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8A - Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

MAC Attack: 'M' falls to Falcons

What Blue can expect at Big Tens

By TIM ROHAN
Daily Sports Writer
Senior second baseman Kevin
Cislo never ends a game with his
uniform still clean.
Until yesterday, that is.
The tri-captain and the Michi-
gan baseball team couldn't get
down and dirty against Bowling
Green yesterday, and the Wolver-
inesdropped anothergame against
a Mid-American Conference
team.
Cislo's BOWLING GREEN 8
streak of MICHIGAN 3
68 games
reaching base was snapped in the
8-3 loss, the Wolverines' second at
Ray Fisher Stadium this season.
Michigan coach Rich Maloney
was candid about his team's per-
formance.
"They played much better than
us," Maloney said sternly. "There's
no argument there. I mean, they
won in all facets of the game.
Today they definitely outplayed
us."
The Wolverines (16-8) had
defeated Bowling Green in five
straight meetings prior to yes-
terday. The loss dropped them to
37-13-1 versus the Falcons.
Freshman pitcher Brandon
Sinnery took his lumps early,
surrendering three runs in the
first frame. But he held Bowling
Green (11-12) in check after that,
allowing just two hits over the
next three innings and striking
out two.
Eight batters came to the plate,
and the Falcons scored their three
runs with two outs in the first
inning.
Sinnery said the game plan was
to pitch the right-handed hitters
inside, but he missed his spots
early in the game.
"(In the first inning), I think
they were just getting everything
I wasn't locating," said Sinnery,
who made his fourth career start.
Meanwhile, Bowling Green
senior Brian Hangbers kept the
Michigan bats quiet in three
innings of work, allowing only one
hit. No Michigan player advanced
into scoring position.
The inability to find momentum
and defensive mishaps hurt Mich-

tOe MIGRIN/Daty
Senior Kevin Cislo snapped a 68-game base-reaching streak in theRWolverines'
8-3 loss to Bowling Green yesterday.

igan all game. In the sixth inning,
a walk and two errorsby freshman
third baseman John Lorenz led to
a 5-0 Bowling Green lead.
But the Wolverines wouldn't go
down quietly.
Junior first baseman/relief
pitcher Mike Dufek hit his team-
leading seventh home run, a solo
shot, in the seventh inning to
spark a comeback effort. Redshirt
sophomore Jake McLouth walked
and junior Alan Oaks blasted a
shot over the wall in left field. The
three-run inning kept Michigan
within reach.
But Bowling Green responded.
It scored on a sacrifice fly in the
eighth and added two more runs
with two outs in the ninth.
"When we did score the three
runs, we needed to come down
and shut them out right there,"
Maloney said. "Had we kept the
game at 5-3, there's still a pretty
good chance, because momentum
had switched to our side that we
could still pull this thing off.
"And io and behold, we walk the
very first guy. And you just can't
do that in that situation. ... I really
thought when we got to 5-3, if we
held them, in my mind I really felt
like we had a realistic shot."
Michigan is now 2-2 against

MAC teams this season, and Sin-
nery has started three of those
four games, including both losses.
The Wolverines had the fresh-
man's back, providing 11 runs of
support in a 11-2 win on Mar. 17
against Eastern Michigan. He got
the loss after Michigan managed
only one run against the Eagles
on Mar 24. The two games against
the Eagles epitomize Michigan's
inconsistent run support this sea-
son.
In order for the Wolverines to
fix their problems, it comes down
to getting back to how they pre-
pare for their games.
"You got to be consistent in
your approach in everything that
you do," Maloney said. "I think
too many guys are thinking of the
non-success they had previously
versus the successes they had in
the past. But they know they can.
"So the bottom line is you've
got to put your mistakes behind
you and get that win the next play.
Win the next pitch. Win the next
at-bat. And they have to have that
mindset. That's the kind of tough
mindedness that they have to
develop."
Michigan gets that chance
again today at 3:05 vs. Oakland at
Ray Fisher Stadium.

Predictions from the
Daily's gymnastics
beat writer
By COLT ROSENSWEIG
Daily Sports Writer
It's like nothing else in the men's
gymnastics world: the Big Ten
Championships.
There's passion. There's rivalry.
Outside of the NCAA Champion-
ships, it's the biggest concentration
of collegiate gymnastics talent in
the country - all six Big Ten teams
are ranked in the top 10 nationally.
"It's some of the best gymnastics
you'll ever get to see," Michigan
senior Scott Bregman said. "There
are great gymnasts on all the teams,
and they all have the potential to
take the title.... There's great parity
in the Big Ten, and I just think it's
going to be a dogfight the whole way
through."
And the team atmosphere is
unique to the collegiate version of
the sport. Each school's fan section
arrives in full force, filling the host's
arena with bright colors and deafen-
ing cheers.
On Friday, the party arrives in
Ann Arbor. Here's what you need to
know about Michigan's competition
for the crown:
NO.4 ILLINOIS
Last year's finish: Second
Starting event on Friday: Vault
The Fighting Illini are a loaded
team that tends to turn it on in the
crucial meets. Sophomores Paul
Ruggeri and Daniel Ribeiro star in
the all-around and pommel horse,
respectively, and are backed by a
strong supporting cast. Ruggeri is
coming off a knee injury, but seemed
back to full strength in Illinois's win
over Michigan on March 14. Illinois
also has one of the biggest and loud-
est fan sections out there. Expect
the Illini to be in contention for the
title right to the end.
NO.6 PENN STATE
[ast-years iisafirst
Startingeventonfriday loor-Exercise
The Nittany Lions may have losta

