The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - April 14, 2003 - 5B

FRIDAY'S GAME
Illinois 5
Michigan 3

SATURDAY GAME 1
Illinois 8
44 Michigan 7

SATURDAY GAME 2
 Illinois 13
Michigan 6

YESTERDAY'S GAME
Illinois 3
Michigan 4

Inconsistent outings
p lague Blue pitchers:

By Josh Holman
Daily Sports Writer
Cut them some slack. They're still a group of
pretty young guys.
This should be Michigan coach Rich Mal-
oney's rallying cry when referring to any
member of his pitching staff. Not even Mal-
oney himself can tell you what to expect from
his inexperienced staff when he gives them the
nod. The weekend's series against Illinois
seemed no different.
"Going into this season, we knew we had no
experienced starters," Maloney said. "Fortunate-
ly, I was able to bring in (sophomore Drew) Tay-
lor and (sophomore Michael) Penn. In reality
they should be third and fourth starters rather
than first and second. We don't have much pitch-
ing depth, there's no doubt about it."
While Taylor has days that look like those of a
fourth starter, yesterday was not one of them.
Yesterday's game presented perhaps the
biggest pitching enigma of the entire series.
While the Wolverines had allowed a total of 26
runs in the first three games against Illinois,
Taylor broke the cycle, allowing just three.
Taylor's 6.15 ERA prior to his complete game
performance is common among this year's col-
lection of Wolverine starters. Pitching duels are
not something the Wolverine's expect to win.
Yesterday's 4-3 victory was only the second
game all season that the Wolverines had won in
which both teams were held under five runs.
Maloney was tempted to dip into his bullpen
on a visit to the mound in the top of the ninth
after an Eric Eymann single, but he decided to
roll the dice again and stick with Taylor.
"I wanted to see where he was, and all I did
was stare into his eyes, and I just kept staring and
staring," Maloney said. "I stared into (senior
third baseman) Brock Koman's eyes, and then I
looked at my team out there, and I felt there was
no way I could take that kid out."
"When he saw the look in my eyes and how
confident I was that I was going to get the job
done, I think he came back with the same kind of

confidence and let me stay out there and finish
the job," Taylor said.
The erratic weekend began right away on Fri-
day. Trailing 3-1 in the seventh with a runner on
second, Maloney made the move to replace
freshman Ali Husain with freshman Derek Feld-
kamp. Until that point, Feldkamp seemed to be
one of Michigan's most dependable pitchers. He
was leading the team with a 4.26 ERA and had
mustered a 2-1 record in relief.
Friday was obviously not Feldkamp's day,
though, as he surrendered two walks and a sin-
gle, allowing Illinois to pull away for a 5-1 lead.
The Illini went on to win 5-3.
The Wolverines were able to stop the bleeding
from that seventh inning when senior Tim Lev-
eque entered the game. Leveque went on to pitch
2.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
When game two of Saturday's doubleheader
rolled around, the situation asked for another
stopper one more time.
Freshman Craig Murray had already allowed
three runs in the top of the fourth, and the score
was starting to get out of hand, with the Illini
leading 9-2. Maloney decided to go to Leveque
for the third straight day, but Leveque was clear-
ly not on Saturday.
Illinois blasted the man who had effectively
shut it down the day before, singling twice and
doubling twice to drive in four more runs. Lev-
eque was pulled without recording a single out.
"With Timmy (Leveque), that was his third day
in a row pitching so his arm had to be tired,"
freshman Jeff Niemiec said. "We're a pretty
young staff, but we're coming around, and hope-
fully we can finish up strong."
Niemiec finally got the out that had alluded
Leveque, along with nine more, to close out the
Illini onslaught. Niemiec seemed an unlikely
candidate for the job. He had appeared in a game
only twice prior to Saturday and carried a hefty
13.50 ERA from those appearances.
"The first time I had a lot of jitters and the ball
was going all over the place," Niemiec said. "I'm
kind of getting to know what to expect from col-
lege hitters now."

