The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
' ' April 20, 2009 - 3B
Th MihgnDiy-mciadiyo Sp rs (f{Arl2,09-3
Michigan squeaks out
win at archrival Indiana
for eighth straight title
By AARON SHAW
For the Daily
Winning CWPA Western Divi-
sion Co-Player of the Week last
weekend wasn't enough for senior
captain Julie Hyrne.
She played her best game of
the year yesterday, according to
Michigan coach Matt Anderson.
With her five goals Sunday, includ-
ing a SportsCenter Top 10-worthy
no-look, over-the-head goal as the
first half expired, Hyrne led the
Michigan water polo team to a 9-8
victory over Indiana for the CWPA
Western Division Championship.
The win in Bloomington wasthe
eighth championship for Michigan
coach Matt Anderson and is the
Wolverines' 22nd straight win this
season.
"It has taken a lot of hard work
to do what we have done," Ander-
son said through the Athletic
Department. "I am very happy
because the girls played well, and
they deserved it. They need to
enjoy this moment and then turn
their focus to next weekend."
After rolling past Penn State-
Behrend 14-2 in Saturday's quar-
terfinals and Gannon 17-4 in the
semifinals, No. 1 seed Michigan
came out strong in yesterday's
final against tournament host and
No. 2 seed Indiana. Hyrne's goal
as the clock ticked down gave the
Wolverines a 7-3 lead entering
halftime.
"I knew there was about three
seconds left on the clock," Hyrne
said through the Athletic Depart-
ment. "Keller (Felt) set it and I just
tried to get off a quick shot."
The third period began with a
resurgent Indiana team pressing
hard for the first goal, but senior
goalie Brittany May was there to
make save after save. May had two
crucial stops two minutes into the
third period when the Wolverines
(30-8) were on a double-ejection
penalty kill.
"In California (attheAztec Mini
in San Diego last weekend), we had
rSFTBALL
SAID ALSALAH/Daily
Sophomore Kylee Botterman took her second All-American honor in as nany years
Botterman takes
ninth at NCAAs
Kylee Botterman is on her way
to becoming one of the most deco-
rated gymnasts in Michigan wom-
en's gymnastics history.
The sophomore placed ninth
in the floor exercise at the NCAA
Individual Event Finals on Satur-
day in Lincoln, Neb. Botterman,
the lone Wolverine competing,
scored a9.7,whichwas wellbehind
Georgia's Courtney Kupets and
Louisiana State's Ashleigh Clare-
Kearney, who tied for first with
9.95.
It was Botterman's second
trip to the finals in as many
years. She finished eighth in the
nation on the uneven bars last
year. The New Lenox, Ill. native
is the first Michigan gymnast
to win the floor exercise title at
the Big Ten Tournament and the
NCAA Regional and take home
All-American first team honors
in the event since Calli Ryals in
2003.
Botterman scored a 9.875 at
the NCAA preliminary round on
Thursday.
The performance topped her
season average (9.802) going into
the weekend competition.
SeniorJulie Hyrne scored five goals yesterday to propel the Wolverines tothe CWPA championship
all these 6-on-4s and they didn't
score on us, so Matt (Anderson)
started to joke that we were better
at 6-on-4 than 6-on-5," May said
through the Athletic Department.
"It was pretty cool that I blocked
the first one. I tried to get it out of
the way so she couldn't push it in
or throw it.
"Even though she got the ball
back, everyone got right back in
position and it made it less hectic
and a lot easier for me to make the
second save."
Entering the final frame, the
Wolverines held a 9-5 lead. For the
first time since Mar 15, Michigan
was held scoreless for an entire
period.The Hoosiers(19-15) scored
just over a minute into the period,
again with 3:21 remaining and
again with just over a minute left
to pull within a single strike. May
stepped up and made two critical
saves, and sophomores Ryley Plun-
kett and Lauren Orth ran the clock
out with an impressive showing o
strong swimming and expert bal
control.
With the win, the Wolverine
continue their postseason ques
next weekend at the CWPA East
ern Championship in Cambridge
Mass., where they are expectec
to be at least the second seed. I
Michigan takes the championshii
crown, it will earn an automati
NCAA Championship bid for th
second year in a row.
Relaxed and fun atmosphere key in
olverines two-game sweep of Illini
SPARTANS
From page 1B
Having lost six
games and looki
'y Michigan sent its
for Friday's series
f ,Fetter pitched
11 and allowed just
while striking ou
s the effort.
t "What a greatjt
- ney said. "I didn't
, best stuff, and yet
d a champion.
f And that's
p the sign of a
c champion ...
e somebody who
pitches well
without even
having their
best stuff."
But after
Fetter's eight
stellar innings
helped the
Wolverines build
wheels came off
dipped into its b
that has happen
e this season.
- Sophomore T
d attempted to clot
s in the bottom o
f gave up two qui
e next batter bunt
Burgoon, who tht
d out of reach of se
n at first, giving th
a runs that tied the
In the 10th inn
d baseman Mike D
- run homer to snat
t. But the Spartans
n the bottom half w
t ed walk and a sa
. junior Eric Katz
n State (5-7, 14-22)E
e thon after scoring
- Michigan redsh
g Anthony Toth.