powerfulsenior class after winning
last year's Big Ten title, but don't
count them out just yet. Senior Casey
Sandy won the NCAA All-Around
title in2008 and hasshowed no signs
of slowing down this year. With
teammates like standout freshman
Miguel Pineda and junior high-bar
whiz Noam Shaham, look for Penn
State to turn in a strong performance
in the championship meet.
NO.7 OHIO STATE
Lastyear's finish: Third
Starting eevnt on Friday: Still Rings
The Buckeyes have lost four
straight meets entering the Big Ten
Championships. In their final regu-
lar-season competition, they looked
especially vulnerable on the pom-
mel horse and parallel bars. But like
all Big Ten teams, Ohio State has a
core of strong performers, high-
lightedby seniors Jake Bateman and
Eddie Hay and sophomore Brandon
Wynn. The Buckeyes haven't made
the NCAA Team Finals in three
years, but they won the conference
title two years ago.
NO.8 MINNESOTA
Last year's finish: Fifth
Starting event on Friday: Pommel Horse
Minnesota is hosting this sea-
son's NCAA Championship meet,
so it will be looking to improve on
its Big Ten showing even more than
usual. The Gophers have one of the
best floor squads in the conference
and senior Kit Beikmann is among
the top pommel horse men in the
nation. Junior Cole Storer contrib-
utes crucial scores on four events.
Overlooking the Gophers would be
a mistake, especially because they'll
finish the meet on floor exercise,
which could allow them to leap frog
some teams at the end.
NO.10 IOWA
Last year's finish: Sixth
Starting event on Friday: Parallel Bars
With six freshmen, the Hawkeyes
are in a rebuilding year and unlikely
to make a push for the teamtitle. But
on any given night, anything can
happen. Look for senior Geoff Reins
to turn some heads in the vault com-
petition, with junior Jon Buese rep-
resenting Iowa in the all-around.

INDIVIDUAL TITLE PREDICTIONS
All-Around: Penn State's Casey
Sandy seems to have a lock on this
title, but he could have some tough
competition from Michigan's Chris
Cameron, Ohio State's Jake Bate-
man and Illinois's Paul Ruggeri.
Sandy's experience will give him
the edge this year.
Floor Exercise: Michigan sopho-
more Thomas Kelley looks to defend
last year's title against elite oppo-
nents like Sandy and Ohio State's
Eddie Hay. Kelley's impeccable
form and dynamic skills will make
him a two-time champion.
Pommel Horse: As long as Illinois's
Daniel Ribeiro stays on the horse,
thetitleishis.Hehas oneofthemost
difficult routines in the nation and is
currently ranked No.1 nationally on
the event. But if he falters, Cameron
or Minnesota's Kit Beikmann could
make a move for the championship.
Still Rings: Ohio State's Brandon
Wynn has one of the highest start
values in the country on the rings,
and he scored a 16.10 in his final
regular-season meet. His strongest
competition might come from his
teammates, Bateman and Shachar
Tal. It would be a surprise if Wynn
didn't come home with the title.
Vault: Last year, this was a no-
brainer-Minnesota's MitchellMays
regularly earned scores higher than
anyone else's startvalue. Thisyear, it
will come down to Michigan's David
Chan and Iowa's Geoff Reins, both
of whom perform 16.60-start-value
vaults. If Chan lands his cleanly, he'll
walk away with the title.
Parallel Bars: Along with pommel
horse, parallel bars is one of Cam-
eron's strongest events. The sopho-
more is healthier than he was at last
year's Big Tens and more confident
than ever. Look for him to breeze to
the championship.
High Bar: Michigan has two con-
tenders, Joe Catrambone and Kelley,
who can give the top two high-bar
men from the rest of the Big Ten -
Penn State's Sandy and Noam Sha-
ham - a run for their money. Kelley
has been one of Michigan's most
consistent performers on the event
and with a hit routine, should win
his second title of the night.

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Trade in your CARHART and NORTH FACE for
SUNGLASSES
and... more classes.
In response to increased student demand, the V
COLLEGE OF LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND THE ARTS
has expanded its 2009 spring/summer course offerings.
Sign-up for these new classes when registration begins in March.
Read more, including the list of new options, at
.lsa.umich.edu/lsa/newcourses.
S

Win an all-expenses-paid shadowing
opportunity in Chicago this spring!
Dream jobs-alumni have them. And we can hook you up with
Michigan Apprentice, a free one-day shadowing opportunity with
high-profile alumni. The Alumni Association will help you prepare
for your next stage in life even before you graduate.
Here's your chance for an unforgettable career and personal
development experience with top-notch Michigan alumni. If you're
a junior or senior you could be selected for an all-expenses-paid
one-day internship.
Here are the spring 2009 Michigan Apprentice opportunities:
" Mark Silverman, '91, president of the Big Ten Network
* Brian Kerwin, '86, co-vice chair of the law firm of Duane Morris, LLP.
* Jennifer Golomb, '99, marketing manager of the Altoids brand at the
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
" Robert R. Bellick, '87, co-founder of Wolverine Trading, LLC
" David S. Evans, '85, chairman of Glencoe Limited, LLC, a Chicago-
based merchant bank.
Application deadline is Sunday, April 5.

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Get details on how to apply at
www.umalumni.com/students.

ALUMNIASSOCIATION
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN