The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 21, 2005 - 5B
Schmidt
Michigan's arms key
in weekend victories
leads
M'
Ssweep
*at Ohio
By Pete Sneider
Daily Sports Writer
ATHENS, Ohio - When the Wolverines
found themselves struggling to break away
from the Ohio University Bobcats yester-
day, it was an unlikely hero who cracked the
game open.
Junior Mike Schmidt - who sat out the
series opener in favor of freshman Doug
Pickens - gave Michigan a lead that it would
never surrender. His base-clearing double in
the top of the seventh inning put the Wol-
verines ahead by a four-run margin over the
Bobcats at Bob Wren Stadium.
Michigan (11-3) went on to win 8-3, wrap-
ping up a three-game sweep against the Bob-
cats this weekend. The Wolverines captured
the first two with scores of 5-0 and 10-3,
respectively.
Schmidt, who sat out the first game,
exploded in the final two, batting 5-for-9
with three doubles and five RBI - perhaps
making a case for further playing time.
"Let's hope my performance does (give
me more playing time)," Schmidt said. "But
we've got some good competition with Pick-
ens, (sophomore) Brad Roblin and some
other guys."
Senior Derek Feldkamp chalked up his
third win of the season with six innings of
work, yielding two earned runs, four hits and
one strikeout. Senior Drew Taylor and soph-
omore Clayton Richard combined to pitch
three scoreless innings, retiring nine of the
game's final 10 batters.
After Michigan established comfortable
leads early on in the first two games, the
final game was tied at two heading into the
seventh inning.
But the hits began to fall when senior Matt
Butler led off the seventh with a single to
right field. After sophomore Brad Roblin
struck out swinging, junior Chris Getz poked
a single to shallow left field, advancing But-
ler to second. Senior Kyle Bohm then took
a high-and-outside fastball to the opposite
field for a run-scoring single - breaking the
deadlock.
"I was trying to stay back because (relief
pitcher Daniel Weiss) wasn't throwing really
hard," Bohm said. "He threw it up - I don't
think that's where he wanted to throw it -
and I just took it to right field."
A walk to senior A.J. Scheidt loaded the
bases, setting the stage for Schmidt's three-
By James V. Dowd
Daily Sports Writer
ATHENS, Ohio - The ball seemed
to hang in the air forever as Michi-
gan leftfielder Brad Roblin, center-
fielder Matt Butler and shortstop Leif
Mahler converged on the spot where it
was coming down. But before any of
them could arrive, it fell to the grass
in short left field, giving Ohio Univer-
sity second baseman Dusty Hammond
a two-out single in the sixth inning and
ending Michigan pitcher Jim Brauer's
bid for a perfect game.
"If you've got a no-hitter going,
you'd always rather it be a solid line
drive to break it up," Brauer said. "But
a hit's a hit, and I gave a few more up in
the game, so it didn't matter anyway."
The single was one of only three hits
that Brauer surrendered in eight innings
of work during Saturday's series open-
er against the Bobcats. After earning
Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors
for his nine-strikeout performance in a
victory over Lamar on March 12, the
senior didn't miss a beat. Brauer once
again fanned nine in Saturday's game.
Few Bobcat players were able to
make contact against Brauer, and those
that did were kept in check by the Wol-
verines' stellar defense. Mahler com-
mitted the team's only error when he
underthrew first baseman Kyle Bohm.
But Mahler also made several key
defensive stops.
"When the defense plays like it did,
it helps to keep my pitch count down,"
Brauer said. "Being able to stay in the
game and go eight innings is tough. It
comes from the defense saving your
arm."
Michigan also benefited from solid
starts by senior Michael Penn in the
nightcap on Saturday and junior
Derek Feldkamp on yesterday. Penn
struck out four in five innings on Sat-
urday evening before the game was
suspended due to inclement weather.
When the game was restarted yester-
day, redshirt junior Paul Hammond
and sophomore Michael McCormick
closed out the win.
Feldkamp gave up two runs on four
hits in six innings during the final
game of the series. While his stat line
might not show it, Feldkamp suggested
that he was not as comfortable as he
had been in previous games.
"When you don't have your best
stuff, you just want to go out there and
give your team a chance to compete,"
Feldkamp said.
Feldkamp gives credit to the offense
picking it up when he's not quite on his
game.
"All year long, our offense has picked
it up when our pitching is down," Feld-
kamp said. "When you can't go out
there and throw your best, it's good to
have the offense on and you can just go
along with it."
Beyond the work of Feldkamp, Penn
and Brauer, the bullpen closed out
all three wins, allowing just one run
in eight innings of work. Hammond
worked three innings in the second
game of the series, surrendering four
hits, but no runs. When McCormick
took over in the ninth, the Bobcats
score an unearned run on, a throwing
error by Mahler.
