Sports
Page 1. Wednesday, May 22, 1981 The Michigan Daily
On to Omaha!
'M' batsmen blank EMU for title
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BY MARTHA CRALL
The Michigan baseball team was
down again, losing the first game of a
double-elimination tournament after
which there would be no tomorrow for
three of the four teams. It had to win
four games in a row to keep its already
successful season alive.
But overcoming tremendous odds,
the Wolverines topped New Orleans,
Nevada-Las Vegas, and Eastern
Michigan twice to capture the Mideast
Regional and earn a trip to the College
World Series in Omaha for the second
straight year.
IT TOOK TWO dramatic shutout vic-
tories in two days before more than
8,500 fans over cross-county rival
EMU, which pounded its initial two op-
ponents by a total 33-15 score. Sunday's
10-0 Michigan whitewashing of the
Hurons marked the first time all season
that Eastern had been shut out.
THE SECOND time came on Mon-
day, a 4-0 gem, in the championship
game before a bi-partisan crowd of
over 4,500 screaming fans. All-
Tournament pitcher Scot Elam, who
took a 2-1 loss to New Orleans on
Friday, went the distance in earning his
11th win of the season, tying him with
former Wolverine and current Los
Angeles Dodger hurler Steve Howe for
most season victories.
The game went on for five nerve-
wracking innings with neither team
scoring a run before Michigan exploded
for four in the top of the sixth, knocking
Huron starter and loser Mitch Zwolen-
sky (3-4) off the mound. All-
Tournament outfielder and Most
Valuable Player Jim Paciorek led
things off with an infield hit after one
out and advanced to second on a wild
pitch, which prompted Eastern head
coach Ron Oestrike to call for the inten-
tional walk to All-Tournament catcher
Gerry Hool.
THIRD BASEMAN Chris Sabo, also
an All-Tournament choice, then singled
Paciorek in and Tim Miller followed
with an RBI single of his own, which
spelled the end for Zwolensky.
Mickey Weston came into relieve and
was greeted by a perfect suicide
squeeze bunt off the bat of shortstop
Tony Evans, which scored Sabo.
Designated hitter John Young rounded
out the scoring with a two-base hit,
which drove Miller home.
"Timely hitting and Scot's (Elam)
performance were the key for us," said
Michigan head coach, Bud Middaugh.
"I think the fans saw exciting baseball.
We played with hustle and enthusiasm.
"I told the players we just had to go
out and try to play the best we can,"
Middaugh said, barely audible, while
jubilant Michigan fans sang thunderous
a cappella renditions of "Hail to the
Victors." "I think the world of these
players, win or lose, I told them that
before the ballgame. They just put it
together one more time."
ELAM'S SIX-HITTER highlighted
the performances of both teams. The
sophomore struck out six and didn't
walk aman.
"I felt good today," said Elam after
the game. "I knew that they like off-
speed stuff, so I threw mostly fastballs.
I was hitting spots and when I got ahead
of the hitters, I came back with off-
speed stuff.
"We have been a gutsy team all year;
we've had to come back time and time
again," Elam said. "I knew that once
we got on top we pretty much had it
won. It's a miracle."
ALTHOUGH Monday's victory was
the climax, Michigan had to defeat
formidable opponents on the way there.
After Friday's loss to New Orleans, the
Wolverines had to play Eastern's first
victim, Nevada-Las Vegas.
Freshman pitcher Rich Stoll (6-2),
rose to the occasion in posting a com-
plete-game victory to eliminate the
Rebels, 6-2. After getting off to a slow
start on Friday, All-Tournament cen-
terfielder Greg Schulte became the hit-
ting hero on Saturday, going two-for-
five and driving in two runs. Hool and
Sabo also got two hits as the Wolverines
scored one run in the third inning, two
in each of the fifth and seventh frames,
and one more in the eighth to put away
the visitors from the west.
The task got tougher by the day, as
the Wolverines then had to eliminate
opening-game winner New Orleans,
which was Eastern's second victim.
Mark Clinton and Steve Ontiveros (7-4)
teamed up for a seven-hit, 7-1 drubbing
of the Privateers in Sunday's first con-
test.
DAVE STOBER drove in three runs
and collected three walks, going one-
for-two to lead the Wolverines. The
junior infielder was the designated hit-
ter in Saturday's and Sunday's first.
game, but moved to left, a position he
had never played, for the last two.
Schulte and Paciorek each hit a home
run and drove in two runs, as the first
three hitters in the lineup cleaned up on
two New Orleans pitchers.
. Then came the toughest task up until
then - the second game of Sunday's
doubleheader with the undefeated
Hurons. Michigan showed no mercy, as
it jumped on sore-armed Eastern pit-
cher Bryan Clutterbuck (6-7) for five
runs in only two-thirds of an inning.
Paciorek, Miller and Evans all collec-
ted doubles in the onslaught and Young
added a single in what proved to be
more than enough runs to win the
game.
The Wolverines didn't stop there,
however, as they dented reliever Jason
Hansen for five more tallies before the
game's end. All-Tournament pitcher
Bill Shuta (6-1) picked up another
Michigan complete game, giving up six
hits while walking two and striking out
five Hurons.
PACIOREK SMASHED three hits
and drove in three runs, while Sabo
collected two RBIs to help the
Wolverine cause and send the series in-
to a deciding seventh game.
Michigan and Eastern cleaned up on
the All-Tournament choices, receiving
10 of the 11 positions. The star first
baseman was Pat Zureich of EMU, its
number nine hitter. Eastern also had
Howie Simmons at second base, Bry'on
Horn at shortstop and Jim Irwin in the
outfield named to the All-Tournament
team. Pitcher-designated hitter Dave
Albrecht was the only non-state player
named to the squad. The New Orleans
hitter was named the All-Tournament
designated hitter.
Michigan will take its 41-18 record
and Mideast title on to Omaha where it
will take on Mississippi State Saturday
in the College World Series.
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College Baseball Poll
Arizona State narrowly edged Miami
of Florida, which required four games
to capture the South Regional for top
spot in the final Collegiate Baseball
newspaper poll. Miami had been num-
ber one in the previous poll, with ASU
third and California State-Fullerton
second.
Michigan jumped from 17th to fifth
with its Mideast Regional victory. The
topeight teams will be competing in the
College World Series in Omaha starting
this Saturday.
Arizona State represents the West
Region, Oklahoma State won the Mid-
west Regional, Texas took the Central
Regional, Mississippi State claimed the
Atlantic Regional crown, Maine
represents the Northeast Region and
South Carolina captured the East
Regional.
1. Arizona State .................50-12
2. Miami (Fla.) ..................60-8
3. Oklahoma State ...............49-15
4. Texas ........................58-9-1
5. MICHIGAN ...................41-18
6. Mississippi State ........... 45-15
7. Maine ........ ..............32-12
8. South Carolina ................44-13
9. Cal State-Fullerton ..........47-18
10. Oral Roberts ...............45-10-1
11. Memphis State
12. Eastern Michigan
13. Stanford
14. St. John's
15. Florida
16. Florida State
17. E. Tennessee State
18. Lamar
19. Brigham Young
20. Fresno State
MICHIGAN RIGHTFIELDER Jim Paciorek bats against Eastern Michigan
in Monday's Mideast Regional title game, which Michigan won, 4-0.
Paciorek was named to the All-Tournament team and also garnered tour-
nament MVP honors.
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