Sports
Page 16 Tuesday, May 19, 1981 The Michigan Daily
SECOND STRAIGHT
Batsmen clinch title, 10-6
By JOHN KERR
Before the 1981 Wolverine baseball
season had begun, Michigan coach Bud
Middaugh said that the "toughest thing
in athletics is to repeat as champions."
With yesterday's 10-6 victory over
Minnesota in the championship game of
the Big Ten baseball tournament at
Fisher Field, Michigan managed to ac-
complish "the toughest thing in
athletics," clinching its second straight
Big Ten championship. The title puts
Michigan in the NCAA Mideast
Regional, which will be held at Fisher
Stadium next weekend. The Wolverines
open the tournament at 1:00 p.m.
against the University of New Orleans.
There Middaugh's crew will make a bid
for its second straignt trip to the
College World Series in Omaha,
Nebraska.
MICHIGAN advanced to the cham-
pionship game versus Minnesota by
defeating Illinois, 4-3, on Saturday and
Purdue, 7-6, on Sunday. Minnesota
arrived at the title game when, after
losing, 9-0 to Purdue, it beat Illinois, 2-0,
and gained revenge on the Boiler-
makers, 8-3, eliminating those two
squads from the tournament. Since.
Michigan was undefeated, Minnesota
would have had to defeat the
Wolverines twice yesterday to win the
title, but the Wolverines refused to
falter.
"The adrenalin starts flowing around
tournament time," said an elated Mid-
daugh. "We put it all together offen-
sively. We had offense and pitching
working for us. Defensively I wasn't
happy, but we played well enough to
win.''
Although playing on its home
diamond, Michigan was the visiting
team on the scoreboard for the final
game and- wasted no time in pounding
Gopher starter Doug Fregin. Right-
fielder Jim Paciorek lashed a triple up
the alley in right-center and tour-
nament Most Valuable Player Gerry
Hool followed with a double to give the
Wolverines a 1-0 lead after the first in-
ning.
SENIOR Wolverine starter Mark
Clinton was having troubles of his own,
however, as Minnesota nicked him for
two runs in its half of the second. Clin-
ton found himself in trouble in almost
every inning that he pitched before he
was relieved by Rich Stoll in the fifth.
Hool's home run in the fourth inning
tied the game at 2-2, and the Wolverines
took the lead in the top of the fifth when
Jeff Jacobsen scored from third on
Randy Wroten's fielder's choice.
The slim one-run lead didn't last long,
though, as the Gophers knocked Clinton
out of the game with three runs in the
bottom of the next frame. Minnesota
second baseman Gary Jost led off with
a double, and catcher Greg Olson was
awarded first base after being hit by a
pitch. In an attempt to pick Jost off
second base, Clinton threw the ball into
center field, and both runners moved
up. Tom Steinbach's single scored both
runners, and Middaugh brought on
freshman Stoll to relieve Clinton. Stoll
retired the next three Gopher batters,
but Steinbach scored from third on a
fielder's choice to make the score 5-3.
IN THE TOP of the seventh, with two
outs and two men on, freshman Chris
Sabo got his third hit of the game, a
triple to right-center which scored two
runs and tied the game up. Sabo came
home when Tim Miller singled to left.
Once again the lead was short-lived
as the Gophers answered Michigan
with a run in their half of the inning.
Jost walked and Steinbach doubled him
home to even the score at 8-6.
Michigan came up with the winning
runs in the eighth on only one hit. Two
fielding miscues by Minnesota shor-
tstop Bill Piwnica sealed the Gophers'
defeat. With two outs and men on first
and second, Randy Wroten singled
home the winning run. Jim Paciorek
and Hool both followed Wroten with
grounders to Piwnica, but the Min-
nesota shortstop was unable to make
either play and Michigan scored three
more runs.
SUPERB PITCHING in the eight and
ninth innings by Stoll wrapped up the
victory and the Big Ten title for
Michigan. Wolverine coach Middaugh
was very pleased with Stoll's perfor- -
mance.
"I think his coming in yesterday
(against Purdue on Sunday) helped him
a great deal today," he said. "For him
to pitch this well in the biggest game of
the year is remarkable."