In the series finale, senior Drew Tay-
lor began to show signs of returning
to his sophomore year form, when he
went 9-1 with a 3.97 earned run aver-
age before missing most of his junior
season due to injury.
"I felt like I had a positive game,"
Taylor said. "It's a slow building pro-
cess (coming back from injury). Every
day I feel stronger and better. With the
three strikeouts, I feel better than I
have recently."
Sophomore Clayton Richard took
over for Taylor in the ninth inning of
the finale and retired the side in order.
It was Richard's third appearance for
the Wolverines since taking on double
duty as a quarterback on the Michigan
football team and pitcher on the base-
ball squad. Richard has now thrown
four scoreless innings while allow-
ing just one hit. Michigan coach Rich
Maloney also used junior Jeff Niemiec
in the closing role this weekend. In the
opener, Niemiec pitched two-thirds of.
an inning without giving up a hit.
Michigan's hitters have grown com-
fortable with their starters, who have
performed solidly all year and now feel
confident in their bullpen after this
weekend's dominant showing.
"A lot of the relievers haven't been
throwing that much because the start-
ers have been doing so well," first
baseman Kyle Bohm said. "But when
they come in, we know they will shut
the door."
Maloney has also grown comfortable
with his bullpen.
"We're in a better position than last
year," Maloney said. "We've added
Taylor, (Richard) and (Niemiec) - our
closer who never had a chance to close.
We have a good staff with strong arms,
so I feel good turning to the bullper."
FILE PHOTO
Senior Jim Brauer allowed just three hits in eight innings while striking out nine in Saturday's 5-0
victory over Ohio University. The Wolverines swept the Bobcats in the three-game series in Athens, Ohio.
run double off Bobcats senior reliever Yale
Silverman.
"(Silverman) had a similar side-arm style
to one of our relievers, (junior) Jeff Niemiec,"
Schmidt said. "That helped me a lot since I
face him in practice."
Scheidt, Schmidt and Mahler clocked three
doubles in the ninth inning to extend the lead
by two more runs. Richard then made quick
work of Ohio's final three batters.
Before the Wolverines managed to pull
away, the Bobcats took their first lead of the
entire weekend in the fourth inning, with
Phil Sabitini's two-out single. Ohio would
enjoy the one-run lead for about one inning
before Scheidt hit a rocket over the 390-foot-
mark in right center to tie it up at two runs
apiece in the sixth.
Scheidt, batting in the five spot, was argu-
ably Michigan's top offensive threat this
weekend, batting 6-for-13 with four walks
- two intentional - a triple, two doubles, a
home run and 4 RBI.
After going 0-for-5 in the first game, Bohm
tore up the Bobcat's pitching staff in the final
two. Michigan's cleanup hitter batted 4-for-7,
with two walks and four RBI, extending his
total to 21 - a team high.
"I wasn't feeling really comfortable the
first game," Bohm said. "Sometimes you just
come to the park and don't have it. I knew I
had to come out today and be more aggres-
sive and knock in some runs."
While the middle of the order - Bohm,
Scheidt and Schmidt - knocked in 13 of
Michigan's 23 runs, those earlier in the line-
up were consistently in scoring position.
Butler, batting lead-off, went 2-for-5 in
each game of the series. His three-run home
run in the second game was his third of the
year - a team high.
Sophomore Brad Roblin, who batted sec-
ond, crossed the plate three times and record-
ed two stolen bases.
Plocki downplays milestone
By Sara Livingston
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING - General George S. Patton once
said that success is how high you bounce when you hit bot-
tom. On March 11, the No. 7 Michigan women's gymnastics
team suffered a devastating loss at No. 8 Georgia. Michigan
bounced back beating the Spartans on Friday. This victory
gave Michigan coach Bev Plocki her 300th career win and
reminded the rest of the gymnastics world that the Wolver-
ines are still a serious threat.
After the debacle against Georgia, the Wolverines knew
they had to step up and get back on track to insure their prob-
lems were behind them and that they would not run into the
same issues later in the postseason.
"We worked on a few mental things," fifth-year senior
Elise Ray said. "At this point in the season, it gets pretty men-
tal, and it's not so much physical. So we just worked on our
focus and our mental game."
Plocki spoke to the team about their need to reverse a trend
of negative routines and be able to focus on the routine ahead
- not just the big picture. Those words of wisdom proved to
be useful on the Wolverine's balance beam rotation against
the Spartans.
"You can't be sure that you're not going to run into the
same problems," Plocki said. "We sat down, and we talked
a lot about the fact that, if something starts to go the way
we don't want it to go, we have to stop that trend and then
we have to dig down and pull out that Michigan pride and
get things turned around. And that's exactly what we did
on beam, we came back in those last few routines and
nailed sets."
As for Plocki's 300th career win - the longtime Michi-
gan coach was unfazed by the milestone and was more
concerned with her team's improvement and all-around
performance.
