4B - March 18, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily:com
4B - March 18, 2013 The Michigan Daily - mi6higandaily.com
Lane walkoff
highlights Judi
Garman Classic
By SIMON KAUFMAN
Daily Sports Writer
As Michigan students celebrat-
ed an early St. Patrick's Day across
campus Saturday, Michigan coach
Carol Hutchins and the softball
team celebrated in their own right,
winning in extra-inning, walk-off
fashion against North Carolina
State - and they didn't need any
Irish luck.
The 1-0 win over the Wolfpack
capped off a four-win weekend at
the Judi Garman Classic in Fuller-
ton, Calif., where No. 15 Michigan
beat three ranked teams - No. 2
Arizona State, No. 14 Arizona and
No.18 Washington. Strong perfor-
mances on the mound and timely
hitting helped the Wolverines (21-
7) execute their most successful
weekend of the season.
"I really felt what we got bet-
ter at was persevering and staying
even-keeled," Hutchins said. "We
kept grindingit out and going after
it, and we didn't let ourselves get
in our ownway."
In the last game of the week-
end against North Carolina State,
sophomore pitcher Haylie Wag-
ner kept Michigan in the game by
tossing eight shutout innings and
striking out six. Offensively, the
team picked up just five hits but
scored the game's lone run in the
bottom of the eighth inning which
was enough for the win.
Junior right fielder Nicole Sap-
pingfield was put in scoring posi-
tion as part of tie-breaker rules
that place a runner on second
base to begin each extra inning.
She advanced to third on a single
off the bat of freshman shortstop
Sierra Romero which set the stage
for senior second baseman Ashley
Lane. After working the count to
2-1, Lane hit a shot to the second
baseman. Sappingfield, who was
moving on contact, beat the throw
to give the Wolverines the victory.
"(It) was a tough game, and I
was impressed by North Caro-
lina State's pitcher," Hutchins
said. "We did a great job of stay-
ing in our game and staying in the
moment and grinding it out. That's
what Division I softball is."
In another close battle, Michi-
gan downed the second-ranked
Sun Devils Friday morning, 5-4,
and then took care of business in
the afternoon, defeating No. 14
Arizona, 9-1. In the first game,
with the Wolverines down 4-3,
senior third baseman Amy Knapp
stepped to the plate with runners
on second and third. Knapp, who
batted in the seven spot for the
first time this season, drilled a 1-1
pitch up the middle to put Michi-
gan up for good. The hit was one
of six that Knapp collected on the
weekend.
"My approach was just attack,"
Knapp said. "That's been our
motto all year, just attack. And
I've really done a good job lately of
staying one-pitch focused. That's
something that (Hutchins) always
tells us to do."
In the matinee, the Wolver-
ines gave up an unearned run in
the first but exploded with the
bats later to get the run-rule vic-
tory - enforced when one team
leads by seven runs after five
innings. Michigan scored four in
the fourth, highlighted by a blast
over the left-field wall off the bat
of Romero.
The offense didn't stop there.
FILEtPHOTO/Daiy
Senior second baseman Ashley Lane broke an eight-inning stalemate with a walkoff.
In the next inning, the Wolverines
took advantage of an error, a walk
and an infield hit to load the bases.
Sophomore pitcher Sara Driesen-
ga knocked a single into left-cen-
ter for her 24th and 25th RBI on
the season. Knapp followed it up
with a base hit of her own to score
another run and extend the lead.
Michigan.picked up two more
runs in the sixth to end the game.
The Wolverines' only loss of
the weekend came on Thursday
against Virginia Tech. After blast-
ing three homers in the day's first
game against No. 18 Washington
to win 6-1, Michigan failed to pro-
duce clutch hits against the Hok-
ies.
After hitting a batter in the
fifth, Wagner gave up two singles
to let in Virginia Tech's first run.
The Hokies would add two more
in the sixth against Driesenga,
who came on in relief.
In Michigan's half of the sixth,
the offense was able to produce
only one run on a sacrifice fly after
loading the bases with one out.
In the seventh, the Wolverines
threatened to tie the game. With
one out, Lane.walked and scored
on a Knapp double two batters
later.
But Michigan was unable to
push across the tying run and fell,
3-2.
Michigan will change focus
now as it enters Big Ten play at
home on Friday. Hutchins said
she is looking forward to tough
opposition in the Big Ten this year
as well as getting to play a three-
game series against the same
team as opposed to the five-game,
multi-teamseries that the Wolver-
ines have had:
"We're still evolving, and you
evolve as a team all the way into
the postseason," Hutchins said.
"Then you just try to survive.
We're still keeping our one-pitch
mentality, and the kids just have
to keep getting better at it. They
won't be perfect, but our goal is to
get better every day."
WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS
M' finishes
perfect at home
By CINDY YU with a 9.875. Beilstein anchored
Daily Sports Writer on bars, capping off the rotation
with a career-high 9.925 to top
Saturday was an emotional the medal stand.
night for the No. 3 Michigan "We obviously counted a fall
women's gymnastics team's on bars, which is the firs fall we
seniors - co-captain Katie have counted this whole season,"
Zurales, Brittnee Martinez and Plocki said. "I'm pretty fortu-
Natalie Beilstein - as it marked nate to be standing here saying
their last time ever competing at that, so I can't complain about it.
Crisler Center. I'm glad we got it out of the way
Led by the seniors, the Wol- before we went into the post-
verines (6-1 Big Ten, 17-1 overall) season."
defeated Iowa State on senior Michigan redeemed itself
night, 196.825-195.125. on the balance beam. Gies led
"This group of seniors has put off again for the second event
us in a position to legitimately in a row and scored a 9.800 for
contend for a national title," her solid routine. Martinez and
said Michigan coach Bev Plocki. sophomore Annette Miele fol-
"That's a pretty nice legacy. lowed with scores of 9.850 and
We've only got three routines 9.825 to finish second and third,
new to our lineup over (the) last respectively. Cyclones sopho-
year. The resiliency this team more Caitlin Brown secured a
showed hanging in there last 9.875 to top the beam standings
year and getting through it, not with a routine highlighted by a
to mention how much they've difficult backhandspring to one-
improved from last seasonto this handed backhandspring to back
(year) has been very impressive." layout step-out flight series.
This win was not only the The Wolverines finished.
third victory over Iowa State of strong on floor. Sampson, the
the season, but it also marked the top floor exercise worker in the
completion of the regular season nation, scored a 9.925 to win the
with an undefeated home record. event for the seventh straight
"Throughout my four years of week. When she landed her final
being on this team, I don't think tumbling pass, the audience
we've ever had a season like erupted into monstrous applause
this," Beilstein said. "We're calm. with chants of "10."
We're relaxed. I think we're real- "I have to admit, I was a little
ly confident hitting our routines, upset," Plocki said. "I thought
and I think it's been showing." that floor routine tonight was
Michigan junior co-captain absolutely a 10. I don't know
Joanna Sampson - the No. 2 all- where they found deductions in
around gymnast in the country that. I thought every landing was
as of March 5 - won her seventh perfect, and her tumbling was
all-around title of the season sky high, but I'm not the judge."
with a 39.500. Junior Reema Zakharia tied
The Wolverines began the Iowa State junior Henrietta
meet by tying their season-high Green for second with a 9.875,
on vault with a 49.550. Each of followed by a four-way tie with a
the top-five counted scores con- score of 9.850 forthird from Beil-
sisted of stuck vault landings. stein, freshman Briley Casanova,
Junior Stephanie Colbert, who Sugiyama and Cyclone junior
was out last weekend resting her Milan Ivory.
legs, led off with a Yurchenko "I wouldn't say it was my best
full that scored a 9.875, good for performance - at least not on 4
third place. Zurales followed my landings - butI would say it
with an identical vault with more was excitingto get back outthere
distance on the landing, scoringa one last time at Crisler," Beilstein
9.900 to finish second. The Wol- said.
verines dominated with a three- Zurales uncharacteristically
way tie for first from Beilstein, lost momentum and fell on her
Sampson and freshman Austin front tumbling pass, but because
Sheppard. of the strong performances from
"It was the first one I stuck in her teammates, her score was
competition, and I really justhad dropped.
the best feeling ever," Sheppard "This is just an emotional
said. "I've been practicing sticks night for our seniors," Plocki
all week, and I tend to do them said. "The whole entire team
only in warm-up in competitions, wants it so badly for the seniors
so to actually be able to doit was so I think they try a little too
amazing." hard and sometimes, trying too
Iowa State started on the hard is a problem."
uneven bars and scored a 48.975 Beilstein has applied for a red-
for a rotation filled with pike shirt, as she sat out her junior
Tkatchev release moves. Michi- season after injuring her Achil-
gan took the lead from the first les.
event onward and never relin- "It's definitely a possibility,"
quished it. Beilstein said. "Having that year
After swapping events, the off last year was definitely one of
Wolverines 'struggled on bars. the hardest things I've done in
The first two competitors, junior my career, so I'm excited to have
Shelby Gies and sophomore one more year."
Sachi Sugiyama, fell on their Martinez and Zurales are
straddle Tkatchev and Gienger having the best seasons of their
release moves, respectively, careers. Martinez plans on pur-
Zurales, the third gymnast up, suing coaching in northern Cali-
hit under pressure and tied fornia and Zurales plans on going
Sampson for.second on the event to medical school.
Without Biondi, Wolverines drop
two of three in South Carolina
Michigan struggles
after centerfielder
suffers sprained
thumb
By MAX COHEN
Daily Sports Writer
Anyone who has seen the
movie "Moneyball" knows the
importance of on-base percent-
age.
The absence of senior out-
fielder and leadoff hitter Patrick
Biondi hurt the Michigan base-
ball team as it went 1-2 at the
Chanticleer Classic in Myrtle
Beach, S.C. over the weekend.
The Michigan offense was stag-
nant all weekend with Biondi's
team-leading .493 on-base per-
centage sidelined with a sprained
thumb. It scored only nine runs
over the weekend.
Not only did the offense miss
Biondi, but it also missed injured
sophomore catcher Kevin White,
who didn't play in the last two
games of the weekend after sus-
taining an injury Friday night.
The lack of run production com-
bined with average pitching
prevented the Wolverines from
earning the sweep they wanted,
as they dropped two games to
Coastal Carolina (9-10) before
defeating Akron (2-16) on Sun-
day.
"We've got to be able to over-
come acouple of injuries," Bakich
said. "We're certainly not going
to make excuses for that."
On Friday, Michigan fell to the
.Chanticleers, 8-4, after blowing
a 3-0 first-inning lead. Coastal
Carolina made a bevy of mistakes
in, the inning including. three
errors, three wild pitches, two
walks and one hit batter, allow-
ing the Wolverines to score three
runs while only recording one
hit.
"That game was right where
we wanted it to be, and we let
them back in after they gifted us
a few runs," Bakich said.
- Though it ended up com-
mitting five errors .in the game,
Coastal Carolina used two big
Sophomore centerfielder Patrick Biondi is batting .393, but a thumb injury left a void in the leadoff spot for Michigan.
innings to recover and break the
game open. The Chanticleers
knocked ' around Michigan's
pitching, as they recorded 12 hits
and capitalized on the six free
passes and one hit-by-pitch.
Saturday's game had a very
different feel, though, as Coastal
Carolina shut down the Michi-
gan offense and built a 6-0 lead,
before the Wolverines man-
aged to score twice in the ninth
inning. After two consecutive
scoreless starts, freshman pitch-
er Evan Hill struggled, allow-
ing five earned runs in just 4.1
innings.
"No starting pitcher is going
to sustain scoreless outings,"
Bakich said. "He hadn't given up
an earned run in two starts prior
to this one, so that's just base-
ball."
Biondi's absence was espe-
cially felt on Saturday, particu-
larly when his replacement in
the leadoff spot, junior outfielder
Michael O'Neill, went 0-for-
5. The next four batters in the
Michigan lineup went 4-for-17 in
the game with only one RBI after
freshman second baseman Jacob
Cronenworth singled in the final
run of the game in the ninth.
"We just came out soft in the
first two games and really didn't
play to our potential," Cronen-
worth said.
On Sunday, the Wolverines,
failed to pull away from a Zips
team that has had few good
games this season. Michigan was
able to score two runs in the sec-
ond inning without getting a hit
after Akron pitcher Pat Dyer hit
two batters, walked another and
committed an error in the field.
Senior pitcher Ben Ballantine,
the Wolverines' starter, grinded
through 4.1 innings, allowing
two earned runs while strik-
ing out five batters and walking
two. With the game close, the
Michigan bullpen came in and
shut down Akron, allowing just
three runners to reach base in
4.2 innings. The offense contin-
ued to struggle for the Wolver-
ines until freshman shortstop
Trevor Maezes singled in sopho-
more outfielder Zach Zott to give
Michigan the 3-2 lead, which
it held for the remainder of the
game.
But the victory on Sunday
didn't make Bakich feel much
better about his team's perfor-
mance this weekend.
"The losirig part is frustrat-
ing," Bakich said. "When we
don't play to our potential, that's
really frustrating. I'm not happy
with today's win because we
didn't play well today. We didn't
play to our potential in any of the
three games."