0
8 - Friday, April 9, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
CFOOTBALL
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ARIEL BOND/Daily
Senior catcher Chris Berset wil likely return to the lineup this weekend after injuring his leg with a foul ball.
'M' faces Purdue in weekend series
for first Big Ten matchups at the Fish
turn of Molk is of the 1
Michigo
y to Michigan's Eastern
returne
uccess in the later.B
Molk's
trenches Penn St
And
By TIM ROHAN guez ha
Daily Sports Writer ers fron
Though
By BEN ESTES Wednesday.
Daily Sports Writer But a couple facets of Michigan's
game have been worrisome during
The confines of Ray Fisher Sta- those games. The team's defense,
dium at the Wilpon Complex have which had been its most consistent
been more than friendly to the attribute this season, has lapsed of
Michigan baseball team so far in late.
2010. The Wolverines had a combined 11
After playing on the road for the errors in Bloomington and then gave
first five weeks up two more against the Chippewas.
of the season, the The team's pitching has also been
Wolverines (2-1 shaky recently, allowing a whop-
Big Ten, 16-10 Michigan ping 47runs in those last four games,
overall) have Matchup: including a 26-6 drubbing at the
played five of the Purdue 14-12; hands of the Hoosiers last Sunday.
their last eight Michigan 16-10 The only consistent Wolverine
at home, putting When: Friday pitchers recently have been red-
together a spot- at 7 p.m., shirt freshman Bobby Brosnahan as
less 5-0 record at Saturday at 1 the No. 2 starter and junior starter/
the Fish. p.m., Sunday reliever Tyler Burgoon.
Butthatperfect at noon "Obviously, we need to get bet-
mark will be in Where: Ray ter pitching," senior first baseman
jeopardy as Mich- Fisher Stadium Mike Dufek said after Sunday's loss.
igan continues Big TV: Big Ten "But the fielders have to help out the
Ten play, starting Network pitchers, as well."
with the confer- The Boilermakers (1-2,. 14-12)
ence home opener come into Ann Arbor with a medio-
tonight against Purdue. cre record and low expectations,but
"(It's) conference play, so we boast a strong rotation that could
obviously got to win the series," give the home team fits.
junior outfielder Ryan LaMarre Friday's starter Matt Bischoff
said. "We're definitely looking for- (3-1, 2.06) was named Big Ten Pitch-
ward to the series and taking it one er of the Week for his nine-inning,
game at a time." two-run, 10-strikeout performance
The Wolverines come in on aroll, against Minnesota. Purdue's No.
having won 10 of their last 11 games. 3 starter Matt Morgan also is very
Michigan beat Indiana twice in a solid, with a 2-0 record and 3.23
three-game series last weekend ERA this year.
in the Wolverines' first confer- "(Their quality) just tightens
ence play of the season and won up our focus," LaMarre said. "We
13-7 against Central Michigan on know that (Alan) Oaks is going to
ROCK 'N' ROLL FANS OF EVERY GENDER AND
GENERATION WILLIENIFY WITH THiS"
-A.. Scott,THE NEW Y7RK TIMES
"THISIS AN ANTHEM TO THOSE YOUNG WOMEN
WHO WOULDN'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER.
-Thelma Adams, S WEEKLY
"STEWART AND FANNING HAVE
NEVER BEEN STRONGER"
-Michael Phillips, CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"'THE RUNAWAYS' GETS EVERYTHING RIGHT
-Mick LaSalleSAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
pitch a great game, Bobby's going to
pitch a great game, and then whoev-
er throws Sunday is going to throw
a great game. As hitters, we know
that we can't give up opportunities
to get runs, so we'll all be up there,
(with) tight focus, and reallyplaying
for each other."
Butthe Boilermakers don'thave a
deep rotation. The bullpen has just
one pitcher with an ERA below four,
and seven with ERA's above seven.
In the team's most recent loss to
Minnesota, the bullpen blew a 5-2
lead and Purdue ended up losing 9-7.
Michigan's hitters will be looking
to take advantage.
