Page 20-Tuesday, May 20, 1980-The Michigan Doily
Sports >
Blue wins
Batsmen host C1
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By DREW SHARP
For Michigan's baseball team, the
road to Omaha begins this Thursday.
That is when the Big Ten baseball
champions will begin play in the NCAA
regional playoffs, as they face Central
Michigan at 1:00 p.m. in Fisher
Stadium. Their mission: to become one
of four teams which earn the right to
participate in the College World Series
at Omaha, Nebraska.
The Blue nine wonthe title Saturday
without throwing a strike or cracking a
hit. The scheduled doubleheader bet-
ween Iowa was cancelled due to foul
weather, and because of a league rule,
the games were not rescheduled, giving
Michigan its fourth Big Ten baseball
title in six years and its 26th overall.
IT WAS THE first for rookie coach
Bud Middaugh, and he was overjoyed
at the outcome.
"I'm very pleased with the way
things turned out," said the former
Miami of Ohio coach.s"Idwish that we
were able to play the games in Iowa,
however, because the guys wanted to
win this one on the field; but we'll take
The Wolverines finished their
season: Sunday by splitting a an-
ticlimatic doubleheader with North-
western. Michigan took the opening
game, 5-0, but bowed to the Wildcats in
the nightcap, 3-2.
IN THE FIRST game, Michigan
scored two runs in the second inning
when catcher Gerry Hool got things
going with a lead-off double. He scored
on Tim Miller's grounder that scooted
by second baseman Tom Tucci. Miller,
in turn, stole second base and scored on
Jeff Jacobson's RBI double.
In the third, DH George Foussianes
worked Wildcat starter Carl Shellen-
back for a walk. Rightfielder Jim
Paciorek followed with a base hit. With
two runners aboard, Hool laced a sharp
single to center to score Foussianes.
Michigan got its final two runs courtesy
of solo home runs by Tony Evans and
Paciorek. It was Evans' first roun-
dtripper of the season and Paciorek's
eighth. Freshman Scott Dawson went
the distance to pick up his ninth win of
the year against only one setback.
It was not so smooth for the
Wolverines in the concluding contest.
Northwestern drew first blood in the
opening inning via a walk, a single, and
catcher Bill Dierberger's long sacrifice
fly ball to left center which allowed the
Wildcats' Doug Blake to prance home.
The Wolverines got the lead back in the
fifth when Foussianes blasted a two-run
homer over the left field wall. The
Wildcats tied the game in their half of
the fifth and took the lead in the sixth
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ae when reliever Dave Nuss Scot Elam: 5-0, 4.19) adjusted, but after
ed Tucci with the bases loaded. awhile they showed their poise and
HEN TIM MILLER popped out to came into their own. If they can get by
hwestern third baseman Brett the pressure that Coach Middaugh puts
er for the final out of the game, it on them, they can get by anything."
luded one of the most surprisingly "A total team effort got us here
essful seasons ever for a Michigan today," said senior Foussianes, a
'ball team. An inexperienced veteran of two NCAA playoffs. -"Our
lub had turned the tables on many freshman pitchers played a very key
e experts, and the athletes, need- role in our success, but I feel that it was
to say, have attained a degree-of the way that we played together as a
satisfaction. group that paved the way for us having
feel just great right a good year."
4
4
now! "Paciorek exclaimed. "We've
worked very hard all season long just
for this, and I'm enjoying every minute
of it."
"I think it's a great credit to the
freshmen of this team, the way we've
performed this season," said starting
pitcher Mark Clinton. "They've been
able to perform under great amounts of
pressure and have done just a tremen-
dous job for us."
"I'M JUST GLAD to be playing,"
said Hool, who has rebounded in a big
way from a broken ankle which
sidelined him last season. "The way our
pitchers have been performing this
year, it has made my job a little easier.
