4B-The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - April 18, 2005

PLAYERS OF THE PURDUE SERIES

PLAYERS OF THE INDIANA SERIES

Staci Falzon
(Purdue)
Falzon went 3-for-7 on the weekend
and scored two runs on Saturday,
snapping Michigan's 32-inning score-
less streak.
FRIDAY'S GAME
Michigan 3
WP: J. Ritter (18-0)
Purdue 0
P: B. Baker (13-10)

Jennie Ritter
(Michigan)
Ritter pitched 10 2/3 and went 2-0
giving up just one run in two games.
She struck out 13 Boilermakers and
scattered six hits.
SATURDAY'S GAME
- Purdue 2
LP: D. LaRiva (9-3)
Michigan 6
WP: J. Ritter (19-0)

Tory Yamaguchi
(Indiana)
Yamaguchi went -for-3 in game two
of the doubleheader. The sophomore
doubled in a run and scored in the third,
accounting for both Indiana runs.
YESTERDAY, GAME 1
Michigan 9
WP: J. Ritter (20-0)
t l Indiana 0
E LP: M. Roark (9-16)

Samantha Findlay
(Michigan)
Findlay's performance in game two
was spectacular. The freshman
went 3-for-3 with three home runs,
five RBI and scored four runs.

0

YESTERDAY, GAME 2
Indiana 2
LP: M. Bogado (1-7)
Michigan 10
WP: J. Ritter (21-0)

YESTERDAY, GAME 2
Michigan 10, Indiana 2 (6 inn.)

Fidlay supplies knockout blow

Michigan (111. 44-3) Indian
Player AB R H BI Player

i (2-8.1231)
AS R H BI

Haas 2b 4
Giampaolo of 4
Merchant ss 3
Weatherdon pr 0
Findlay lb 3
Motycka dh 2
Leutele 3b 2
-Bercaw rf 21
Marx c 3
Teschler If 2
Holland ph 11
Wilson p 0
Ritter p 0
Total 261

0:
1+
1:
1w
4:
1:
2;
0
0:
0
0
0+

Richards cf
Griffiths 2b
Yamaguchi c
Hines rf
Olson dp
Terry 3b
Deaven 1b
Wahl ss
Hohs If
Bogado p
Roark p

3
2
3
3
3
2
2
2
0
1
0

10 10 9 Total

20 2 2 1

E - Indiana: Wahl, Hohs. DP - None. LOB - Michigan
6; Indiana 4. 2B - Indiana: Yamaguchi (6); Michigan:
Haas (12), Leutele 2 (8). 38- None. HR - Michigan
4; Merchant (16), Findlay 3 (16). SB - Michigan
5: Merchant, Findlay, Motycka, Leutele, Bercaw;
Indiana 3: Terry, Hohs 2. HBP - Indiana: Griffiths. SB
- Indiana: Griffiths (9). CS - None.

By Scott Bell
Daily Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON - The Indiana Hoosiers had 35 at-bats in the dou-
bleheader against Michigan yesterday. They managed to get two hits.
Freshman fast baseman Samantha Findlay did more damage in just the
second game of the day alone than the entire Indiana team in the whole series.
Fmdlay went an eye-opening 3-for-3 with three home runs, four runs scored,
five RBI and one walk in one of the most dominating
offensive performances of the year for the Wolverines.
"I definitely was seeing the ball better," Findlay
said. "We've been working a lot on seeing the ball
and driving it, and I saw the ball really well."
Findlay set the tone early by knocking a shot to$
rightfield for a two-run home run. The blast gave
the Wolverines another early lead.
After the game was tightened to 3-2, Findlay
and senior shortstop Jessica Merchant once again
did their part to give Michigan a significant lead. After Merchant's first-
pitch home run to right-centerfield, Findlay imitated her teammate's shot
to perfection - a shot that gave the Wolverines a 5-2 lead.
"It was big," Findlay said. "Once they score, and you come in during
the inning where they score, you definitely want to answer. And (Mer-
chant) leading off with a home run and then me just seeing the ball and
hitting it well, it was great."
Later, it appeared as if the Hoosiers were going to cut their losses and
attempt a damage control strategy with Findlay. When she approached
the plate again in the fifth, Findlay was pitched around by junior pitcher
Megan Roark. She walked on five pitches, and it looked like her offensive
outburst was curbed.
Given another chance to hit in the sixth inning, Findlay proved why

