The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 16, 2002 -15A Michigan poised for WCWS run By Kyle O'Neill Daily Sports Writer One never wants to stare too far down the road, but when looking at the Michigan softball team, it is tough not to follow that course. As the No. 12 team in the nation, the Wolverines (8-2 Big Ten, 32-8 overall) are primed to make another run at the Women's College World Series. Last season they were Big Ten regu- lar season champions, runners-up at the Big Ten Tournament, regional champions and a No. 4 seed at the WCWS before losing to No. 5 Okla- homa and No. 6 California. Michigan then went on to lose out- fielder Melissa Taylor (second team All-American, .455 batting average), pitcher Marie Barda (0.88 ERA, 20-8) and shortstop Rebecca Tune (.323 bat- ting average, 15 doubles) to gradua- tion. The Big Ten also became deeper - only Indiana and Michigan State have sub-.500 records this season. So why are the Wolverines looking like they picked up right where they left off last season? Some answers may be the success of their freshmen, their ability to rebound from a poor outing and their fearlessness. The freshmen duo of Nicole Motyc- ka and Jessica Merchant came in to fill the roles of last season's seniors, Barda and Tune. And thus far, no one has been disappointed, as the fresh- men continue to come up clutch at the right times. . After a rough outing Saturday against Minnesota, in which she gave up three runs in two innings pitched, Motycka returned to form on Sunday with a complete game shutout against Wisconsin. The Badgers had beaten Michigan in the first game of the dou- bleheader, but Motycka shook the struggles and the pressure off with a laugh. "I'd say she lightened-up a little bit (Sunday)." Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. "I think she was better (Sunday), and once the whole team got something going, we got our old sense of humor back." Merchant was just 2-for-8 during the Wolverines doubleheader at Cen- tral Michigan last week, but it didn't take long for her to find her find her stroke against Minnesota. She blasted her second home run of the season in the first inning of the weekend's first game. Merchant went on to knock in four runs on the day and help the Wolverines to a 11-1 win. A lot can be said for Merchant's glove as well. She has just six errors at the shortstop position this year. "It's amazing to be able to come and step in as a freshman, and it is a dream come true to put on the maize and blue and go out there and play every game," Merchant said. "We're playing solid defense all the way around, all nine spots on the field are playing great 'D.' (The pitching staff) is doing outstanding on the mound, so when they do hit the ball we get excited." Merchant and Motycka aren't the only two to have rebounded, as the Wolverines have bounced back numer- ous times from a bad inning or a bad loss. In the first weekend of the Big Ten season (March 30-31), Michigan recovered from a 1-0 loss to Penn State with a 3-0 shutout victory. The following day, the Wolverines faced No. 25 Ohio State - a team that Hutchins called the best in the confer- ence. And for the first six-and-a-half innings Hutchins statement appeared to be correct as the Buckeyes took a 4- 3 lead into the final inning thanks to two homers. While Ohio State had the bigger offensive weapons, Michigan won by playing fundamentally sound. An Ohio State error tied the game, and a bases-loaded walk won it for the Wolverines. But even after a big win, like the 5- 3 comeback against Minnesota on Sat- urday, Michigan has always maintained its focus. As a result, the Wolverines haven't lost two straight games since the middle of February. '"We were too high emotionally (after Saturday), and we were hun- gover (Sunday) - we had an emotion- al hangover," Hutchins said. "It's a lot of energy spent everyday, but I thought we calmed back into it. And on not our best day, we pulled out a win against a good team (in Wiscon- sin)." Finding a way to win when it does- n't seem possible has been this team's driving force, as each game a new hero has stepped to the plate or the mound. Whether it's ace Marissa Young pitching a perfect game or Lisa Mack and Melinda Moulden getting grand slams on the same day from the bottom half of the lineup, this team has proven that it knows how to win. With half of the Big Ten schedule remaining - including series against No. 20 Iowa and Northwestern, which is fourth in the Big Ten - there are still plenty of questions to be answered. But so far, the Wolverines have swept the Big Ten's best offensive team (Ohio State) and the conference's best pitching team (Minnesota). So it's not illogical to think that they can top- ple the powerful Hawkeyes and the upstart Wildcats to finish atop the Big Ten standings. "When you're playing Northwestern and Iowa (in one weekend) you better not forget about Northwestern - and we won't," Hutchins said. DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Pitcher Marissa Young has been overpowering on the mound, tallying a whopping 220 strikeouts and leading the Wolverines with 18 victories. DAVID KATZ/Daily