
Rice ph 1 00 0 Dombos dh 40 1 1
Newell c 1 0 00 Colemanc 4 0 00
Burdine 2b 3 1 00 Sokol If 4 0 10
Elrod ss 3 03 1
Loomis 3b 3 00 0
Dukate 3b 0 00 0
Totals 33 2 82 Totals 3461.1S
E - Christman (1), Elrod (3). DP - Bowling Greed ]:1
Michigan 2. LOB - Bowling Green 4. Michigan 6.
2B -Christman (7), Elrod 3(6), Cantalamessa (7).
Tousa (7), Koman (10), Bobeda (6). 30 - Bobeda (I).
SB - Bobeda (5), Trzos (1).
IP HI R ER BB SO
Bowling Green.
Cheney L, 1-3 3.0 6 5 3 1 0
Griffith 3.0 5 1 1 0 1
Menke 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
Streb 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
michigant
Korecky W, 2-1 6.0 6 2 2 0 1
Taylor 2.0 1 0 0 0 0
Pistilli 1.0 1 0 0 0 0
Blue gets back to
basics to break skid.
By Dan Williams
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan baseball team did a lot
to cure what ails them with a 6-2 victo-
ry over Bowling Green.
The team had been suffering from
psychological barriers associated with
the five-game losing streak they
brought into the game with the Falcons.
In other words, once a snowballing los-
ing streak picks up speed, it's difficult
to figure out exactly how to stop it.
But the team pulled together and
pounded out its best collective baseball
game in more than two weeks.
Suddenly, the team is on a one game
winning streak - any element of
defeatism quickly removed from its
mind going into the rest of the season.
"I think we'll probably just put the
losing streak in the past;' senior co-cap-
tain Rob Bobeda said. "We can take out
of it that we need to do things funda-
mentally right to be in ballgames."
The manner in which Michigan won,
with sound baseball basics, was in such
stark contrast to their five previous loss-
es that it makes a very simple point to
the team. Fundamentals win ballgames.
"We've always had all the tools,"
Korecky said. "Today was just a little
speck of what we're capable. There are
a lot of guys with a lot of excitement on
this team and, when we put things
together, it's so much more fun"
At the same time, a veteran of the
game like Michigan coach Geoff Zahn
knows that baseball is a streaky sport.
He doesn't want his team to celebrate
too much after one victory. His talc is
to make sure the team comes into (ach
game with a steady mindset, regard1qss
of streaks.
"We play 56 games,' Zahn said""I's
not like football where you get sky Migh
for every single win. We try to stay on
an even keel emotionally."
Still, any time a losing streak coy~
to a conclusion, a weight is remov~e'
from that team's shoulders, and teiat
applies to Michigan.
The thought will no longer inger
under the Wolverines' baseball caps that
possibly they can't win at home..
The idea that eventually a fielding .
error will precipitate their downfall has
been erased from their minds.
"Guys were upset because they knek
they could play better,"' Zahn said. ,
certainly helps to win this gaie
because it proves to them that they can
play. They can see the fruits of tiheir
labor.""
With a young team like the
Wolverines, each new 'first' is 'proof
that, previously unattainable levels 'can
be reached by keeping composed, and
playing fundamental lv solid baseball.
Yesterday's win should have elimi-
nated any mental blocks in the tean
head.W
"When you're struggling, you have
to work through it," Zahn said. "Thiere
were a lot of positives today. We set the
stage. We want to keep getting better."'
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