The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 24, 2003 - 38 Niners can't claim dominance of their own state STEVE JACKSON By Josh Holhan Daily Sports Writer While its hitting is running on all cylinders, the pitching hasn't quite been there yet this season for Michigan. For a baseball team, that's never a good sign. Michigan went 1-2 at the Butler Classic in Indi- anapolis this weekend in much of the same way the team has been used to this year. Michigan (7-9) can credit most of its wins this sea- son to some timely and consistent hitting. Yesterday's 12-8 score against Central Michigan was a slugfest consistent with your average Michigan game, but this time, the Wolverines came up on the losing side. Michigan first struck in the top of the fourth. Sophomore Nick Rudden launched a three-run homer as part of the four-run inning. Junior pitcher Bobby Garza (2-1) worked smooth- ly until the fifth inning, when the Chippewas rained down eight runs. Central Michigan worked through Garza and two more relief pitchers during the inning. Michigan will get another shot at the Chippewas when it opens up its home schedule at Ray Fisher Stadium tomorrow. "We certainly want a rematch," Michigan coach Rich Maloney said. "One of our goals in the program is to get back to the point where we can win the state, and obviously this weekend we didn't do that." Senior third baseman Brock Koman, who is cur- rently sitting on a 16-game hitting streak, made his presence known Friday in Michigan's 11-5 win over Butler on its own field. Koman's 3-for-5 hitting day included a two-run double and a homerun in the first. "On the offensive side, you have quite the veteran team," Maloney said. "We've been hitting pretty much day in and day out." Sophomore Drew Taylor got the start on the day, and pitched 6.2 innings, allowing just 2 earned runs. The Bulldogs capitalized on a throwing error by sophomore Nick Rudden and rallied for three runs, cutting the lead to 6-5. Freshman relief pitcher Craig Murray then entered the game, worked out of the jam and earned his first career save. Murray got a fair amount of help from Michigan's five run eighth, highlighted by Koman's double and sacrifice flies by senior second baseman Jordan Can- talamessa and junior catcher Jake Fox. Michigan was in the driver's seat versus Western Michigan on Saturday, but it watched the game slip away in the final innings of the 6-2 defeat. Sophomore Michael Penn flirted with a shutout until the eighth inning, but a Nate Wright fielding erorr was the beginning of the collapse. Right fielder Tom Fabrizio knocked in an RBI double, and Penn later hit a batter with the bases loaded. The relief pitching proved ineffective, as freshman Ali Husain allowed one run, and freshman Derek Feldkamp allowed two runs on four hits in the ninth. We're inexperienced on the mound," Maloney said. "It's uncanny for a Division I program. Virtually every kid we throw out there is making his first start." Broncos' pitcher Brad Mumma threw a complete game and held the Wolverines to their lowest offensive output of the season since facing Oklahoma on March 8. The team's only runs came in the first inning from Fox and sophomore right fielder Chris Burhans on an infield grounder and single, respectively. "We played a tough nonconference and consider- ing where we're at, we're not that far off," Maloney said. "We obviously have a lot of work ahead, but that's okay for now." Two stories. A perspective on basketball and war Big innings hurt M' i n two tough losses By Gennaro Race Daily Sports Writer In America's pastime, a game con- sists of nine three-out innings. Although each frame is completely equal in design, one inning often stands out among the others as "the Big Inning." After defeating Butler in the opener to the Butler Classic on Friday, the Michigan nine felt the wrath of "the Big Inning" on consecu- tive days. "We put ourselves in a position to win, but we give up that big inning," Michigan coach Rich Maloney said. "Until we quit doing that, we're going to continue to struggle" On Saturday, Wolverine junior Michael Penn pitched seven brilliant innings of baseball. Having held Western Michigan to no runs on three hits, Penn looked to be in cruise con- trol entering the eighth inning - but the tide quickly turned. The Broncos took advantage of an opening-inning error by Michigan first baseman Nate Wright, and ral- lied to erase Michigan's 2-0 advan- tage. Penn - who seemed to lose gas after the Wright miscue - could only record one out in the inning before being replaced by Ali Husain and was charged with three runs, two of which were unearned. Western Michigan put three insurance runs on the board in the ninth and prevailed 6-2. Twenty-four hours after Michigan's eighth-inning demise, the Wolverines suffered a similar fate, but this time a little earlier in the game. Junior Bobby Garza