The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
NEW STUDENT EDITION
Tuesday, September 6, 2011- 5E
Shocked Wolverines drop 2-1 thriller
to Kentucky in NCAARegional finale
By EMILY BONCHI
Daily Sports Writer
May 23, 2011 - It was the end-
ing that no one saw coming for the
No. 2 Michigan softball team. With
the bases loaded and only one out
in the bottom of the seventh inning
for Kentucky, it seemed simultane-
ously inevitable and impossible.
As soon as the Wildcats' Annie
Rowland's soft blooper started its
arc downward, everyone knew
the game was over. Kentucky won
2-1, upsetting the Wolverines on
their home field for the second day
in a row to knock them out of the
NCAA postseason.
Entering the seventh inning,
Michigan held a l-Olead, but by the
time Kentucky put its bats away,
the damage was done.
Michigan (18-2 Big Ten, 53-6
overall) grabbed the early lead
after freshman catcher Caitlin
Blanchard scored sophomore Jac-
lyn Crummey on a two-out error in
the fourth.
Kentucky pitcher Rachel Riley
tossed a one-hitter, closing out the
top of the seventh by putting away
three straight Michigan batters.
But it never seemed like enough,
even with senior pitcher Jordan
Taylor on the mound for the Wol-
verines.
Despite playing the NCAA
Regional finale at home in Ann
Arbor, the Wolverines were the
away team Sunday afternoon, giv-
ing the Wildcats (14-9 SEC, 39-14)
one last chance to score.
And they took it.
Taylor struck out 10 heading
into the final inning. She needed
three outs in order for Michigan
to force a tiebreaker game for the
NCAA Super Regionals bid.
"I was preparing my mid-game
speech," Kentucky coach Rachel
Lawson said about heading into the
bottom half of the seventh inning.
But Wildcat Megan Aull, the
first batter to face Taylor, sparked
something for Kentucky. She hit a
home run over the right-field wall,
squeezing it just inside the foul
pole to tie the score, 1-1.
Taylor tried to pitch low against
her next few batters to prevent
another long ball, but she missed
the strike zone eight pitches in
a row to put two runners on. A
hit-by-pitch followed, loading the
bases for Kentucky with no outs on
the board.
"I'm very impressed with Ken-
tucky," Hutchins said. "We were
going to make them swing if they
were goingto beat us."
Rowland must have received
that message.
Taylor rallied back with a strike-
out against pinch hitter Lauren
Cumbess, putting new life back
into Alumni Field. But Rowland
- who was 0-2 on the day - con-
nected for a blooper over senior
first baseman Dorian Shaw's head
to bring the game-winning run -
and NCAA Super Regional bid - in
for Kentucky.
This will be the Wildcats' first
NCAA Super Regional bid in pro-
gram history.
The game began as a pitcher's
duel, with Riley and Taylor each
not allowing much movement
around the bases. The Wildcats
were able to put two runners on
to threaten the Wolverines, but
Blanchard came up big for Michi-
gan to throw out runners in both
the first and fifth innings.
After the Wolverines' unearned
run put them up 1-0 in the top of
the fourth, sophomore second
baseman Ashley Lane was the
only batter to earn a hit, breaking
Riley's no-hitter inthe sixth.
"What we've been working on
this entire game ... is just putting
the ball in play, putting it on the
ground," Lane said. "Atthat specif-
ic at bat, I knewI had been popping
up a lot so I just thought to myself
to put it on the ground. Getting
base runners, as Hutch has said,
was the most important thing we
could have done in thatgame."
But a lack of base runners, fol-
lowed by a seventh-inning threat
by Kentucky caused the Wolver-
ines' season to come to an unex-
pected halt.
The Wolverines will now say
goodbye to six seniors, including
Shaw and Taylor, whose careers
have made history in the Michigan
softball program.
"We just have to fight every day,"
Chidester said afterthe game. "You
can't take anything for granted -
just got to keep going."
Hockey
The No. 2-seeded Michigan men's hockey team began the 2011 NCAA tournament by beating
Nebraska-Omaha in dramatic fashion, after sophomore forward Kevin Lynch's overtime shot found its
way across the goal-line. In the Regional final against Colorado College, senior forward Scooter Vaughan
and sophomore Lee Moffie each scored to send the Wolverines to their 24th Frozen Four.
'wo weeks later, after traveling to St. Paul, Minn., the Wolverines drew first blood earyin the Frozen
Four hattle against top-seeded North Dakota when senior Ben Winnett roofed a shot over theFighting
Sioux's goalie. Senior goalie Shaun Hunwick shined, stopping all140 shots, before Vaughanscored on an
empty net to ice the game.
In the NCAA title game, Michigan played No. 3-eeded Minnesota-Duluth to a 2-2 tie afte e
periods. But just three minutesinto overtime, Minnesota-Duluth scored the championship- inng goal,
ending the Wolverines' title dreams. This upcoming season, Michigan coach Red Berenson rat s for
his 28th season at the helm.
n's5ccer- ALEX STINHOFF
Men~'s Soccer
Consideringthe amount of talent the Michigan men's soccer team lost when its magimal run to the
NCAA College Cup finally ended just short of the national title match, one might regard the upcom-
ing campaign as a rebuilding season. Fortunately for the program, which has garnered considerable
national respect since the postseason, Michigan coach Steve Burns doesn't have the word "rebuilding"
in his vocabulary
But without the Wolverines' two biggest scoring threatsin Justin Meram, now of the Columbus
Crew, and Soony Saad, now with Sporting Kansas City, many are left to wonder if Michigan can
hold its own in the Big Ten after winningthe 2010 conference tournament. After all, it was the duo's
goals late in the season that powered the team's trip to Santa Barbera, Calif., including a potentially
program-defining victory over perennial powerhouse Maryland on the Terrapins' home turf. But with
Burns at the reins, it would be unwise to count out the 2011 Michigan squad. This team is looking to
prove that isn't rebuilding, but rather reloading.
- MATT SLOVIN
Wrestling
Redshirt junior Kellen Russell was supposed to win the 141-pound weight class nationa champion-
ship this year. But then again, he was supposed to win in 2009, too, when he was ranked atthe top of
his weight class. Instead, two years ago, he was knocked out in the second round,Flash-forward to
2011 - two years after being upset - when Russell stepped onto the mats in Philadelphia to rove
himself a champion.
Riding a 38-match win streak;Russell capped a perfect season by defeating Cal PolyBois Novach-
kov, 3-2, to winhis first national championship and Michigan's first of the year in any spot fter using
a combined four overtimes to advance to the finals, Russell's championship match seeingy took a
turn for the worst when his ankle popped, stopping play for several miutes. But when a s said and
done, the conquering Russell was able to step t the podium and hoist his trophy in theair
- DANIEL ASSERMAN
Men'sBasketball
Heading into the 2010-11 season, things looked bleak for the Michigan men's basketball team. The
Wolverines returned little talent and even less experience. The team was pegged to finish near the bot-
tom of the BigTen - even Michigan coach John Beilein would be lying if he said he expected to make
the postseason.
But if last year proved anything, it's that you can't ever count out a Beilein-coached team. Michigan
won eight of its last 11 regular-season games - including a sweep of Michigan State for the first time
since 1996-97 - and rode this wave of success to the NCAA Tournament. Afte obliter s-
see in their first game, the Wolverines were one last-second shot away from taking No. e to
overtime in the third round.
The teamwill have to deal with the'loss of star point guard Darius Morris, wholeft school for
the NBA Draft, but after years of scuffling, it appears that Michigan basketball is finally back. "
- BEN ESTES
Softball
The Michigan softball team made history in 2011, kicking off its season with 24 straight wins. Senior
pitcher Jordan Taylor led the Wolverines to their fourth straight Big Ten title, cappingoff her senior
season with a conference-best1.51 ERA.
At the pinacle of its season, Michigan topped the national polls to become the No. 1 team in the
country for the first time since 2006. But despite finishingwith a strong record of 5-6,the Wlveines
faltered under pressure in the postseason, and what was anticipated to be a championship run ended
in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as the Wolverines fell to a young Kentucky squad. Michi-
gan still had a notable season, as coach Carol Hutchins took home her 12th-straight Big Ten Coach of
the Year title. Look for rising senior and Big Ten Player of the Year Amanda Chidester to lead the team
to another successful season in 2012.
- EMILY BONCHI
UN1VERS ITY OFMICHIGAN SEPTEMBER 11-14, 2011
ATHLETIC BAND AUDITIONS
WE ARE LOOKING FOR UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN STUDENTS WHO PLAY THE FOLLOWING INSTRUMENTS:
PICCOLO " CLARINET * ALTO SAXOPHONE * TENOR SAXOPHONE * TRUMPET * HORN " TROMBONE " BASS TROMBONE
"EUPHONIUM "TUBA *"DRUM SET + SNARE DRUM " BASS DRUM * TENOR DRUMS *"CYMBALS
MEN'S BASKETBALL BAND
Rehearsals
(Fall) Tuesdays, 7:15 - 8:30 PM
(Winter) Tuesdays, 6:30 - 7:45 PM
Be there as Michigan soars
to the next championship
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BAND
Rehearsals
(Fall) Tuesdays, 7:15 - 8:30 PM
(Winter) Tuesdays, 6:30 - 7:45 PM
HOCKEY BAND
Rehearsals
(Fall) Thursdays, 7:30-9:00 PM
(Winter) Thursdays, 8:30-10:00 PM
Become part of the
impact of Yost,
play in Hockey Band
Join the Women's Basketball Band and
we'll support you while you support the
team...get paid to play The Victors!
5. ,-.
" Call 764-0582 to schedule an audition time
e Auditions open to ALL U-M students
e Auditions will include scales and sight reading
" Sunday, September11 - Wednesday, September 14
" Auditions will be held at Revelli Hall
350 E. Hoover - South/Athletic Campus