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8 - Friday, April 13, 2007
SOFTBALL
Road trip holds
mixed bag for 'M'

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

By ANTHONY OLIVEIRA
Daily Sports Writer
Last weekend, the ninth-ranked
Michigan softball team escaped
arguably its
toughest test
unscathed. MiChiganf
And it didn't at Iowa
have to play any
games to do it. Matchup:
With four con- Michigan 29-6;
ference contests Iowa 28-15
cancelled against When: Today,
Penn State and 6 p.m.
Ohio State, the
Wolverines are Where Bob
1-1 and have Pearl Soft-
just 14 Big Ten ball Field
games remain-
ing. With nearly
one-fourth of Michigan's confer-
ence season withered away by the
weather, Big Ten teams jockeying
for the top spot will be much closer
than years past.
That doesn't mean Michigan has
to be play perfect softball - just
close to it.
"It's important for us to take
advantage of any opportunities we
get because we kind of fell behind
this past weekend," sophomore
Teddi Ewing said. "But if play like
we can, we should be all right."
Those opportunities come this
weekend at Iowa (4-2 Big Ten, 28-
15 overall) and Illinois (2-2, 23-14).
Although both teams are unranked,
they should provide a test for the
Wolverines (1-1, 29-6).
Michigan seeks to sweep the
Hawkeyes for the first time since
2004, and Iowa comes into the
series with nothing to lose. It lost
two games last weekend to a Wis-
consin team that has made the Big
Ten Tournament just once in the
past four years.
Games against the Hawkeyes
may prove to be a pitcher's dual as
Iowa's sophomore ace Brittany Weil
(1.35 ERA) will probably start both
games.
"I saw her last year as afreshman,
and you know she's going to be bet-
ter this year," Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins said. "She throws hard,
and she moves it throughthe zone.".
In addition to Weil's three-pitch
repertoire, Hutchins expects a
more consistent change-up, which
she believes can make her into a
great pitcher.
Michigan will counter with
senior Lorilyn Wilson and fresh-

man Nikki Nemitz. The duo have
combined for a 1.46 ERA. Iowa
also shouldn't expect extra outs as
the Wolverines' defense ranks sec-
ond in the NCAA, who have made
defensive adjustments to battle the
Hawkeyes base-stealers.
While pitchers may be the story
in Iowa City, bats will likely domi-
nate 250 miles away in Champaign
to close the weekend.
With sophomore Lana Arm-
strong batting a staggering .450,
a potent Illinois lineup awaits the
Wolverines. The Fighting Illini's 1-
2-3 combination of Angelena Mexi-
cano, Shanna Diller and Armstrong
has already combined for 32 home
runs this season, and the team aver-
ages a NCAA-best 1.62 four-baggers
per game.
"We're going to have to pitch
around (Armstrong) if need be,"
Huchins said. "But it's tough to
pitch around her if that entire part
of the order is hittingwell over .300.
Every pitch is going to count. Our
pitchers are going to be tested this
weekend."
But while Illinois has anuncanny
ability tohit the ball,ithas one of the
worst pitchingstaffs in the Big Ten.
Fighting Illini's pitchers have com-
bined for a 3.55 ERA, just above the
conference-worst Indiana (3.59).
The Wolverines should have
ample opportunities to hit off Illi-
nois's pitchers, hoping to extend
their winning streak against the
Fighting Illini to six.
After the bottom of Michigan's
order started to come through
with a 4-for-6 performance in
Tuesday's match-up against
Ball State, it looks to continue
its success during the weekend.
But the Wolverines' bats have start-
ed slowly recently. Against Ball
State, it took a round through the
order before Michigan strung hits
together. And just as a week before
against Western Michigan, the
Wolverines finally rallied when it
trailed by a run in the bottom of the
seventh inning.
Michigan won't have that lux-
ury facing Big Ten opponents this
weekend, especiallyagainst Illinois,
which ranks first in the country in
slugging percentage.
"We can't play on our heels
if they come out swinging, and
they happen to score some runs,"
Hutchins said. "You have to expect
them to score some runs because
that's what they do."

