Page 20-Tuesday, May 20, 1980-The Michigan Doily Sports > Blue wins Batsmen host C1 4 am 'O. i .w.}.:.i4/.mot. . {. :\ ".i' 3:\ . ':"k 1'+ 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 fram bean Wt Nort Carv conc succ base balic of th less self-s "I B Ten 1U in regionals 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 4 4 4