The Wolverines landed six men on the
Big Ten All-Tournament team. In the
ClGub Sports Roundup
RUGBY
Michigan's rugby teams played against the Detroit Tradesmen last Satur-
day at Fuller Field and came away with a sweep.
The Wolverines' 'A' team won its encounter by a 28-15 count. John Har-
tman paced Michigan with three tries worth 12 points. Kevin Cunningham
came through with a versatile performance, adding one try, one conversion
and one penalty goal. The Wolverines' other try was scored by Dave Weber.
Rounding out the scoring for Michigan was Jack Goodman, who notched two
conversions.
The victory boosted the 'A' team's record to an impressive 11-1-2.
As impressive as the 'A' outfit overall season mark was the 'B' team's per-
formance against the Tradesmen. Although the 'A' squad's 13-point victory
margin would seem to be a fairly comfortable one, it was a nail-biter com-
pared to the 'B's' encounter with the Detroit team. Michigan's 'B' unit an-
nihilated the Tradesmen, 44-4.
ROWING
The men's rowing team remained in the Midwest again this weekend,
although the results were not the same as those of the previous one. Two
weekends ago, the men's crew traveled to Chicago for the Chicago Sprint
Regatta, where it finished first in the four-team field.
Then last weekend the Wolverines competed in the Midwestern In-
vitational Sprints held at East Lansing. Entered in four races, Michigan
could finish no better than third in any of these sprints.
Five teams participated in the tournament: Michigan, Michigan State,
Grand Valley State, Notre Dame and the Ecorse Boat Club.-
The sole third-place finish for Michigan belonged to the men's lightweight
four. In the men's novice four, the Wolverines placed fourth. The men's var-
sity eight came in fifth place.
The only women members of the crew to compete did so in the mixed eight
(four women and four men) in which the Wolverines rowed to a fourth-place
finish.
The Wolverines met their antithesis in their rivals from East Lansing, as
the host Spartans dominated the meet.
The Rowing Team's next meet takes place Saturday when the men's squad
competes with Grand Valley State.
The Club Sports Roundup relutes brie fly the actirities of the Miichigan
elub sports teams during the prerious wreek. This neek's information
u-as compiled by Daily sportswriter Ron Pollack.
received honors. During the tour-
nament, Paciorek batted .357, while
Schulte hit at a .273 pace.
SABO WAS tabbed at third base, as
he hit .462 with two doubles, a triple and
five RBI's. He was the hero in Sunday's
victory over Purdue, as with two out
and two men on in the ninth inning and
the score 6-5 in favor of the Boiler-
makers, he stroked a double up the
alley in right-center to score the tying
and winning runs.
The All-Tournament designated hit-
ter was Michigan's John Young who
had a double, a homer, and two RBI's
while batting .333.
Steve Ontiveros was one of two pit-
chers named to 'the squad. Ontiveros
was the pitching star in Michigan's win
over Purdue, coming on in the fifth in-
ning and allowing only two hits while
fanning seven of the last 10 Purdue bat-
ters.
HOOL WAS not only named the All-
Tournament catcher, but he was selec-
ted as the Most Valuable Player, as
well. Hool had an outstanding tourney,
collecting 10 hits in 14 at bats for a .714
batting average. He also chalked up
three doubles, a home run, and five
RBI's.
Besides Michigan and New Orleans,
next weekend's Mideast Regional com-
petition at Fisher Stadium will include
Eastern Michigan and a team yet to be
announced. The regional will be of the
same double-elimination format as the
Big Ten Tournament. The winner ad-
vances to the World Series.
Hool-a-gain
123 456 789 R H E
MICHIGAN ..................150 110 340 10 3
MINNESOTA ................020 030 f00 6 7 3
Clinton,S stoll (5) and Hool
Fregin, Klein (6) and Olson
WP-Stoll, LP-Klein
nmaa p, h.AUL NcsT ROM
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MICHIGAN STARTER Mark Clinton hurls a pitch during action yesterday
in the finals of the Big Ten Tournament. He was taken out in the fifth inning
but the Wolverines won the game and the title, 14-6.