FRIDAY'S GAME
Illinois 5, Michigan 3
Mlch 3an>33) nb (1.10)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H 9l
Lollio cf 3 0 0 0 Meagher 2b 4 0 1 0
Sokolib 3 0 1 0 Parentirf 3 0 0 0
Fox c 4 1 1 0 Schutzenhofer lb 5 1 3 0
Koman dh 3 1 1 0Dvdsnf 4210
Cantalamessa 23 1 1 Fredreickson dh 4 0 0 0
rhns rf 4 0 0 0 Bensko 3b 4 1 1 2
Wright 3b 3 0 0 0EFrk 3b 400
Butler ph 1 0 1 0 Eymann ss 4 12 1
Rudden ss 4 0 1 0 Cashman cf 4 2 2 2
Garzap 0 00 0 Patrickc 3 0 0 0
Husain p 0 0 0 0 Rowe p 0 00 0
Feldkamps p 0 0 0 0 Mazurek p 0 0 0 0
Leveque p 0 0 0 0 Total 35 5105
Total 3 p36 3
LOB - Illinois 13; Michigan 7; E- Illinois 2: Bensko
(8); Frk (1), Michtigan 2: Rudden ((6) Wright (2). OP -
Illinois 2.25- Michigan 1: Fox (8). AR -Iinois:
Eymann (3) Michigan: Cantalamessa (5). HOP- Illi-
nois: Patri&; Michigan:CKoman, Burhans.
R H E
Illinois 010 020 200 5 10 2
Michigan 000 100 200 3 6 2
IP H R ER BB sO
Illinois
Rowe 7.1 5 3 2 2 5
Mazurek 1.2 1 0 0 1 1
Michigan 7 3 1 4 5
Garza5.7 3 1 4 5
Husain 0.2 0 1 1 1 0
Feldkamp 0.0 1 1 1 2 0
Leveque 2.2 2 0 0 0 2
Umpires - HP: Gene Klotz, 1B: Stuart Hall, 3B: Mark
At The Fish
Attendance -397 Time- 2:47
SATURDAY, GAME 1
Illinois 8, Michigan 7
Michigan (1314) iob (17410)
Player AS R H BI Player AS R H SI
Lolliocf 4 0 1 0Eymann ss 4 0 1 2
Rudden 2b/ss 4 2 2 0 Parenti rf 4 1 1 0
Koman 3b 3 2 2 2 Schut enhofer lb 3 0 1 0
Foxc 43 0 21DavidsonlIf 4 2 2 0
Sokol dh 3 1 2 1Fredreickson d
Cantalamessa I/2b3 0 0 0 Fedsk0o b 2 0 0
Wrightib 4 1 2 Frk3b 1 01 1
Roberts rf 1 1 1 2 Csmnc
Burhansph/rf 3 0 0 0 n
Goldschmedingssl 0 0 0 Robinson c 3 1 2 1
Butler ph/if 1 0 0 0 Huisinga ph 1 0 0 0
Kunkel ph 1 0 00 Patrick c 0 0 00
Penn p 0 0 0 0 Meagher 2b 3 1 0 2
Murray p 0 0O0Q0Lane p 0 00 0
Total 327 1 7Smith p 0 00 0
Lechowicz p 0 0 0 0
Mazurekp 0 0 0 0
Total 33 81±7
LOB - Illinois 6 Michigan 8: E - Minnesota 2: Eymann
S9) Bensko (9j, Michtgan : Rudden (7); Koman
14). DP - Illinois 1; Michigan 1. 2B - Illinois 3:
ymann (5), Cashman (3), Robins-on(3); Michigan 2:
Rdden (2), Sokol (12). HR - Michi an: Koman (5), Roberts
().HBP -Michigan: Koman.5- Illinois: eagher (4).
ichigan: Rudden (4). CS- Michigan: Goldschmeding
(2).