held Cenral Michigan to just one run through four innings, but was dodging bullets the entire time. But in the fifth, the Chippewas - who had left eight runners on base - exploded for eight runs, four of which were credited to Garza. The Chippewas won 12-8. "Our guys like Drew (Taylor) and Michael (Penn) are getting better," Maloney said. "Unfortunately they're having to come around in very diffi- cult situations given their youth." G 4And now, back to basketball." As the big-screen picture of Dan Rather uttered those words Satur- day afternoon at Damon's Restaurant in Ann Arbor, the people around me cheered. But I didn't join in. I felt something deeper. Those words took me to a differ- ent time and a different world. It was a dark and painfully cold night, and the broad flat farmlands of rural Michigan surrounded me. I sat quietly at the back of an old, yellow school bus, a mess of sweat and tears. There was no sound. It was just a silent school bus rolling past snow-filled ditches and the occasional deer. One boy stared at the ceiling; another watched the floor bump up and down. I was looking through the mesh of my jer- sey, which I wouldn't take off that night. It was my last high school basketball game. We lost. It was a tight game, but not especially close. I didn't play that many minutes. But I still recounted each and every moment in my mind, looking for a way to cope with the loss. If only I had made a big play here... If only my friend hadn't picked up that foul If only someone could have hit a shot in that key possession ... Eventually I ran out of ifs. So I looked at the boy next to me. He never made eye contact. He didn't speak. We really didn't have anything to say. The game, and our careers, ended ear- lier than we expected. After passing 60 miles of silent two- lane roads, we finally reached our high school. One by one, we picked up our Gatorade bottles, duffle bags and gym shoes. Then we drove home. That night, I lost sleep because of a basketball game. It was a dark and agonizingly hot night, and the endless sands of an Iraqi wilderness surrounded a young man. He sat quietly at the back of a high-tech mobile assault vehicle, covered in sweat and holding back tears. There was no sound. It was just a state-of-the-art war machine rolling past piles of sand and the occasional burned-out and abandoned enemy tank. One young man stared at the ceil- ing; another watched the floor bump up and down. But this young man was looking at the end of his gas mask, which he wouldn't take off that night. It was his first taste of war. Another young man died in the battle. His death wasn't this young man's fault. He didn't even see it happen. But he still recounted each and every moment in his mind, looking for a way to cope with the loss. Ifonly he had been a position to stop it... If only his friend hadn't been watch- ing something else... If only someone could have stepped in and saved a life... Eventually he ran out of ifs. So he looked at the young man next to him. He never made eye contact. He did- n't speak. He wasn't there. He was dead. There really wasn't anything left to say. The mission, and one young man's life, ended earlier than anyone expected. After passing 60 miles of silent sand dunes, the survivors finally reached their camp. One by one, the young men picked up their canteens, rifles and hel- mets. Then they walked to their tents. Tonight, I will lose sleep for those young men. I still live in a yellow school bus world with trivial problems. Most of us here in Ann Arbor do, too. For that, we should all be thankful. So I urge every one of you - regard- less of how you see this war - to pray for the young men and women that are living in the mobile assault vehicle world. Pray for their safety and a swift return home. - And when the day of peace finally comes, we can all join that Damon's crowd by standing and cheering those beautiful words. "And now, back to basketball" This story is dedicated to Blaine Varner - my 21-year-old friend who left a wife and four children when his country called. We used to ride yellow school buses together Steve Jackson can be reached at sjjackso@umich.edu. DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Michigan catcher Jake Fox extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games. Michigan went 1-2 this weekend at the Butler Classic. Teamwork key component of Blue's success By Steven Shears Daily Sports Writer Women's swimrhing and diving is rarely considered a team sport. Com- plete squads do not qualify for the NCAAs; swimmers can only advance by attaining certain times in events. But for Michigan, teamwork is essential. At the NCAA Championships held in Auburn, Ala. this past weekend, Michigan showcased its talent in relay and medley events - races fea- turing more than one person. "This group had a vision," Michi- gan coach Jim Richardson