4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - April 10, 2000
Wisconsin 2
Wolverines 1
Wolverines
SI Minnesota
4
Wolverines
0
& Minnesota
0
1
I
t
f
Team W L P
1. Iowa 4 0 1.0
2. Penn State 3 0 1.0
3. Michigan 6 1 .8[
4. Northwestern 3 1 .75
5. Michigan St. 3 2 .6
6. Wisconsin 2 3 .4
7. Purdue 2 4 .3
8. Indiana 2 6 .2
8. Ohio St. I 2 .3
10. Minnesota G 7 .0
Yesterday's Big Ten resu
N1 cHKAU 1-4, MsNNEoTA 0-1
P;RiLis.AT PI NN STATI, m > NCILLbd)
(Tnrougnyeste
Player
Mack
Kosanke
Taylor
Young
Volpe
Kollen
Murdock
Doe
Moulden
Eisner
Lappo
Gentile
Tune
Bugel
Conner
Garza
Totals
Opponents
rdays
Avg.
.429
.396
.342
.326
.325
.293
.285
.273
.272
.250
.238
.223
.202
.167
.156
.154
.286
.165
games)
AB
R
7
96
111
101
83
116
7
11
99
4
21
85
89
6
32
70
928
936
6
17
25
11
17
23
0
0
15
0
2
9
4
10
6
11
156
46
H
3
38
38
33
27
34
2
3
27
1
5
19
18
1
5
12
266
155
(Through yesterday's games)
Player ERA W-L IP H
Barda .35 104106.0 52
Eiland 91 2-1 23.0 29
Young 1.31 10-171.1 38
Gillies 1.49 61 47.0 36
Totals .87 287247.1 155
Opponents 2.97 7-28239,1 266
MICHIGAN 1, MINNESOTAE
MICHIGAN MINNESOTA
Player -AB R H B1
Kollen, 2b 3 0 0 0
Taylor, rf 3 0 0 0
Volpe.dh 2 0 0 0
Young p 3 02 0
Mack.pr 0 0 00
Moulden. 1b 3 0 1 0
Kosanke. 3b 3 0 0 0
Gentile, c 1 0 0 0
Bugel.pr 0 1 0 0
Tune.ss 2 0 0 0
Garza, cf 2 0 1 0
Conner, if 0 0 0 0
Totals 221 4 0
Player 1
Hays. cf
Roberts, rf
Braden, lb
Nygren, 2b
Nichols. ss
Hafemeyer.p
Holden. If
Ballard. dh
Smith, c
Fisk. 3b
Recknor, p
ct. Overall
00 24-7
)00 21-8
57 28&7
'50 12-15
00 25-14
00 24-16
33 23-20
50 11-24
33 17-15
00 22-19
rots
itis
HR RBI 88
0 2 1:
31 21 11
0 1 8:
S2 28 8
'3 23 17 j
0 4 6
0 1 0
0 1 1
1 16 7j
0 1 0
0 3 1
4 19 10
0 10 1
0 1 0
'0 4 1
!1 8 2
12 143 74
6 39 57
ER BB SO
6 20 82
3 3 7
12 19 74E
10 13 22
30 57 185
99 76 1407
AB R H BI
3 0 0 0
3 0 0 0
3 0 0 0
2000
prO 0 0 0
3 0 0 0
2000
2 0 1 0
0 0 0 0
220 2 0
gan 7
R -none SH -
B SO
9
4
an (1st),
AB8RH8
3000
3 0 0 0
dh2000
3010
.prO 1 0 0
2 0 0 0
13000
2000
0000
0000
21121
sota 1. LOB-
B - none HR -
olden. Fisk SF
BB SO
3 6
4 7
Wazur (1st
), 2 p.m.
p.m.
L5
".m.
6
".m.
it
1
If turning on an offense was as easy as flipping
a light switch, the Michigan softball team proba-
bly would have done so earlier to cure its hitting
woes.
While the answer to Michigan's problems is
obviously not so simple, the Wolverines made it
seem that way with their performance in the sec-
ond game of yesterday's doubleheader against
Minnesota - Michigan's performances in the first
and second games of the doubleheader were as
different as light and dark.
After struggling to a combined total of only four
hits and one run over the first two games this
weekend, Michigan turned it on for eight hits and
four runs in the finale.
And the differences were evident right from the
first inning of yesterday's nightcap.
The Wolverines loaded the bases with one out in
the first inning, capitalizing on each way possible
to put runners on base - walks, hits and errors.
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins attributed the
difference to the fact that Minnesota's starting
pitcher, Angie Recknor, had also started the after-
noon's first game.
"We'd seen that pitcher and we got on her,"
Hutchins said.
But when Wolverines leftfielder Melinda
Moulden hit a sharp liner that was barely caught
by Recknor, who proceeded to pick off right-field-
ei Melissa Taylor at third base, it appeared to be
business as usual for Michigan.
Hutchins, however, took the disappointment in
stride.
"Moulden hit the ball well," she said. "That stuff
happens."