Illinois
Michigan
Illinois
Lane
Smith
Lechowicz
Mazurek
Michigan
Penn
Murray

1331
122
iP
2.1
0.0
3.1
1.1

000 1
002 0
H R
5 5
1 0
5 2
0 0

R H
8 ,11
7 11
ER 8B
4 1
0 1C
2 1
0 0

E
2
2
SO
0
0
2
1

6.2 11 0 6 2 5
0.10 0 01

TONY DING/Daily
Senior Nate Wright steps up to the plate in the weekend series against Illinois. Wright was hit by a
pitch on Saturday, breaking his wrist. The injury could keep Wright out at least four weeks.

Size no obstacle
for mighty Butler

A FISHY DAY
A lot can happen at a day at the ballpark, especially at the Fish. This weekend's
action against Illinois was no different, supplying a plethera of different reasons to
make a person enjoy an afternoon of baseball. These are just a few of the things
you may have heard, seen, or just plain experienced this weekend.

TONY DING/Daily
Sophomore Michael Penn allowed eight
runs off 1 hits In his start on Saturday,
but managed to last 6.2 Innings.
ILLINI
Continued from Page 1B
guys throw that much," Maloney said.
"He has been well-rested, and he has-
n't done much of late. So it wasn't a
problem especially on a nice hot day
like today."
Taylor scattered 11 hits and allowed
the first batter on base in six of nine
innings. Despite the constant pressure
by Illinois, Taylor only allowed three
runs and gave the Wolverines a chance
for victory at the end of the game.
"I feel excited to pitch a complete
game," Taylor said. "I had one game
where I went 8.1 innings against
Bethune-Cookman a while ago. It's
great to go out there and prove again to
the coach that I can do the job and go
all nine."
With this important victory under
Michigan's belt, the Wolverines avoid-
ed being even further behind in the Big
Ten standings.
"If we lost we would have been 3-7
(in the Big Ten), and it takes about
.500 to get into the tournament," Mal-
oney said. "Getting in the tournament
is certainly one of the goals for our
team. That's a big deal for us. Actually,

By Jake Rosenwasser
Daily SportsWriter
The smallest Michigan baseball player
is making a big splash for the Wolver-
ines. Sophomore Matt Butler, listed at 5-
foot-6 and 153 pounds, got called upon
in all four games this
past weekend and did
not disappoint. X~VAX
In Friday's game, p
with Michigan trailing
by two runs in the bot-
tom of the ninth,
coach Rich Maloney had Butler pinch
hit against Illinois' accomplished clos-
er, Dave Mazurek. Posing as the Troy
Percival of the Big Ten, Mazurek has
only surrendered nine hits in 18
innings this season.
With the game on the line, Butler
smacked a single over the head of the
Illini second baseman, TF Meagher, to
bring the tying run to the plate. Unfortu-
nately, Butler was left stranded.
"He threw a fastball, and 1 just got
my bat on it," Butler said. "He's a
good pitcher, but nothing our team
can't handle."
In the first game of Saturday's
doubleheader, Butler was called
upon to pinch hit again. He dragged
a bunt past the pitcher towards sec-
ond base, but Meagher's throw beat
Butler by a half-step.
"Usually I try to work the count and
get on base," Butler said. "If I see a
whole in the defense, I go for it."
Butler's play on Friday and Saturday
earned him a start in the series finale.
The sophomore contributed to the 4-3
victory by knocking in a run and making
numerous putouts in center field.
"He's a little sparkplug," Maloney
said. "He's a hustler and a great kid."
The more close games the Wolver-
ines play, the more likely it is that
Butler will get more opportunities.
"Most of the time if I getted called
on to pinch hit, it's a tie game or
we're down one or two runs," Butler
said. "I don't try to do too much, just
get to first."
HAKUNA MATATA: When Michigan
ballplayers come up to bat, they have the