Blue
makes
Super
Six
By COLT ROSENSWEIG
Daily Sports Writer
STATE COLLEGE - It was clas-
sic 2007 Michigan - overcoming
adversity, coming through in the
clutch and filling the arena with
deafening cheers.
The Michigan men's gymnas-
tics team finally made it back to
the Super Six at the NCAA Cham-
pionships. The Wolverines finished
third (215.35) in Session I at Recre-
ation Hall on Thursday afternoon
by the skin of their teeth.
Following the pattern of the day,
at the end of the final rotation, No.
5 Michigan was the lone team with
competitors still left to go on par-
allel bars. To beat No. 1 Ohio State
for the third spot, one of the two
senior co-captains, Justin Laury or
Andrew Elkind, needed to score a
9.0 or higher.
Laury came off on his first skill,
a piked belle, so it all came down to
Elkind.
Elkind's set went off with just
one hitch, his legs touched the bars
on a dip cut. The entire team wait-
ed on edge. After filling Recreation
Hall with noise for more than two
hours, the bench and fan section
were silent - but ready to explode.
"It was definitely harder waiting
for the score than waiting for the
routine," Elkind said. "That routine
felt pretty solid."
The scores came up painfully
slow, and as soon as it was clear
Elkind had gotten more than a 9.0,
the Wolverines erupted in joy, some
spilling back onto the mats.
"That one moment (when
Elkind's final parallel bars score
came up) was probably one of the
greatest moments of our whole
season," Michigan assistant coach
Scott Vetere said. "It defines us
- never giving up, and believing in

sui.
ALLISO
Senior co-captain Andrew Elkind notched a 9.45 in Michigan's final routine to propel the team to tonight's Supe

one another."
The impromptu celebration
almost cost the Wolverines their
spot in the team finals. The judges
conferred yet again, and the head
judge (an Ohio native who had
posted an 8.8) argued for the other
judges' scores to come down. Ohio
State filed a protest, demanding
that Michigan be deducted three
tenths for excessive celebration - a
deduction which would have placed
the Buckeyes in the finals instead of
the Wolverines.
Fortunately for Michigan, it
got off with just a warning, and its
archrivals will watch team finals
from the stands. With Elkind's offi-
cial score coming in at 9.05, the cel-
ebrations recommenced.
After a day, and a season, like
the Wolverines', victory was extra
sweet.
"I'm losing my voice, and we still
have two more days," sophomore
Jamie Thompson said. "I've never
been happier."
The meet began with Michigan

on high bar. All the gymnasts exe-
cuted some of their cleanest rou-
tines in recent memory, just to be
thwarted time and again by judges
who seemed to be having a harder
time settling into the champion-
ships than the athletes.
The four judges repeatedly
posted four different start values
and widely varying scores, neces-
sitating innumerable conferences,
which kept the Wolverines waiting
extensively between routines.
But even that couldn't keep
Michigan down. Its energy was
at an all-time high even before
the meet began and never waned.
And after five sub-9.0 scores, two
months of missed competition rou-
tines and a 10-minute wait for the
judges to finish their discussion,
sophomore Joe Catrambone came
through with a nearly-flawless rou-
tine for a season-high 9.45.
"I was so nervous, I was shak-
ing," Catrambone said. "(It felt)
amazing, because I knew that the
scores previously weren't as high as

we should have gotten. Iknew they
wouldn't have found (many) deduc-
tions in that routine, and it broke
the streak (of eights)."
Michigan got a solid perfor-
mance on floor as well - and
scores that reflected it. After one
rough routine, Thompson brought
the Wolverines right back, nailing
his set for a career-high 9.5 score.
Michigan went into the bye rota-
tion in second place, less than a
point behind eventual-Session I
winner Stanford.
Finishing up the solid perfor-
mance was freshman Dave Chan,
who has been working a hand-
spring double front vaultin practice
for weeks - a 9.6 start value (most
of the Michigan vaults start from
9.2). Adding to his reputation as a
"secret weapon," Chan's first time
competing the vault netted him an
8.9. The smiles on his teammates'
faces were some of the biggest of
the night.
The Super Six Team Finals will
be held tonight at 7 p.m.