They'll receive a boost with
LaMarre's return from a broken
thumb. The Jackson native started
inleftfield againstCentral and went
1-for-3 with an RBI single in his
first batting action since February.
While he says he still isn't 100 per-
cent, his presence should still be a
boost to the Wolverines' lineup.
And after LaMarre's return, the
team appeared to dodge a bullet
concerning senior catcher Chris
Berset. The co-captain - who leads
Michigan with a.389 average and is
tied for the team lead with ten dou-
bles - exited the game Wednesday
after fouling a ball off his leg, but
appears to be fine and will likely still
start against the Boilermakers.
His and the rest of the Wolver-
ines' production will be needed
against Purdue's strong starters if
the team is to achieve its goal and
complete its first Big Ten sweep.
Rich Rodriguez's spread
offense may be predicated on
speed, but as any coach will tell
you, football games are won and
lost in the trenches.
An overlooked transition with
Rodriguez's arrival is the effect on
the offensive linemen within the
offense. Instead of blocking for
a power run game and pro-style
offense, the Wolverines had to
adjust to a quicker offense based.
on spreading defenses out and
effectively using team speed - a
far cry from the three yards and a
cloud of dust days of the past.
Entering the third year under
Rodriguez, Michigan's offensive
line is now getting comfortable
within the system's philosophy.
"We're hoping and expecting
them to be improved, because it's
year three," Michigan offensive
coordinator Calvin Magee said.
"We've got some returning guys
who have been through a lot of
game plays, a lot of game plays, a
lot of practice times. And the more
you do something, the more com-
fortable and better you get with it.
But we're very pleased with those
guys.
"And I think (they're) playing
the best that I've seen this spring,
since we've been here. It's fun to
see all of those guys feel confident
about it."
In the middle of the offensive
line's success is redshirt junior
center David Molk.
Last season, the Wolverines
learned the hard way just how
important Molk is to stability
dream,t
say abo
offensiv
Mich
someth
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With
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Lewan,
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"We
when t
team,"n
be fun
ing in o
they'rei
ine. He broke his foot in to learn, but they're competitive.
an's third game against "Those guys are bigger than
Michigan last season and they look, because strength and
d to action just five weeks conditioning coach Mike (Bar-
lut just four plays into wis) does a good job of putting the
first game back against weight on them. And they're pow-
ate, he tore his right ACL. erful right now. The good thing is
with the injury, Rodri- they have another summerto keep
ad to shuffle around play- improving."
m one position to another. Rodriguez said last month that
versatility is a coach's the duo, along with injured red-
there is still something to shirt freshman Quinton Washing-
ut consistency within an ton had made significant strides
'e line. in the spring, especially in the
igan coaches hope that's weight room.
ing the team has gained "I think we're a strong team,"
Rodriguez said. "We need to get
bigger.... We needed to be a bigger
ye football team."
There is still time this spring
ying the best for the big guys up front to bulk up
to compete against the physical
at I've seen defensive lines and linebackers
around the Big Ten. Last year, the
his spring." Wolverines gave up 27 sacks and
an average of more than six and a
half yards lost per sack.
And it might be the miscues
g the 2010 season. that don't show up on the stat
Molk out last year, red- sheet proving how strong the line
nior Mark Huyge, senior is. With several experienced play-
Dorrestein and redshirt ers returning, a certain comfort
ore Patrick Omameh level may come with lining up
valuable experience. next to each other and knowing
now with David Moosman, what exactly to do.
cAvoy and Mark Ortmann Including Molk, Michigan has
uating, a pair of capable five offensive linemen who will
t freshmen look to step up have been in Ann Arbor for at
absence. least three full years this fall. And
)r Lewan and Michael that includes two-plus years of
Id are the two towering studying up and working within
ds that are making names Rodriguez's offense.
nselves in spring practice. The depth and understanding *
listed at 6-foot-8 and 283 may be the best since Rodriguez
is playing left tackle and has taken over, and Molk may be
id, listed at 6-foot-7 281 the glue for the whole operation.
is playing right tackle this "We think David could be one
of the best centers in the Big Ten,"
saw the talent last year Rodriguez said. "(He) was play-
hey were on the scout ing as such until he got hurt last
Magee said. "It's going to year. And he'll be back. David is
to watch them compet- a tremendous football player and
'ur offense. For freshmen, he'll be the leader of our guys up
immature, they've got alot front."
