The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Burgoon closes door

April 12, 2010 - 38
Blue takes two
against Boilers

By BEN ESTES in that department, to 3.86. And
Daily Sports Writer his clutch play in the latter part of.
games has allowed him to accumu-
Three times in the past two late a 4-1 record with four saves -
weeks, Michigan had been cling- already as many as he collected all
ing to a tenuous lead with its oppo- of last year.
nent in position to With the Wolverines' Sunday
steal the win. NOTEBOOK starter a question mark every
That meant weekend, due to inconsistency
one thing: late in the game, it was from junior right-hander Matt
Tyler Burgoon time. Miller and senior left-hander Eric
The junior right-hander trotted Katzman, Burgoon's success could
out from the bullpen all three times lead to a new role as the team's No.
to shut down the potential late- 3 starter - he has started three
inning rally. games already this season.
The Defiance, Ohio native's suc- But for his part, the junior is sat-
cessful run began on March 30 isfied with finishing the contest.
against Eastern Michigan. Burgoon "Earlier in the season, we were
* entered the action in the seventh experimenting with starting and
inning with a runner at second whatnot," Burgoon said. "But (I'm)
after the Eagles had just scored back to the pen, and I feel a lot more
four runs to cut the deficit to one. at home there being able to come in
But Burgoon got out of that jam, and close out a game and give us a
and finished the game unscathed to 'W."'
preserve the win. In whatever role Burgoon comes
Against Indiana on April 3, Bur- to play, his importance to the Wol-
goon came in the game in the bot- verines' success as the Big Ten sea-
tom of the ninth with Michigan son unfolds can't be doubted.
holding a 6-4 lead and once again "(Burgoon's) had alonghistory of
closed the door on the comeback being a successful reliever," Malo-
attempt. ney said. "I think he really looked
And Saturday against Purdue, good to me Saturday. I was pleased.
with the Wolverines desperately And it's nice to have a guy like that
needing a win to even the series, at the back end of the bullpen."
he relieved redshirt freshman left- LAMARRE BACK TO FORM:
hander Bobby Brosnahan and halt- Junior outfielder Ryan LaMarre
ed the Boilermakers' rally, pitching hinted toward a full comeback from
a near-flawless 2.1 innings to pick a broken thumb with a 1-for-3 per-
up his team-leading fourth save of formance last Wednesday against
the year. Central Michigan in his first start
"Burgoon was outstanding and since the injury.
that was huge," Michigan coach After the game, he said he wasn't
Rich Maloney said after Saturday's close to 100 percent and wouldn't
win. "And we needed that. We have be for a couple of weeks.
to win games in all different ways, But you wouldn't know it from
and this is a good team win." seeing him last weekend against
It's been a breakout year for Bur- Purdue.
goon, who saw extensive time out LaMarre returned to his tra-
of the bullpen in 2008 and 2009, ditional No. 3 spot in the batting
logging 37 innings in each season. order Saturday, and went a com-
But Burgoon's ERA in his first bined 6-for-9 with an RBI in the
two years was a pedestrian 4.86. first two games of the series. But
This season has seen a full run drop Sunday provided further proof that

he may be rounding into top form.
The Jackson native went 3-for-4
with three RBI on the day, display-
ing his power with a triple and bas-
es-clearing double - each of which
nearly cleared the fence.
"If he's not (Big Ten) Player of
the Week, then I don't know what
more he can do," Maloney said.
"Especially coming off an injury.
First time back, he hasn't seen
much live pitching and for him to
perform the way he did and get big
hits just really helps the team."
LaMarre was forced to sit for
six weeks because of his injury and
grew frustrated at not being able
to play. In his absence, Michigan
was involved in several close games
against top competition, going 5-5
in games decided by three runs or
fewer. His presence could certainly
have swung several of the losses
into wins.
But he's back now, a fact that
bodes well for the Wolverines'
chances from this point forward.
"It feels unreal to be back in
the lineup," LaMarre said. "These
guys did fine while I was gone, but
I could only watch so many games
from the stands. Its great to be back
out there."
SINNERY'S SUCCESS: Maloney
was unsure about who would start
Sunday's series finale after Bur-
goon had to be used extensively in
Saturday's win. Among a host of
candidates arose sophomore right-
hander Brandon Sinnery.
Maloney told him he would be
getting the ball while the lanky
Worcester, Mass. native was at din-
ner Saturday night.
In his first career start, Sinnery
made good on Maloney's endorse-
ment, going six strong innings
and allowing just one earned run.
His performance was crucial, as it
allowed the Wolverines to win the
game and take the series, remain-
ing tied for first in the Big Ten
standings.

By CAITLIN SMITH
Daily Sports Writer
Senior catcher Chris Berset
grabbed the ball coming in from
right field, crouched into a stance
in front- ------
of home PURDUE 8
plate, and MICHIGAN 5
collided
with the PURDUE 4
Purdue MICHIGAN 6
runner
- who PURDUE 4
sent Ber- MICHIGAN 9
set into a
backwards somersault.
Despite the collision, the tag
was good for the third out of the
third inning on Sunday, stopping
the Boilermakers from taking the
lead over the Wolverines (4-2 Big
Ten,18-11overall). The out keptthe
momentum on the Wolverines' side
as they climbed to a 9-3 victory and
the series win.
The weekend began with a dis-
appointing 8-5 loss to Purdue at
home Friday. The Boilermakers
(2-4, 15-14) gained control of the
game early on, taking advantage
of senior ace pitcher Alan Oaks's
struggles on the mound. Oaks
allowed two runs in both the first
and second innings, and gave up
a total of six earned runs in six
innings.
On Purdue's mound, pitcher
Matt Bischoff was unstoppable.
Bischoff, who recently won his
second Big Ten Pitcher of the
Week Award of the young season,
allowed only two Wolverine runs
on seven hits, while striking out
nine batters.
Freshman centerfielder Pat-
rick Biondi posed the greatest

threat against Bischoff, leading the
offense with three hits. His double
in the bottom of the ninth drove in
two RBI and sparked a last-ditch
comeback effort for Michigan, but
it wasn't enough.
After a disappointing startto the
series, the Wolverines came back
on Saturday afternoon desperate to
even the tally.
"We killed the momentum that
they had gained the night before,"
Michigan coach Rich Maloney
said. "I thought it was important,
the way we scored three runs the
last inning, even though we lost.
The reality is usually there's a car-
ryover."
A four-run rally in the bottom
of the second inning Saturday set
the tone for the game and gave
Michigan pitchers confidence on
the mound. Redshirt freshman
left-hander Bobby Brosnahan led
the Wolverines, striking out six
batters and maintaining a comfort-
able Michigan advantage through-
out the game to earn his fourth win
of the season. Junior pitcher Tyler
Burgoon came in to relieve Bros-
nahan and struck out three Boiler-
makers in just over two innings.
And the contributions kept com-
ing. Biondi tallied his 19th stolen
base of the season, tying the pro-
gram's freshman record for stolen
bases set by Bruce Fox in 1955. This
places Biondi in a four-way tie for
aoth place on the single-season
stolen-base list, just 29 games into
the season.
"Patrick's had an amazing fresh-
man year up to this point," Malo-
ney said. "He hasn't been playing
like a freshman from day one. To
put him in the lead-off position and
for him to be able to handle it the

way he has is pretty special."
Biondi, who was selected in the
35th round of the MLB draft by the
Detroit Tigers out of high school,
admitted that he didn't know he
had tied any record.
Junior leftfielder Ryan LaMarre,
an offensive powerhouse who
recently returned from a six-week
injury, used the series to show
Michigan fans that he is back in
action. LaMarre led the batters on
Saturday with three hits, including
a double and one run.
In Sunday's win, LaMarre had
three hits, two doubles and one tri-
ple; three RBI and two runs in just
four trips to the plate. His long tri-
ple to left field - which was almost
a home run but banked off the top
of the fence to stay in - sparked the
big rally in the fourth.
"It feels unreal to be back in
the lineup," LaMarre said. "These
guys did fine while I was gone but
I could only watch so many games
from the stands. It's great to be
back out there."
The Wolverines have won their
first two series of the eight Big Ten
matchups this season. Despite gain-
ing good position in the conference
early, the team has a full plate wait-
ing for it the rest of the season.
Michigan has yet to sweep a
series,butits resiliencyintakingthe
deciding games has been promising.
"Our goal every time we come
into a weekend is to win the series.
If we could sweep that's great,"
LaMarre said. "But we always start
by getting two (wins) first. This
speaks for our team. We are never
going to give up and we are always
going to move on. To lose the first
this weekend and then win two
says a lot."

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ARIEL BOND/Daly
Junior Dorian Shaw leads the Wolverines with 13 home runs this season.
Michigan uses home runs
to power potent offense

By CASANDRA PAGNI
Daily Sports Writer
With an unblemished record in
the Big Ten, the No. 2 Michigan
softball team has been hot from the
plate in conference play.
Lately, though, the Wolverines
have flashed their home run game.
Michigan has hit at least one
home run in all seven conference
games this season and the team's
tendency to hit the long ball has
helped turn many of the conference
games into blowouts.
The Wolverines' ability to drive
the ball deep has helped them mer-
cy-rule conference opponents in
five of seven games. The home run
has put games out of reach quickly
and kept opponents from being able
to regroup.
"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," Michigan
coach Carol Hutchins said. "We are
very capable of hitting it out."
Michigan (7-0 Big Ten, 30-5
overall) leads the Big Ten with 49
total team home runs after this
weekend, averaging 1.4 per game.
NCAA REGIONALS
From Page 1B
from most of the squad.
Senior captain Jordan Sex-
ton stole the show by putting up
a career-high 9.950 score on the
uneven bars, which had been the
weakest rotation for the Wolver-
ines enteringthe regional matchup.
Just as the team has come to
expect, Botterman stepped up
under pressure and won the all-
around crown with a 39.550 score,

"We're a good scoring team so it's
a nice way to get started," Hutchins
said. "We do a lot of things every
time we play. Sometimes we score
early, sometimes we score late, but
the most important aspect is that
we score."
The offense has been hot and
home runs have helped back up
strong starting pitching perfor-
mances from junior Jordan Taylor
and senior Nikki Nemitz. Michi-
gan's pitching duo has been solid
all season and the offense has been
clicking right behind them.
"It makes us a lot more relaxed
knowing that we can always come
back because we know we can hit,"
sophomore outfielder Bree Evans
said. "It takes a lot off the pitchers."
Junior first baseman Dorian
Shaw currently leads the team with
13 home runs - just one shy of her
2009 career total. The Wolverine
slugger is followed closely by the
two senior captains Maggie Vief-
haus and Angela Findlay, who have
belted out 11 and 10 long balls on
the year, respectively.
Michigan boasts a 13-0 record
when the team hits two or more
home runs in a game. But the Wol-
also sharing the floor exercise title
with freshman Natalie Beilstein.
"It was exciting that I did well,
but I really couldn't enjoy it," Bot-
terman said. "We didn't know at
the end if we made it or not, no
one had given us the thumbs up
yet. When I was going up to get
my awards I wasn't really excited
because I didn't know what the
outcome was."
When the team finally did hear
its name announced as an NCAA
Finals qualifier, the entire Michi-
gan troupe let out a sigh of relief.
As the Wolverines look for their

verines know that home runs can't
be their only aim from the batter's
box.
"I'm just really focusing on going
up there and doing what I need to
do for my team at the plate." Find-
lay said. "Whether that's runners
on base, driving people in, putting
a bunt down for the runners, my
focus is justgoing up there and get-
ting good at bats."
With a solid plate approach and
some monster home runs, Michi-
gan has stormed past the rest of
its conference opponents thus far.
While some argue that pitching
and defense win championships,
the Wolverines aren't complaining
about scoring at least seven runs in
all of their Big Ten games this sea-
son.
"Everybody in our lineup is
really clocked in and focused on
what they need to do in their part,"
senior Molly Bausher said. "I think
a lot of that has to do with what
we've gone through this season
with our mental game and one-
pitch focus. Everybody has taken
that in and really committed to it,
and I think that's really shown in
our lineup."
ninth national championship in the
season finale in Gainesville, Fla. in
two weeks, they clearly have some
work to do.
But as the team has battled back
all season long, this will be just
another test of Michigan's elite sta-
tus as a force in gymnastics.
"We just need to prepare our-
selves mentally," Botterman said.
"I think we're going to keep our
heads up and see what happens
with Katie. We have backups and
will get them ready to go, and if we
can stay positive then we'll get a
positive outcome at nationals."