"Honestly, that was the last thing on my mind," Plocki
said. "Last weekend, somebody brought it up that it could be
the 300th win if we had done it, and I just wanted to come in
here tonight and put up a good score to improve our ranking.
So that's where my focus was."
Michigan had a near-flawless night against the Spar-
tans, struggling on just its first few balance beam routines.
The team opened the night on the uneven bars, where Ray
won her 10th bar title of the season. She scored a 9.95 and
helped Michigan to its second-highest combined bar score
at 49.375.
"I try to take it one meet and one routine at a time, and
then I hear these big numbers. So it is very exciting to get
something like that," Ray said of her achievement.
Ray also won the all-around competition, scoring a
39.625 - a season-best for Ray - and tying the Michi-
gan school record for most 39-point-or-better all around
finishes at 36.
On vault, Michigan, led by junior Jenny Deiley's first-
place finish of 9.875, brought in its third-highest combined
score of the season at 49.250. All the Wolverines finished
their routines with scores above a 9.80, while the Spartans
had just one gymnast score better than that mark.
"We just focused more, and we knew what to do," Lieber-
man. "We kept our cool and just did what we always did in
practice and carried that through the rest of the meet."
Michigan's momentum continued on the floor exercise,
where the Wolverines scored their third-highest total of the
season with a 49.325. But their rapidly growing momen-
tum only seemed to hurt them as the team began their bal-
300th victory
ance beam rotation. The first three gymnasts all struggled
to keep their balance on the apparatus, and none earned a
scored above 9.700. But, the upperclassmen experience of
junior Becca Clauson calmed the team's nerves. She scored
a 9.900 - good for second-place finish - and brought
the Wolverines back to the level of perfection they exhib-
ited throughout the rest of the meet. Sophomore Lindsey
Bruck and Ray followed Clauson, scoring a 9.875 and 9.975
respectively, which tied a career-best for Ray.
"Our first three events were great, and we possibly had too
much momentum going into the balance beam," Plocki said.
"That is an event that you have to be able to calm down and
not have too much adrenaline for, so its unfortunate that we
didn't end as strong as we would have liked to."
The slip-up on balance beam highlighted the Wolverines'
improvements since their loss to Georgia. In Athens, Ga., the
gymnasts lost control of their routines and spiraled out of
control, resulting in a 197.00 to 194.875 loss.
"I was the most proud of when we started rough on beam
and then last three kids that went were able to turn it around
and have great performances," Plocki said. "I think we
learned a lot from last week because we didn't just let that
downward trend continue."
The Wolverines' triumph over the Spartans gives the
team just the momentum they need heading into Big
Tens, which will be held in Iowa City next weekend. More
importantly the win boosts Michigan's spirits and proves
they can handle themselves like winners, no matter their
previous shortcomings.
"The win was really important, especially heading into
Big Tens," Lieberman said. "Georgia didn't go as well as
we wanted, and this really helped to boost our confidence.
I think a lot of good things will come at Big Tens."
MIKrL IJUL5LbUU BIIy
Junior Becca Clauson and the Michigan gymnastics team were able to
rebound from last week's loss to get coach Bev Plocki her 300th win.
Late upsets shake up March Madness
Calm down. Take a deep breath. Now count to ten. Better? Good.
Now take your NCAA Tournament bracket, throw it in a paper
shredder, light the remains on fire, collect the ashes and sprinkle
them over Crisler Arena where all things basketball are eventually ruined.
The first- and second- round
action that transpired over the
weekend resembled the movie
"Titanic" in some fashions. The
ship set sail in generally tranquil
fashion. Simply put, you could
describe it as boring.
Thursday's first-round match-
ups went almost completely to
script. A Wisconsin-Milwaukee
upset over Alabama fulfilled the r
obligatory No. 12-over-a-No. 5
ing. When No. 14 Bucknell beat No. 3 Kansas later that night, some interested
parties - probably with money or embarrassing house bets on the line -
began to resent the fact that the carnage was taking place all over their brackets.
That carnage was at its worst Saturday night when Wake Forest and
West Virginia gave us what will probably shake out to be the best game
of the tournament. The No. 7-seeded Mountaineers were down 40-27 at
halftime. Then, in one of those unexplainable moments of NCAA Tourna-
ment lore, they rattled off 50 points in the second half to force the Demon
Deacons into overtime. Huh? Then they controlled Wake Forest in two
overtime periods en route to a 111-105 win. Double huh?
And that was only part of the surprise. Following in the footsteps of
players like Wally Szczerbiak and Bryce Drew, West Virginia's Mike Gan-
sey made himself a star - at least for now - solely from his miracle per-
formance in the spotlight. He scored a career-high 29 points, 19 of which
came in the two overtime periods.
After the dust finally cleared on the first weekend of madness, it's com-
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AP PHOTO