Indiana should have continued to pitch around her. With the Wolverines
ahead, 8-2, Findlay put an emphatic end to the game by blasting a full-
count pitch to leftfield. The homer gave Michigan a 10-2 lead and enacted
the mercy rule, subsequently ending the game.
No I IN TEAM: The Wolverines had four different players individually
outhit the Hoosiers by grabbing at least three hits apiece compared to
Indiana's two as a team. The bats were alive and well all weekend long
for Michigan. The Wolverines have had 11 multihit performances by six
different players in each of their last four games.
"Obviously, it's the key to the outcome," coach Carol Hutchins said.
"The key to the outcome is people stepping up, and we just always need
someone to step up."
The weekend began with Giampaolo setting the tone for the Wolver-
ines in their matchup against Purdue on Friday. Giampaolo went 3-for-4
in her four plate appearances. After singling in both the third and fifth
innings, Giampaolo finished her day by knocking in teammate Tiffany
Haas with an RBI double in the seventh inning for an insurance run in
the Wolverines' 3-0 victory.
Then, senior designated player Nicole Motycka propelled Michigan to
victory in its final game against Purdue. Motycka reached base all four
times she came to the plate, going 3-for-3 with a walk. Her two doubles
and one single were integral in Michigan's 6-2 win.
After four players - Giampaolo, Motycka and juniors Grace Leutele
and Stephanie Bercaw - all contributed two hits apiece for Michigan in
the first game against Indiana, Findlay followed in their footsteps.
"It's very important," Findlay said. "When people are getting three or
four hits a game, it's great. And it's great that everybody is contributing
and not just one person."
Miss DEPENDABLE: When the Wolverines fell behind for just the eighth
time in 46 games, 1-0, to Purdue on Saturday, Haas provided the boost
that Michigan needed to regain momentum. Leading off for the Wolver-

0

Indiana
Michigan
Michigan
Wilson
Ritter (W, 21-0)
Indiana
Bogado (L, 1-7)
Roark

R H E
002 000 - 2 2 2
212 032 - 10 10 1

IP
2.2
3.1

H
2
0

R
2
0

ER
2
0

BB
2
1

SO
6
8
2
1

4.0 8 8 7 4
1.0 2 2 2 1

At - Indiana Softball Complex, Bloomington
Time 1:58
YESTERDAY, GAME 1
Michigan 9, Indiana 0 (5 Inn.)
Michigan (10-1, 43-3) Indiana (2-7, 12-30)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily
Grace Leutele batted 4-5 with three runs and two RBI on Sunday.
ines, Haas hammered a home run to tie the game. Following her homer,
Haas lined a two-out double to score two Wolverines to give Michigan a
3-1 advantage that it never relinquished.
Haas finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. In the
second game of yesterday's doubleheader against Indiana, Haas con-
tinued her hot hitting with another 2-for-4 game and notched her 20th
multi-hit game.

Haas 2b
Giampaolo cf
Merchant ss
Findlay lb
Motycka dh
Leutele 3b
Bercaw rf
Marx c
Weatherdon pr
Winter ph
Worthy c
Milian If
Ritter p
Total

3
f3
2
2
3
3
3
3
pr 0
1
0
2
0

1 1
2 2
1 0
1 0
1 2
1 2
1 2
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
1 1
0 0

0
2
0
s
1
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0

K. Richards cf
R. Carson ss
T. Yamaguchi c
L. Hines rf
R. Terry 3b
A. Olson dp
J. Deaven lb
C. Wahl 2b
H. Hohs If
M. Roark p
K. Witham p

2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
0
0

25 9 10 8 Total

150 0 0

E - Indiana 2; R. Carlson 2. DP - Indiana 1. LOB
- Michigan 3. 2B- None. 3B- None. HR.-Michigan
-.3; Giampaolo (5), Bercaw (3). BB - Michigan; Mer-
chant. SB - Michigan; Haas 19). SF- Findlay (3).

Michigan
Indiana
Michigan
Ritter (W, 20-0)
Indiana
Roark (L, 9-16)
K. Witham

R H E
023 22- 9 10 0
00 00- 002
IP H R ERBB-SO
5.0 0 0 0 0 9
4.0 7 7 5 1 0
1.0 3 2 1 0 0

." . . The Michigan Daily softball writers evaluate the team's performance in this weekend's action against
iJbe A f d93u w ai Purdue and Indiana. The categories include defense, pitching and offense. For each category, the team
Diamon d Grades will receive a grade between one and five of the respective logos, with five being the highest.
Defense
Even though the Wolverines committed two errors against
the Boilermakers, neither of the errors hurt Michigan. And the
Wolverines' defense improved when they traveled to Bloom- °
ington. Michigan finished the weekend with a spotless perfor-
mance against Indiana.',b $ d9r
Pitching sk
Recently, Michigan has been spoiled with dominating . . .. .. . .. ..
performances from the pitcher's circle. After 32 innings ofk°
shutout softball, the combination of Ritter and Wilson sur-
rendered just four runs. With expectations set so high for a N
five-softball performance, the Wolverines fell slightly short
of the highest praise.
Offense
Michigan's offense proved to be just as explosive as it-
has been throughout the season. The Wolverines plated
28 runs in the four games this weekend while launching
nine home runs. A five-bat rating is just the exclamation
for such an outstanding surge.
xk> s s

At - Indiana Softball Complex, Bloomington

Time - 1.14
BIG TEN
Team
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Purdue
Ohio State
Penn State
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Indiana
Illinois
Yesterday's result