4

I

BASEBALL
Big Ten bigwigs to battle tonight

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I

By ANDY REID But the Michigan baseball team
Daily Sports Writer is lookingto reverse that trend this
--- weekend.
This has arguably been one The Wolverines' four-game
of the most exciting years in the series with Ohio State may not
perpetual Michigan-Ohio State carry the same national champi-
rivalry. onship implications as the others,
The 2006 but the competition will surely be
edition of The MICh a just as fierce and hard fought as
Game, as the M a any other sport on campus.
annual foot- Ohio State "Anytime Michigan plays Ohio
ball outing State, it's always big," Michigan
has come to Matchup: coach Rich Maloney said. "Every-
be known, Michigan 18-6; one knows about the football rival-
became an Ohio State 18-5 ry, but it's just as big in baseball."
instant classic When: Today, The Buckeyes have held a com-
when hoards 6:35 p.m. fortable positionnearthe topofthe
of excited Big Ten during Ohio State coach
Buckeye fans WlaisStadium Bob Todd's first iS years with the
stormed the u program.
field to cel- That is, until Maloney came to
ebrate their Michigan.
team's national championship Since then, the Wolverines have
berth. been challenging the Buckeyes'
In basketball, the Wolverines throne atop the Big Ten. Under
were four minutes away from the Maloney, Michigan is an out-
upset of the season before crum- standing 11-2 against Ohio State,
bngdownthegstretch and ruining including a four-game sweep of
the electric atmosphere in Crisler the Buckeyes in last year's week-
Arena. end series. In the 2005 campaign,
The running theme through the Michigan' toppled Ohio State
year has been Michigan coming under the bright lights of The Fish
up just short in seemingly every on national television in the two
attempt to beat their bitter foes rivals' only meeting of the year.
from Columbus. "This is a new year with new

challenges," Maloney said. "We're
going to have to battle because
Ohio State is going to come in
really charged up, especially after
how things have gone the last two
seasons."
Both teams areinserious conten-
tion for the Big Ten regular-season
title this year. The regular-season
champion gets the top seed in the
conference tournament, a huge
advantage in tournament play.
Both teams have experienced a
myriad of canceled games due to
weather conditions, so the Big Ten
Tournament runner-up maybe left
watching the NCAA Tournament
from home sans enough quality
wins to impress the selection com-
mittee.
Maloney has continuously said
the team needs 40 wins to receive
an at-large bid to the NCAA Tour-
nament, but that goal might be
impossible with six games can-
celed thus far.
That fact just makes this week-
end all the more important for
both teams.
For the Wolverines to find suc-
cess, their batters are going to have
to find a rhythm early. Michigan
has featured an explosive offense
all year, but Ohio State's pitching
rotation could be the best the Wol-

verines have faced so far.
The Buckeyes return all four
weekend starters from last season.
"A good pitching team is always
better than a good hitting team,"
Maloney said. "That's always been
true in baseball. You've got to take
the opportunities given to you,
and you have to get into their bull-
pen."
However tough Ohio State's
pitching core might be, its ball-
park is conducive to the home
runs. If the wind is blowing just
right, jacks could be a huge factor
in the series. In that case, Maloney
believes the Wolverines have the
advantage.
"We've got a good hitting team,"
Maloney said. "When the long-
ball is a factor, this team is pretty
good."
With a rowdy crowd waiting in
Columbus, the Wolverines' focus
is crucial going into the series,
according to Maloney. But if soph-
omore Mike Wilson's sentiments
are echoed through the rest of the
team, focus shouldn't be an issue.
"I am absolutely so focused for
Sunday against Ohio State to get
my shot at them," Wilson said.
"I'm (pitching on) Sunday. I want
to go there and grab four. I'm ready
to hit the road to Columbus."

4

A


A BUILDING GENETIC MEDICINE
BREAST CANCER, TECHNOLOGY, -
AND THE COMPARATIVE POLITICS OF HEALTH CARE A

SHOBITA PARTHASARATHY
Assistant Professor,Gerald R. Ford School of PublicPolicy
Co-director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program
Parthasarathy will be speaking from her new book, Building Genetic Medicine: Breast
Cancer, Technology, and the Comparative Politics of Health Care (MIT Press, 2007).
APRIL 16,2007,4:00-5:30 PM
Book signing and reception to follow. Free and open to the public.
Gerald R. Ford Schooliof Public Policy
Annenberg Auditorium, to Weill Hall
735 South State Street, Ann Arbor
For more information please visit www.fordschool.umich.edu
CAT TA, ACC TA CA C TA)
IA T AC A T TA C r TA'A TCCAl
r PPS S iPP s enc y @oscienceJS chnoloy
5 P I ubiF"o'gliE ? n S&Scet rga~m

4
4

Gerald R. Ford
School of Public Policy
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

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