4
8A - Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Michigan shoots for the Super Six
By COLT ROSENSWEIG
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan assistant men's gym-
nastics coach Derek Croad has
coined a new catchphrase for the
No. 4 Michigan men's gymnastics
team in the postseason.
Get in the CAR.
The letters of "CAR" represent
the Wolverines' new attitude that
helped lead them
to their first Big NCAA
Ten title since
2000: Confi- Champion-
dent. Aggressive.
Relaxed.
This afternoon, When:1 P.M.
the Wolverines Where:
will see if"getting Minnesota
in the CAR"works Sports Pavilion
at the NCAA Live Blog:
Championships in thegame.
the University of blogs.michi-
Minnesota Sports gandaily.com
Pavilion.
"This is what
guys work for throughout the whole
summer, the whole season, for this
one time," Michigan assistant coach
Scott Vetere said. "You get to these
meets and you put a little added pres-
sure on yourself. It shows - whether
you're going in last place or going in
first place -it's about handling situa-
tions thatnyou're not accustomed to."
The new outlook has paid huge
dividends for gymnasts like sopho-
more Chris Cameron, who finished
second in the Big Ten all-around
and floor-exercise competitions.
Cameron's energetic performances
at the Big Ten Championships and
Michigan's huge victory in Colum-
bus pushed him to a No. 3 rank-
ing in the country on the pommel
horse and a No. 4 ranking in the all-
around.
Last Monday, Michigan coach
Kurt Golder posed an interesting
questiontohisteam. Could the Wol-
verines handle being in first place?
The Wolverines didn't seem
entirely ready to take first place at
Big Tens. After building a comfort-
able lead in the first four events,
Michigan tightened up in the final
two rotations, almost letting the
title slip away.
"We've never really experienced
(a lead like that) before," senior
Ralph Rosso said. "I think if that
does occur (again), we'll be ready for
it. But no matter what, if you hear
those announcements, you have
to learn to keep your focus, ignore
it and just keep doing what you've
been doing throughout the whole
competition."
Today, Michigan's task is simple:
qualify forteam finals, known as the
Super Six. The top three teams from
on Thursday at 1 p.m., but on Friday
night, with host Minnesota possibly
in the team finals, the arena will
likelybe packed.
Michigan's seniors and juniors,
who competed twice at Minnesota
in 2007, remember well how dif-
ficult it can be to compete at the
Sports Pavilion.
"I hate Minnesota," said senior
Joe Catrambone, who claimed the
Big Ten high-bar championship. "I
personally had terrible meets every
time I (went) there. I think this is
going to be the toughest (NCAAs)
we've everbeen to, in the qualifying
and Super Six."
Defending champion No. 2 Okla-
homa and co-Big Ten champion No.
3 Illinois are near-locks to make
Super Six from the second session.
Even against the most talented
field they've ever faced, the Wol-
verines feel they are ready to turn
heads at NCAAs.
"As long as we hit our routines
and do our thing, that's all we can
really ask for," said sophomore
Thomas Kelley, the Big Ten all-
around championand No.1 high-bar
competitor in the nation. "We're the
underdogs - it's been said before by
my teammates. By the same token,
we're a talented team, and we can
make some noise at NCAA Champi-
onships."
Sophomore Thomas Kelley earned the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year award after winning the All-Around conference title.
each of today's two six-team quali-
fying sessions advance to the Super
Six on Friday night.
Michigan will face two top-five
teams in Stanford and California,
who are likely to advance. No. 8
Penn State might make a push, but
two of the Nittany Lions' key com-
petitors are injured, one out for the
season. l
The Wolverines were pleased to
draw the afternoon session - they
have an excellent shot at making
team finals and will have several
more hours of rest before the Super
Six competition than the teams
competing in the evening session.
And they'll get parallel bars -
their weakest event at Big Tens -
out of the way first, finishing the
session on vault.
"If you look at all the NCAA
champions the past three years I've
been here, they've ended on vault or
rings," said senior co-captain Phil
Goldberg, who won the Big Ten still
rings title. "Usually rings and vault
are high scorers in big meets."
If it makes the Super Six, though,
Michigan expects a dogfight in the
intense, hostile atmosphere of the
Sports Pavilion. A big crowd proba-
bly won't turn out for a competition
Wolverines split doubleheader in
the battle for Washtenaw County
I
I
By CHANTEL JENNINGS
Daily Sports Writer
After the first game of yes-
terday's doubleheader against
Eastern Michigan, Michigan
baseball coach Rich Maloney was
optimistic.
Sophomore centerfielder
Ryan LaMarre had just made a
spectacular diving catch to rob
the
Eagles of EASTERN MICH. 11
a scoring MICHIGAN 5
chance
in the EASTERN MICH. 2
sixth MICHIGAN 4
inning.
Junior first baseman Mike
Dufek smashed a two-run
home run so deep that it hit the
Indoor Track and Field Build-
ing and gave Michigan a 4-3
victory.
"It was a moment," Maloney
said. "It's been a while since we've
had something like that at the
right time."
Then, less than one inning into
the second game, Maloney's entire
outlook changed as he watched his
team quickly fall behind 4-0.
"It was batting practice (for
the Eagles) in that second game,"
Maloney said. "That's what it
was."
In the nightcap, the Eagles
dominated Michigan with four
longballs en route to their 11-5
victory.
The Wolverines struggled at
the plate all day. In the first game,
they batted 5-for-21, and in the
second game they batted a slightly
improved 8-for-30.
Michigan was no better from
the mound. Maloney emptied
his bullpen as the Wolverines
again struggled with inconsistent
pitching with two devastating
innings in the second game where
the Eagles scored four and five
runs.
Junior Jeff DeCarlo got the start
for Michigan, but after allowing
four runs in one-third innings, he
was replaced by sophomore Travis
Smith.
Smith pitched 2.2 innings before
Maloney sent in freshman Kevin
Vangheluwe. Vangheluwe, with
similar results, gave up five runs in
less than an inning. Finally, Michi-
gan found some stability with red-
shirt sophomore Matt Gerbe, who
only gave up one run in the final
three innings.
"The bottom line is that if
we don't pitch better, then we
don't stand much of a chance,"
Maloney said. "But we can, I just
believe we can. I'm not giving
up."
Michigan has struggled all year
with spotty pitching and defensive
difficulties. In the past five losses,
the Wolverines have given up at
least 10 runs and made a combined
10 errors.
"I did not expect this many
games where we would give up
that many runs," Maloney said. "I
just didn't see it coming. I'm still
hopeful, as crazy as it may sound,
despite watching this myself. I just
know these guys are better than
that."
Maloney finds his confidence
from the glimmers of hope he
sees in each game. In yesterday's
games, junior catcher Chris Ber-
set and sophomore pitcher Tyler
Burgoon both returned to the field
after suffering injuries earlier this
season.
Maloney trusted Burgoon to
pitch the final four outs of the
first game - including a span that
saw a scoring threat that LaMarre
diffused late in the sixth inning -
but Burgoon was able to pull
through.
For the Wolverines to win
their intrastate battle with the
Michigan State this weekend, a
leader will have to emerge each
game and set a model for the
rest of the team as it tries to find
consistency on a game-to-game
basis.
"Sooner or later, you're just
waiting for someone to step up and
rise up to the occasion and right
now we're not doing that and we'll
keep trying, we'll keep battling,"
Maloney said.
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