At first, it was kinda hard getting our
freshman pitchers (Scott Dawson: 9-1,
2.18 ERA; Steve Ontiveros: 7-6, 2.96,
and a team-leading 78 strikeouts; and
Yankees Guidry
bla ks I
By JON MORELAND
Specialtothe Daily
DETROIT-In a donnybrook pitchers' duel last night
at Tiger Stadium, the New York Yankees' Ron Guidry
shut out the Detroit Tigers 1-0 and spoiled a gem per-
formance by the Tigers' Milt Wilcox.
The Yankees scored what turned out to be the game
winning run with a rally in the second inning.
Designated hitter Reggie Jackson led off the inning with
a double in the rightfield corner. After first baseman Jim
Spencer bounced back to Wilcox, Yankee third baseman
Graig Nettles doubled, scoring Jackson with the game's
lone run.
lProm this point on, Wilcox was flawless, allowing just
three Yankee singles over the last 7% innings of the
game.
As good as Wilcox was, however, Guidry was even bet-
ter. In raising his season's record to 4-0, the 1978 Cy
Young Award winner went the route and spaced six
Tiger hits over the stretch.
The Tigers failed to get a hit through the first five in-
nings off of Guidry, getting just two base runners on
walks and getting no one as far as second base.
In each of the last four innings, however, Guidry was
forced to battle his way out of trouble.
The most serious Tiger threat occurred in the bottom
of the sixth inning. Dave Stegman led off the frame with
a bunt single, the first hit off Guidry. Duffy Dyer
followed with a single, putting runners on first and
second with no outs. After Guidry mishandled a Lou
1
'igers, I1-0
Whitaker sacrifice bunt, the Tigers had the bases loaded
and still nobody out.
Guidry came through in the clutch, though, and got
Alan Trammell on strikes, and coaxed Tiger designated
hitter Steve Kemp into. a -tough first baseman-to-
shortstop-to-pitcher double play, ending the inning.
This wasn't the last of the Tiger threats, however.
With one out in the seventh, John Wockenfuss started
another Tiger threat with a single. The next batter,
Richie Hebner, hit into the most peculiar play of the
game. A ground ball in the hole between second and first
was fielded by Yankee second baseman Willie Randolf.
Randolf lost control of the ball, and somehow his throw
ended up in shallow right field. The second baseman
retrieved it in time to throw Hebner out at second base in
a controversial play, as Wockenfuss proceededto third.
At this point, with two outs and a runner on third,
'Tiger third baseman Tom Brookens hita line shot, but it
was straight into the glove of Yankee center fielder-
Rupert Jones, ending the inning.
Thi' 'asn't the last of Guidry's problems, however. In
both tn., eighth and ninth innings, the Tigers mounted
threats after the first two hitters had been retired. With
two outs in the eighth, a single by Whitaker and a walk to
Trammell put runners on first and second. A weak fly by
Kemp to left field ended this threat, however.
In the ninth, a pair of two-out, back-to-back singles by
Hebner and Brookens again put runners on first and
second. Stegman hita shot up the middle that ended the
Tiger inning and preserved Guidry's shutout.
Middaugh
... title in ist year
Now the Wolverines' attention
focuses on their next opponent, the
Chippewas of Central Michigan.
"WE PLAYED THEM earlier this
year and lost both times, so we know
that they are a tough team," said
Paciorek. "But I think we can beat
them if we play with the same intensity
that we have during the Big Ten season.
And playing at home doesn't hurt,
either."
"The crowds have been a great help
to us all season long, and if we can get
an enthusiastic crowd to see our games,
it'll fire us up even more, said
Foussianes.
If Michigan prevails on Thursday, the
competition only grows stiffer with the
winner of Brigham Young-Nebraska as
the next opponent.
SCORES
American League
New York 1, Detroit O
Toronto 7Boston 2
Baltimoree4 Cleveland i
Chicago 1, Minnesota 0
National League
Montreal i, AtlantaS8
Philadelphia 6, Cincinnati 4
NHL Playoff Finals
New York S, Philadelphia 2
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