STANDINGS
Conference Overall

L
0
1
4
5
5
5
6
7
7
8
12

W
30
44
37
28
19
27
16
13
22
12
18

L
9
3
9
17
13
16
24
19
20
31
22

Northwestern 9, PURDUE 0
Michigan 9, INDIANA 0
Iowa 3, PENN STATE 2
OHIO STATE 5, Illinois 3
Purdue 9, ILLINOIS 1
MINNESOTA 8, Michigan State 0
MICHIGAN 10, Indiana 2
Iowa 5, PENN STATE 1
- OHIO STATE 0, Illinois
MINNESOTA 9, Michigan State 2
Saturday's results:
NORTHWESTERN 4, Indiana 2
Penn State 3, ILLINoIS 2
MICHIGAN STATE 6, Wisconsin 0
IOWA 6, Ohio State 2
MICHIGAN 6, Purdue 2
Friday's results:
Northwestern 10, INDIANA 0
PENN STATE 4, Illinois 1
Iowa 4, OHIO STATE 1
Michigan State 4, WISCONSIN 2
Michigan 3, PURDUE 0
ON DECK:
ASTERN MICHIGAN
After its road trip this weekend
Michigan must turn around
quickly for a doubleheader
against the Eagles at Alumni
Field. The first pitch is set for 4
on Tuesday afternoon.
YTY 'TIUW TViTT'

' ' takes
advantage
of extra
chances'
By Scott Bell
Daily Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON - Michigan's lone
Achilles heel has been its defense in some
crucial situations. On Sunday, Michigan
played a little role-reversal. Although the
suspense aspect of the game wasn't evident,
and there weren't many crucial situations,
the Wolverines did a good job of eliminating
errors and taking advantage of mistakes by
the Hoosiers.
In the second inning of yesterday's first
game, freshman first baseman Samantha
Findlay grounded to Indiana freshman short-
stop Rachel Carlson. Carlson misplayed the
ball, and Findlay reached on'an error. Michi-
gan took advantage of the extra out when
junior leftfielder Stephanie Bercaw homered
to dead centerfield.
"It sets the tone for the day and really gets
the team pumped," Bercaw said. "I'm just glad
I could help contribute to that."
Bercaw came to the plate once again in the
fifth inning, and, with runners on first and sec-
ond, she singled up the middle. Senior desig-

HOOSIERS
Continued from page 1.B
top of the third inning of the second game. Wilson struck out the
first six batters to start the game, but she soon found herself in trou-
ble on the mound.
After walking sophomore Heather Haas and hitting second base-
man Ashley Griffths, Wilson faced runners on first and second with
just one out. Indiana catcher Tory Yamaguchi smashed a line drive
down the first-base line that ricocheted off Findlay's glove and went
into rightfield. Centerfielder Kim Richards scored on the play to
give the Hoosiers their first run of the weekend. The hit left runners
on second and third base.
It looked like things were going to settle down when designated
player Lauren Hines hit a hard grounder back to Wilson. The sopho-
more calmly fielded it and tossed it to Marx to catch Griffths in a run
down. But Yamaguchi advanced to third on the play and came home
when Wilson threw a wild pitch, leaving Indiana down just 3-2.
But the Wolverines did not need to worry. Ritter entered the game
and continued to cut down Indiana. Ritter forced a weak groundball
from designated player Anna Olson that she fielded in the pitcher's
circle and tossed over to Findlay at first.
"The coaches talked to me before the game and told me I need-
ed to step up my game," Ritter said. "I come to play so that, when
I get in a situation like that, I can do well. It was tough, but I got
to show up."
Michigan soon made back what it had lost. In the bottom of the
inning, senior Jessica Merchant and Findlay smashed back-to-back
solo home runs, giving the Wolverines a 5-2 lead.
"It definitely shuts a team down that was trying to big up
their confidence, so I think we just shoved it right back down,"
Findlay said.
And the Wolverines fell back on Ritter to finish off the Hoosiers.
Ritter was nearly flawless in her next three innings of work. She
struck out eight of the remaining nine batters she faced, and, had it
not been for a full-count walk in the top of the fifth, she would have
finished the day with eight and one-third perfect innings.
Ritter's solid pitching did not mean the Wolverines got lazy at the
plate. Michigan added five more runs, including a two-run homer
from Findlay in the bottom of the sixth to seal a 10-2 mercy-rule
victory. Findlay ended the game 3-for-3, with three home runs and

0

6
0
0

MIKEHLdg t HoUos/ aly
Stephanie Bercaw helped Michigan's offense with a two-run homer against the Hoosiers.

After committing two errors in the Purdue
series on Friday and Saturday, Michigan's
defense had no errors yesterday. The Wolverines
had a pretty uneventful first game in the field.
They watched 15 batters come up and go back
to the dugout. Aside from nine Ritter strikeouts,
the other six Hoosier batters were retired by

After giving up an RBI double the following
at-bat, Wilson faced the first tense situation of
the day. With runners on second and third, the
Hoosiers had the tying run in scoring position.
On top of that, their cleanup hitter - right-
fielder Lauren Hines - was at the plate. Hines
hit a sharp grounder down the middle, but Wil-