0
ARIEL BOND/Daily
Sophomore centerfielder Bree Evans went 3-for-4 with five RBIl in the second game of Michigan's doubleheader against Indiana. The Wolverines won the game 14-1.
Blue sweeps Hoosiers in doubleheader,
By CASANDRA PAGNI
Daily Sports Writer
To the No. 2 Michigan soft-
ball team, a doubleheader means
a chance to play 14 innings of
'Michi-
gan Soft- INDIANA 2
ball.' MICHIGAN 8
But
Michigan INDIANA 1
(5-0 Big MICHIGAN 14
Ten, 28-5
overall) needed just 12 innings on
Thursday, beating Indiana 8-2 in
game one before run-ruling them
14-1 after five innings in game
two.
"Playing a doubleheader, you
know what you were messing up
in the first game," sophomore cen-
terfielder Bree Evans said after the
game. "You're really driven to do
better in that'second game. If you
have a doubleheader, your energy
is up and you're more focused
right after, so it helps you succeed.
You know what the pitchers look
like and what they were throwing,
so you didn't lose anything by tak-
ing a break."
The Wolverines - who have
won seven straight games - had
the Hoosiers' number on Thurs-
day. In both games, Michigan
scored two runs in the top of the
first inning, sparking the offense
for the rest of the game.
Game one featured three multi-
run home runs by seniors Roya St.
Clair and Maggie Viefhaus and
junior Dorian Shaw. In game two,
the Wolverines scored 14 runs on
13 hits, most runs manufactured.
Regardless of how the team
crossed the plate, Michigan man-
aged to hit the ball well against
Indiana and translate hits into
runs.
"Scoring first sets the tone in
the top of the inning when we're
not the home team," St. Clair said,
"to get some runs across the board
for our pitchers to give them some
run support so they go out there
and know that the offense is help-
ing."
Taking the mound with the
lead in both games, the pitching
duo of junior Jordan Taylor and
senior Nikki Nemitz kept the
Hoosiers from mounting come-
backs. Even freshman pitcher
Stephanie Speierman saw one
inning of action in the second
game as Michigan had a comfort-
able 13-run lead.
Controlling the tempo from the
get-go, the Wolverines combined
for 24 hits over both games in a
sustained offensive attack.
"We have a number of kids who
are capable, when they get a good
cut at the ball that are capable of
hitting it over the fence," Michi-
gan coach Carol Hutchins said.
"We are very capable of hitting
it out. We had a few occasions
where we got really good looks at
the ball.
"In the second game we were a
little scrappier but we still found a
lot of ways to score and we hit the
ball well. I like that we can hit for
average and hit for power, to me
it's a great combination."
The leadoff hitter, Evans, found
pop in her bat in the second game
against Indiana, going 3-for-4
from the plate with five RBI. At
the top of the order, Evans needed
to find ways to get on base for the
rest of the lineup to drive her in.
In the second game on Thursday,
the two, three, and four hitters
followed Evans' lead, each tally-
ing at least one RBL
"We're a good hitting team,"
Hutchins said. "We do a lot of
things every time we play. Some-
times we score early, sometimes
we score late, but the most impor-
tant aspect is that we score."
The offense lifted Michigan
to success on Thursday and the
team looks to keep the bats hot as
it travels to Minnesota this week-
end. With just 12 hours at home
before heading to St. Paul, the
Wolverines don't have long to pre-
pare for the weekend series.
"Right now we're going to have
to be in game mode," Hutchins
said. "We talked a lot about not
being complacent, and playing
hard and playing Michigan soft-
ball. I'm certain there are going
to be games that are closer. This
team has been through that,
they're tested.
"They've played a lot of great
teams already. Our goal is to not
let games be close. This team is
pretty talented and pretty senior
led, and I think that's how this
team works and that they should
be able to respond when there are
challenges in front of them."