A "We hit a two-
you think, I meat
ney said. "They were down as they
could be atthat moment. And then
we just gave them life again."
Before Saturday's game, Michi-
of their last 10 gan retired Abbott's number, and
ng for a spark, Abbott threw out the first pitch in
ace to the mound front of a record crowd.
opener. "Jimmy's a very special per-
t eight innings son," Maloney said. "He was a
one earned run, great player for us, and this honor
it six batters in is very well deserved. It puts him
in a very elite class of people, and
ob he did," Malo- we're thankful for everything he
think he had his has contributed to our program."
t he pitched like Fittingly, the Wolverines'pitch-
ing was a bright
spot on the day
. they honored
"They're trying their legendary
ace. But it came
so hard, so you from a - rather
- unusual source.
just got to play JunioroAlan
thro h it." O aks made his
g first career start
for the Wolver-
ines and almost
matched Fetter's
a 5-3 lead, the Friday performance. Oaks pitched
when Michigan 7.2 innings, allowing three earned
rullpen, a trend runs and striking out four bat-
ed all too often ters.
"I was hoping (Oaks) would
Tyler Burgoon give us a chance to win, and he
se out the game did even more than that," Malo-
f the ninth but ney said: "I thought he was great
ck singles. The ... You know that gave our team a
ted the ball to lift, gave us a chance. And unfor-
rew the ball just tunately, like I said, we couldn't
nior Kevin Cislo get the big hit."
te Spartans two The Wolverines failed to cash
game. in on any of their chances Sat-
ting, junior first urday as they left 14 runners on
ufek hit a two- base, nine in scoring position.
ch the leadback. Even after the pair of disheart-
surged back in ening losses, Michigan found a
ith a bases-load- way to get back on track yester-
crifice fly off of day at McLane Stadium, where
man. Michigan the Spartans had been unde-
ended the mara- feated before the game. Katz-
g on an error by man allowed just two runs in 5.2
irt sophomore innings, and he benefited from
an explosive nine-run offensive
run jack and so effort to pick up the win and
n, c'mon," Malo- avoid the sweep.
By MIKE FLOREK exaggerated swings - after the ball
DailySports Writer was in Shaw's glove.
To many observers, the Wol-
CHAMPAIGN - Seconds before verines might have appeared to be
the starting lineups were an- unfocused. But to Michigan coach
nounced for the Michigan softball Carol Hutchins, they looked like
team's game against Illinois on Sat- they were on track to win. And they
urday, the Wolverines seemed to followed-through, sweeping the
have other things Illini 8-2 and 8-3.
on their minds. NOTEBOOK "Michigan softball is best when
Senior short- they are loose," Hutchins said.
stop Teddi Ewing was warming "When kids have fun, they usually
up unusually in the grass down the play their best. We try to keep an
right field line. Ewing was "pitch- atmosphere that's fun. We don't
ing" to freshman Stephanie Kirk- always succeed with it, but I really
patrick, who was just five feet away. do believe that when kids come out
The makeshift at-bat was complete here to play."
with sophomore first baseman Although watching junior Roya
Dorian Shaw playing catcher and St. Clair strike a Heisman pose dur-
starting pitcher Nikki Nemitz as ingflyballdrills mightbe confusing,
the umpire. nobody can argue with the results.
The rest of the team watched Michigan, ranked No.8 in the coun-
and laughed as Kirkpatrick took try with a 32-9 record, sits third in
the Big Ten at 8-2 in conference.
GOING STREAKING: Michigan had
two extraordinary streaks come to
anendthisweekend,butnotits most
importantone -12 straight wins.
Nemitz and sophomore Jordan
Taylor had combined to throw
eleven straight no-hit innings until
Nemitz gave up a single to Illinois
junior Hope Howell in the fourth
inning of the weekend's firstgame.
The hitless innings contributed
to the otherstreak the two had-19
consecutive shutout innings.
The Wolverines had not given
up a run in their previous two
games and three innings until the
Fighting Illini finally put a run on
the scoreboard in the first game's
fourth inning.
The team's winning streak is
its longest this season. Last year,
the Wolverines strung together
a 15-game streak and a separat
14-game streak. A sweep of Wis
consin. in Madison next weeken
will tie last year's streak, but leave
it well short of the all-time mark o
32, set back in 2005 en route toth
national championship.
"We are not thinking aheac
and we are just staying withit
ourselves," freshman Amand,
Chidester said.
NOTES:The Wolverines have scorec
43 runs in the five games since Kirk
patrick-moved into the leadoff spot
They have scored at least seven it
four of five games.... Michiganswep
Illinois for the second straight time
The Illini haven't beaten Michigat
since 2007. ... Nemitz gave up on
earned run yesterday, slightly rais
ing her ERA to a Big Ten-leadin
0.78. Shehas the fourth-lowest ER
in the country.
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