earns weekend sweep
By ALEX HERMANN ing my mechanics." Viefhaus, Nemitz, sophomore
Daily Sports Writer Though this was the first per- outfielder Bree Evans and senior
feet game of her Michigan career, catcher Roya St. Clair each had
The No. 2 Michigan softball Taylor said that she had thrown multiple-hit performances.
team has been close to perfect five such games in high school. With the sweep of the Gophers
sincethe start of Big Ten playethree "It definitely didn't take me (1-5 Big Ten, 15-25 overall), the
weeks until my junior year to throw a Wolverines (7-0, 30-5) continue to
ago. MICHIGAN 9 perfect game in high school," she show their dominance in the con-
In that MINNESOTA 0 said. ference.
span, the Not to be outdone, senior pitch- "We're so great because every-
Wolver- MICHIGAN 10 er Nikki Nemitz had a standout one in this lineup can get a hit,"
ines have MINNESOTA 0 performance of her own on Sun- Viefhaus said. "If somebody
gone day, posting a shutout. doesn't get a hit, the next person
7-0, given up four runs total and Nemitz gave up just one hit and will."
scored more than 10 runs per walked one batter to go along with After going through its difficult
game. four strikeouts. The lone hit was a nonconference schedule relatively
But when junior pitcher Jordan routine pop into left centerfield. unscathed, Michigan has made
Taylor took to the mound on Satur- "We definitely feed off the the Big Ten season look like a
day at Minnesota, she left no room pitchers, as hitters, as defenders," cakewalk in comparison.
for improvement. Taylor pitched Viefhaus said. "If they are shut- The Wolverines will take a
the program's first perfect game ting the team down it's going to small break from conference
since 2008, as Michigan rolled 9-0 make us feel better and more con- play when they take on Central
and 10-0 in the two-game week- fident. They were just awesome Michigan this Wednesday before
end series. this weekend." resuming their Big Ten slate
"She was just shutting the other And that confidence showed as against Northwestern over the
team down every pitch of the the Wolverines got it done at the weekend.
game," senior third baseman Mag- plate as well, ending both games Still, Michigan knows that
gie Viefhaus said. "Her perfor- in the fifth inning due to softball's before obtaining its ultimate goal
mance was really stellar.". eight-run mercy rule. - a Women's College World Series
Despite having to alter her Michigan batters went a com- appearance and even a national
pitching motion midseason as bined .340 in both games, with six championship - the team will
umpires have begun to crack different players batting in runs. have to prove itself in the Big Ten
down on the crow-hop rule, Viefhaus was one of the head- first.
something she called the "hard- liners, recording a two-run home "The Big Ten season means a lot
est thing (she's) ever had to do," run on Saturday and going 2-for-3 to us," Viefhaus said. "We want to
Taylor recorded 10 strikeouts in on Sunday with another RBI. win a national, uhh, Big Ten cham-
just five innings to pitch the sixth Other Wolverines also con- pionship."
perfect game in Michigan softball tinued their solid hitting. Senior Viefhaus's quick mental slip up
history. outfielder Angela Findlay had a revealed the team's ultimate goals,
"I've thrown probably close to a two-run homer of her own while when she was asked if the national
million pitches in my career - so junior Dorian Shaw drove in a title was part of that grand design.
it's always been the same way," three-run long ball to end the "Heck yeah, but we have to win
Taylor said after Sunday's game. game. the Big Ten first," Viefhaus said.
"It's really cool to know that I
can still be as effective if not
more with completely rearrang-
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