But early difficulties weren't going to stop the
Wolverines' newfound offense. After the Gophers
Offense finally turns on
as Wolverines triumph
0
By Jon Schwartz
Daily Sports Writer
snuck a run home in the second, Michigan pitcher
Marie Barda caught fire and Minnesota didn't get
another hit for the remainder of the game.
At the same time, Michigan's bats became a
force to be reckoned with.
With six hits over the next six innings, Michigan
refused to let its early failure get in the way of
putting runs on the board.
The Wolverines chipped away at Recknor, E
pitched a total of 14 innings by the end of the day.
A run in the third, another run off of a Melissa
Gentile homerun in the fourth and two more runs
in the fifth gave the team something that it hadh't
seen in quite some time - a comfortable lead.
It all went back to Michigan's basic philosophy
- whether hard or easy, pretty or ugly, just win.
"I think our team just knows what we need to do
to win ball games," freshman pitcher Marissa
Young said. "We did what it took today."
But for yesterday's improvements to become
tomorrow's victories, the Wolverines need to build
off of what they achieved.
The season-long struggle to hit the ball will not
vanish with one impressive performance. There
are bigger problems, most of which are fixable.
"Some of our hitters take too many pitches and
think too much," Hutchins said. "We need to stop
taking good pitches and swinging at bad ones."
In a sense, it's mind over matter - the
Wolverines clearly can hit the ball. They proved
that yesterday.
But the mental problems don't fix themselves
with one good day, especially as the season wears
on and the games become more important.
In the meantime, the Wolverines just need to
heed the word of Hutchins - they just need to
relax.
They need to keep up what they've been doing
and keep putting runners on base, because the one-
run victories won't last forever.
DANNY KAUCK/ Daly
Despite contributing solid defense throughout the season, Rebecca Tune has struggled at the plate. She
went 0-4 on the weekend and brings to the plate an unintimidating .202 batting average.
Bizarre streaks end for Wolverines
Totals
Don't judge a book by its cover
E - Nichols (2). OP - none LOB - Michig
Minnesota 4 28 - Moulden 38 - none H
Holden. Tune SF - none
IP H R ER B
Michigan
Young W(10-1) 7.0 2 0 0 2
Minnesota
Recknor L(17-17) 6.0 4 1 .0 3
Umpires." Bryan Smith (Home), Kevin Rya
Michael Mazur (3rd)
At: Alumni Field
Attendance: 256
Start: 1:10
Time: 1:48
Y d 0second_
MICHIGAN 4, MINNESOTA I
MICHIGAN INDIANA
Player AB R H BI
Kollen, 2b 4 2 1 0
Taylor, rf 3 1 2 0
Volpe, dh 3 0 2 2
Young, 1b 2 0 0 0
Bugel, pr 0 0 0 0
Moulden. If 4 0 0 0
Kosanke, 3b 4 0 10
Gentile. c 2 1 1 1
Tuness 2 0 0 0
Murdock.ph 1 0 0 0
Garza. cf 3 01 0
Barda p 0000
Totals 2848 3
Player
Hays, cf
Roberts, rf
Braden, 1/i
Nygren, 2b
Hafemeyer
Nichols. ss
Holden. If
Ballard. dh/
Smith. c
Towne, pr
Recknor, p
By Jon Schwartz
Daily Sports Writer
Lost in the success of the
Michigan softball team this season
has been some dubious achievements
that it was finally able to kill over the
weekend.
Coming into their first games of
the season at Alumni Field, the
Wolverines were suffering through
an l8-inning
home scoreless SOFTBALL
streak that was
extended to 31 Notebook
before the team
finally sent a run-
ner home in the fifth inning of the
yesterday's first game.
It was a stretch that included a
four-game home losing streak which
extended back through the Big Ten
Tournament and the NCAA Regional
last year, both of which were held at
Alumni Field.
Even though freshman Marissa
Young did not experience the entire
streak, even she realized that it's
good to return the word "advantage"
to the home field.
"It's good to be back at home," she
said.
TALLYING THE SUCCESSES: While
some poor streaks were coming to
their much desired end over the
weekend, the Wolverines were able
to add some impressive numbers to
their list of achievements.
The two wins on Sunday added up
to the team's 50th and 51st all-time
victories over the Golden Gophers
since 1983- against only 21 losses..
Only three Big Ten teams have lost
more games to the Wolverines.
Also, in yesterday's second game,
the Wolverines won at home for the
Team
1 Penn State
2 Michigan
3 Iowa
4 Michigan St.
5 Ohio State
6 Minnesota
7 Wisconsin
8 Purdue
9 N'Western
10 Indiana
Avg.
.303
.291
.290
.270
.262
.258
.257
.252
.247
.223
Hits RBI Sig %
218 96 .392
252 140 .385
241 104 .394
259 108 .362
188 109 .382
255 98 .345
265 128 .325
260 106 .340
177 66 .312
174 73 .287
For all the talk about Michigan's sometimes banal offense, the Wolverines have
been surprisingly successful compared to the rest of the Big Ten. As of this
weekend, Michigan boasted three of the top nine run producers in the confer-
ence's RBI leaderboard. In addition, the Wolverines had the second-best bat-
ting average of any Big Ten team (.291), trailing only Penn State.