loudspeaker play "pump-up" music to
get them fired up to hit. Most
Wolverines choose a rap number,
such as Eminem or Outkast. Fresh-
man A.J. Scheidt, though, uses the
pre-at-bat music for a little comic
relief - he comes out to 'Circle of
Life' from the Lion King.
"It's something I used to goof
around with in high school," Scheidt
said. "I told some of the other guys,
and they thought it was hilarious so I
decided to use it."
Scheidt proved the value of the
unorthodox music when he belted
his first homerun as a Wolverine on
Saturday.
"I was just looking to put the ball in
play," Scheidt said. "I got a good piece
of wood on it, and it went. It was pretty
exciting, I really enjoyed it."
After the homer on Saturday, Scheidt
got his first collegiate start yesterday
"He's been swinging well in practice
so why not give the rookie a chance,"
Maloney said. "He's going to be a big
part of our future."
"With the way these guys hit, it's a
tough lineup to crack," Scheidt said.
"I'm hoping to do my part whenever
I can."
EVERYTHNG NOT WRIGHT: Scheidt's
spot in the lineup was available because
of an unfortunate incident over the
weekend. Fifth-year senior Nate
Wright's wrist was broken when he was
hit by a pitch in the second game of the
doubleheader on Saturday. Wright is
supposed to be out of commision for a
number of games.
"Hopefully it will be four weeks,"
Wright said. "I'm expecting to be back
for the playoffs."
With the injury, Wright will try to
change his leadership style.
"Normally I try to lead by example,
but with the injury I'm trying to be
more vocal," Wright said. "I'm trying
to keep everyone else positive, it's all I
can really do."
Knowing that this is his last season
makes the injury especially hard to take.
"These guys are awesome, they're
trying to help me through it, and they
really care."

Admission price:
Giveaways:
Between inning
entertainment:
Cre tive umpire
insults:

Foul ball policy: A free a to aphed baseball if you
catch a ouIa l!

Spapkin' new
unitorms:
Heartwarming
moments:

Bored with blue d white?
Michigan sported te maize
jerseys and talI soCks yesterday.
Agrou of kds skiing freshman
A.j. Schedt or his autograph,
just because e homered.

Free. (With a valid M-Card)
Satj rday's m*i-baty , complete
with a shiny lock 'M
An ample source of trivia and
bingo numbers.
"You smell like a rotten pig!"