Michigan may not have the most powerful lineup in the Big Ten, but the Wolverines have found a way to win games, posting an impressive 32-8 record. * Kenyans rule in the 2002 Boston Marathon The Low down: Rangers axe coach BOSTON (AP) - Kenya reclaimed the Boston Marathon on Monday, sweeping the first four men's spots and the top two for the women. Rodgers Rop held off Christopher Cheboiboch by three seconds to win in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 2 seconds. Mar- garet Okayo won the women's race in a course record 2:20:43, pulling away from two-time defending champion and world record-holder Catherine Ndereba in the final mile. "I just feel proud when I hear that national anthem being played," Ndere- ba said after she embraced Okayo. "And if it was not for me, it's for Mar- garet." Kenyans had won the men's race for a decade before Lee Bong-ju of South Korea ended the streak last year. But the Kenyans were back in force, taking six of the top seven spots and nine of the top 13. "The Kenyans are very happy. Last year, I was not happy," Rop said. "Before running, I said, 'We have to reclaim our title.' It's become a tradi- tion in Kenya to win Boston, so I had to try my level best to win." Fred Kiprop outsprinted Mbarak Hussein, the brother of three-time Boston champion Ibrahim Hussein, to finish third, 43 seconds behind the winner. Lee, the defending champion, was the top non-Kenyan again, but he was fifth after falling out of the lead pack by the 19-mile mark. Keith Dowling, of Reston, Va., fin- ished 15th and was the top American. Ndereba was running in her first marathon since setting the women's world record of 2:18:47 last year in Chicago. She lost a sprint with Okayo in the final mile and finished 29 sec- onds back. "My goal was to break the course record," Ndereba said. "And I did it." Ethiopia's Elfenesh Alemu was third, 5:18 behind Okayo. Jill Gaitenby, of Northampton, Mass., was the top U.S. woman for the second consecutive year, finishing 13th. South Africa's Ernst Van Dyk won the wheelchair race by almost three minutes in 1:23:19. Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland won the women's wheel- chair race in 1:45:57. A lead pack of more than 20 men ran together through the midway point before stragglers fell off the pace. The two Kenyans were in the lead alone by the 22-mile mark, and Rop slowly pulled away before Cheboiboch made a desperate sprint down Boylston Street, unable to close the gap. The winners on the hilly Boston course were almost 31/2 minutes behind the world record of 2:05:38 set on a flatter and faster London course Sunday by Khalid Khannouchi. A forecast of 80-degree weather did not materialize, as the temperatures were 53 degrees at the start, 54 at the midpoint and 56 at the finish. But a low ceiling of clouds grounded heli- copters and kept the first 45 minutes of the men's race and almost all of the women's race off television. The annual Patriots Day race - the first since the Sept. 11 attacks - had an American flair, with nearly 17,000 NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Rangers' NHL-high payroll no longer includes coach Ron Low. The Rangers fired Low yesterday after two losing seasons and zero postseason appearances despite base salaries total- ing about $70 million in 2001-02. The team went 36-38-4-3 this season and finished 1lth in the Eastern Conference. It was the fifth straight year New York failed to make the playoffs. "I don't think it's just the coach's responsibility in a situa- tion like this. We all share equally in this," Rangers presi- dent and general manager Glen Sather said. "But in every situation, someone ends up taking the blame and it's gener- ally the coach. It's unfortunate, but it's the way it has to be." Sather would not say what, specifically, Low did wrong. Sather is holding a position in the organization for Low in case he's not hired by another team before next season. The Rangers led the conference standings in early Decem- ber and were atop the Atlantic Division as late as Jan. 5. But the team went 3-11-1 from Dec. 31-Feb. 6, sinking its season. The roster featured seven players who were at the Salt Lake City Olympics, including stars such as goaltender Mike Richter, defenseman Brian Leetch and forward Eric Lindros. Sather added high-scoring forward Pavel Bure at the trad- ing deadline, but the Rangers still fell short of the playoffs despite his late flurry of goals. Low's record in New York was 69-81-9-4. He missed one game this season to attend the funeral of his brother, who died of cancer. In seven NHL seasons, including five with the Edmonton Oilers, Low is 208-243-49-4. "We had to do something," Sather said. "We wanted to go into next year with a fresh start and fresh ideas. That's what we're doing." Jeri DeBard from Royal Oak slaps hands with onlookers during the Boston Marathon yesterday. runners serenaded by national songs before crossing a red, white and blue starting line for the 26.2-mile run to Boston's Back Bay. A fighter jet fly- over was canceled because of the weather. At the finish, four 45-by-90-foot U.S. flags were unfurled on Boylston Street.