said. "We're at this championship meet because of our relays." On Thursday, the first day of the event, the Wolverines competed in the 200-yard freestyle relay prelimi- naries in the morning. Michigan was not invited to Auburn for this event, but the team figured it had a slim chance of qualifying for the finals. Surprisingly, they qualified, posting a time of 1:31.33, their fastest of the season. "Qualifying for the 200-yard freestyle relay was a shocker," Richardson said. "No one expected us to qualify in that event for the finals." The team of Laura Kaznecki, Erin Abbey, Abby Seskevics, and Anne Weilbacher finished eighth in the finals with a time of 1:32.03. Later on that night, Abbey and Weilbacher teamed up with Amy McCullough and Kelli Stein to cap- ture 1l1th place in the 400-yard med- ley relay. Twice in the same day, the relays were successful. "The 400-yard medley was solid," Richardson said. "We took pride in trying to score points in this medley." Eleventh- and 12th-place finishes were also recorded in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay, respectively. The. Wolverines finished 14th overall, and each of the nine swimmers who com- peted garnered All-America or hon- orable All-America status. For a team that was not even ranked in the top 30 earlier this year, ending the year in this fashion is quite impressive. "This was a terrific year for us," Richardson said. "They put forth a consistent effort throughout. They knew that to have a better year, they were going to do it themselves and do it as a group. They support one another, step up when they need to and are there for each other." For the senior Wolverines, they will never swim for Michigan again. But one thing is for sure - they will always be there for their teammates. "When their reunion comes up at Michigan, I know that they will all come hack just to see each other," Richardson said. "This is a special group." U U SPECIAL ADVANCE DaCosta wnmg big for netters SCREENING! UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN - ANN ARBOR Natural Science Auditorium 8:00pm Tuesday, March 251' FREE ADMISSION while passes last* *Students may pick up complimentary passes 1 week prior to the screening at 4002 Michigan Union. By Edc Ambinder Daily Sports Writer Michigan's No. 1 singles player, Michelle DaCosta, is a bit deceiving. Soft-spoken and modest, DaCosta's off- court demeanor is the opposite of her intimidating on-court presence. Her most recent victim, Marquette's Eva Trujillo, experienced just that. Taking the match into the third set, Trujillo never had a chance against DaCosta's thundering late-game serving as DaCosta persevered 6-2, 1-6, 6-4. "Being able to serve well throughout the match helps me out a lot in the third set," DaCosta said. "I have more confi- dence in my match play, and I also get a lot of support from my teammates and fans." Support came not just in the form of encouragement. Her teammates clinched the match before DaCosta even began her third set. Marquette (3-12 overall) seemed to be thinking about the school's upcom- ing NCAA basketball tournament game instead of tennis, because the 33rd- ranked Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten, 9-3) pounded the Golden Eagles 6-1 on Sat- urday at the Varsity Tennis Center. Michigan used solid doubles play as a momentum builder for the rest of the match. "It was great that we swept the dou- bles (matches)," assistant coach Greg Novak said. "It was a great confidence builder for the rest of the match." Leading 1-0, Michigan's Jen Duprez cruised to victory over Marquette's DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Kimberly Plaushines had won nine straight matches for the Wolverines, but couldn't come out on top this weekend. Still, Michigan was able to persevere. Seating is limited and not guaranteed. Please arrive early. manding 3-0 lead. The only hiccup for the Wolverines was the surprising loss of Kim Plaushines, who had won nine matches in a row and was unbeaten in dual matches this season. Playing a familiar opponent, Mar- quette's Anna Pavlovic, Plaushines lost 6-3, 6-3 giving the Golden Eagles their only point of the day. "I struggled with execution on a lot of my shots," Plaushines said, "She had an answer for everything that I tried. It wasn't my best tennis today." Though her teammates had clinched a victory before DaCosta even began her third set, DaCosta's fan club - yes, fan club, cheered her on as if her play would decide the outcome of the match. Her fan club may be small, but it is very vocal. They shouted renditions of "dig deep blue" and "stay tough Blue," more times during the match than Dick Vitale says "awesome baby" during a college basketball game. Next up for the Wolverines is a tough road match against 27th-ranked Notre Dame (8-6) tomorrow, a team they This Screening brought to you by: Want to be a VIP this summer?