Umpires- HP: Stuart Hal, 18: Mark Ditsworth, 38:
Gene Koltz
At-The Fish
Attendance-757Time-2:16
SATURDAY, GAME 2
Illinois 13, Michigan 6
Mh10(1315) Si*n(&10)
Player AS R H Si Player AS R H BI
Lolliocf 3 1 1 0Eymannss 5 3 3 2
Schmidt If 10 0 0 Parenti rf 3 1 3 2
Sokol If/lb 4 1 3 2 DiMaria ph/rf 2 0 0 0
Koman 3b 3 0 1 1 schutzenhofer lb 3 1 2 5
Rudden 2b 1 00 0Davidsonf 3 11 0
Cantlamesa b2 00 0Huisinga ph/If 0 0 0 0
Scheidt 3b 2 1 1 2 Frederickson dh 4 0 1 2
Wright lb 0 0 0 0 Bensko ph/dhl 0 0 0
Butler pr/If 2 1 0 0 Cashman cf 3 1 1 0
Kunkel c 1 0 1 0 Robinson c 4 2 2 1
Wuerfel ph/c 2 0 0 0 Patrick ph/c 1 0 0 0
Godscmedirgss3 1 1 0 Frk 3b 2 2 0 0
Tognetti p 0 0 0 0 Meagher 2b 3 2 2 1
Murray p 0 0 0 0 Raymond 2b 0 0 0 0
Leveque p 0 0 0 Ziemba p 0 0 0 0
Nemiec p 0 0 0 0 Total 34131513
Total 3 610 5
LOB- Illinois 13; Michigan 6; E - Illinois 1: Fr (2)
Michigan 3: Loio (1), anta lamessa (5, Wright (4).
DP - Illinois 1; Michigan 1. 28- Illinois 6 Eymann
2(7), Parenti 8), Frederickson (2), Robinson (4
Meagher ((5)ichian 2: Fox (9, Gldscheig(2). R-
Michig an 2 :'Soko (1), Scheid (1). HP- Illinois: Cash
man; chigan: Wright. SB - Michigan: Lo llo (4). CS -
Illiois: Parenti (2). 1
p R3 1H E
Michigan 120 002 1o 6 0 3
IP H R ER BB SO
Illinois " -retg,,r
Zemba 7.0 10 4 0 2
Mlchlggan
Tognetti 2.2 7 6 3 3 1
Murray 1.03 4 4 1 1
Leveque .1 1 0 30 50
Niemiec 1
Umpires - HP: Mark Ditsworth, 1: Gene Klotz, 3B:
Stuart Hall
At -The Fish
Attendance - unannounced Time-2:30
YESTERDAY'S GAME
Michigan 4, Illinois 3
Mig(141%) Ids(84)
Player AD R H BI Player A R H BI
Ruddenss 4 1 1 0 Eymannss 4 011
Sokolib 4 11 0ODIMaria rf 4 1 2 1
Koman 3b 3 0 1 1 schutzerhofer b 3 0 1 1
Foxc 4 02 1 Davidsonlf 401
Roberts If 4 00 0 Bend 4 0 1 0
Cantalaessa 2b 3 0 1 0 Cansk hanc 4 0 1 0
E~ o"fs26i i8Cashman o 4 0 1 0
Lollio rf 3 2 1 0
Scheidt dh 3 0 1 0 Robinson c 4 0 0 0
Butler cf 3 0 0 1 Fe rb 43 00
Taylor p 0 0 0 0 Bloquist p 0 0 0 0
Total 48 3 Mazurekp 0000
Total 343113
LOB - Illinois 7; Michian 6 E - Illinois 1: Eymann
10 ,Michigan 1 Ru91den (8. DP - Minnesota 2
M ichigan 1.2B - Illinois 3: DiMaria (5) Frk 2(3;
Michigan 2: Rudden (3), Solv (3) H 0.60b - Illinois:
Schutzenhofer; Michigan: Cantalamessa. $"- Michi-
gan: Lollio(5). CS - Ilinois: Meagher (2). R H E
Illinois 002 000 100 3 11 1
Michigan 101 100 001 4 8 1
IP H R ER BBSO
Illinois
Blomquist 7.0 8 3 3 1 3
Mazurek 1.2 0 1 0 1 0
ayhrg 9.0 11 3 3 0 6
Umpires -HP: Gene Klotz, 18: Stuart Hall, 3B: Mark
Ditsworth
At-The Fish
Attendance -486 Time -2:15
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Conference Overall
Team W L W L
Minnesota 10 0 20 11
Ohio State 8 4 19 10
Indiana 7 5 22 9
Illinois 6 6 18 11
Purdue 6 6 17 14
Northwestern 5 5 12 12
Penn State 5 7 10 16
Michigan 4 6 14 15
Michigan State 3 7 9 20
Iowa 2 10 9 17
Friday's results:
Illinois 5, Michigan 3
INDIANA 4, Michigan State 2
MINNESOTA 19, Penn State 1
NORTHWESTERN 6, Purdue 5
OHIO STATE 4, Iowa I
Saturday's results:
Illinois 8, MICHIGAN 7
Illinois 13, MIcHIGAN 6
Michigan State 6, INDIANA 1
INDIANA 6, Michigan State 5
MINNESOTA 4, Penn State 3
MINNESOTA 2, Penn State 1
Purdue 8, NORTHWESTERN 3
Purdue 6, NORTHWESTERN 0
OHIO STATE 6, Iowa 1
OHIO STATE 9, Iowa 5

Michigan pitching leaders
(Through April 13)

SETH LOWER/Daily
Sophomore Nick Rudden applies the tag on Illinois's second baseman T.F. Meagher
on Friday at the Fish. Meagher was caught stealing on the play.
Michigan batting leaders
(Through April 13)