Totals
E - Young, Nygren, Nichols DP - Minne
Michigan 9. Minnesota 5 28 - none 38
Gentile SH - Taylor. Gentile. Nichols, H
- none
IP H R ER 8
Michigan
Barda W (10.4) 7.0 2 1 1 3
Indiana
Recknor L (17-18) 7.0 8 4 3 4
Umpires - Kevin Ryan (Home). Michael M
Bryan Smith (3rd)
At: Alumni Field
Attendance: 278
Start: 3:30
Time: 2:08
Upcoming sche
Tomorrow
at Central Michigan (DH
Friday, April 14
OHIO STATE (DH), 2
Saturday, April 1
PENN STATE, 2 p.
Sunday, April 16
PENN STATE, 1 p
4..
i
...
;
SOFTBALL
Continued from Page 1B
"It's hard because my muscles
started getting tense and sore," Barda
said. "I just tried to run back to the
dugout and warm myself up as much
as possible.
"It was okay in the beginning,
because when I'm pitching out there,
I get warmed up. It's when I'm sitting
on the bench for a long period of time
that I get kind of cold."
Yesterday's weather - which was
by no means balmy - was still an
improvement over the quagmire that
engulfed Alumni Stadium on Friday
afternoon.
Although low wind chills nearly
forced the cancellation of the double-
header, the teams played on.
Michigan responded in the opener
with a dominant pitching perfor-
mance courtesy of freshman Marissa
Young, who pitched a complete-
game, two-hit shutout.
"I thought Marissa was really on,"
Hutchins said. "She was staying
ahead of the batters, and I thought she
pitched well."
Player R81's
1 Nygren, Minnesota 32
2 Young; Michigan x 28
3 Phillips, Mich. St. 26
4 Bashor, Iowa 24
5 Crabtree, Purdue 22
5 Barth, Wisconsin 22
7 Kosanke, Michigan 21
7 Volpe, Michigan 21
9 Roth. Ohio State 20
10 2 tiedat19
Young's two-hitter was immediate-
ly followed up by Barda's two-hi er
in the second game. But, in spitf
the great pitching, Michigan still
struggled to come away with two vic-
tories over the Golden Gophers.
Again, the problems can be traced to
the Wolverines' suspect offense.
Even though Michigan currently
sports a respectable .286 team batting
average, the Wolverines have strug-
gled to score consistently. Evidence
of this can be found in Michigan's
schedule, which has been littered
with 1-0 and 2-1 games. 9
While these kinds of scores mright
be exciting for the fans, the team
would prefer to win more comfort-
ably. But, in order to do so, Michigan
simply has to find a way to get more
people across the plate.
"If we work more on our offense,
we'll do just fine, Barda said. "I
think that we need to be more focused
when we're up to bat - just gip
there swinging."
"Our team knows what we need to
do to win ballgames," Young added.
"We're going to pick it up the rest of
the season."
DANNY KAICK/ Daily
Marissa Young gets tied up with Minnesota thirdbaseman Allie Fisk during yester-
day's doubleheader. The wins were Michigan's 50th and 51st all-time over
250th time in the 18 years since
Alumni Field was built. Barring the
possibility of Michigan hosting one
or both post-season tournaments, the
team could end the season with 260.
NoT SO CLUTCH HITTING: Hitting
in clutch situations has been at a pre-
mium all season for the Wolverines.
The troubles continued over the
weekend as the team rarely came
through with runners in scoring posi-
tion. Of the 23 runners that the
Wolverines left on base in the three
game weekend, 17 of them were in
scoring position, six of whom got as
far as third base.
While the team was able to capi-
talize on their opportunities yester-
day against Minnesota, making the
most of their potential situations
could certainly have helped them in
Friday's 2-0 loss to the Badgers.
The Michigan Daily softball writers' picks for the three stars of the weekend's games:
Marissa Young, Fr., pitcher/first base
Marie Barda, Jr., pitcher
Melissa Gentile, Sr., catcher
<
Young's complete game victory and
two hits led Michigan to a 1-0 victory
over Minnesota yesterday.
in 14 innings this weekend, Barda
gave up only three runs, while
striking out fifteen batters.
Gentile's blast over the centerfield
wall yesterday gave the Wolverines
a lead they would not squander.
I
I
Team
1 Michigan
2 Iowa
3 Wisconsin
ERA
.87
1.04
'.57
H
147
146
193
ER
28
33
60
Be so
48 160
41 195
69 251
"In,1
(Forty or more at bats)
Player A'
1 Kosanke, Michigan .4
2 Bashor, Iowa .4
1 T.i.an. Pe nn.ate -G
vg.
409
07
Atni
Player
1 Nygren, Minnesota
2 Phillips, Mich. St.
3 Bashnr Iowa
HR
10
10
8
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