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SPORTS
Thursday, June 9, 1983
Page 16
The Michigan Daily
'M' near CWS extinction
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By PAUL HELGREN
Special of the Daily
OMAHA, Neb. - The hitters almost
pulled one out that the fielders threw
away as the Michigan baseball team
lost, 6-5, to Alabama Tuesday night.
The defeat put the Wolverines one loss
away from elimination in the College
World Series. Michigan faced Stanford,
which also has one loss, last night.
Three Wolverine errors and other
fielding miscues gave Alabama four
unearned runs and a 6-0 lead after
three-and-a half innings. But Michigan
fought back and made the score 6-5
going to the bottom of the ninth. Crim-
son Tide reliever Tim Meacham retired
the first two batters in the inning and
got two strikes on Ken Hayward before
the Wolverine first basemen ripped a
single to left. Jeff Jacobson followed
with a single that moved pinch runner
Dan Disher to second and Michigan's.
hopes were rekindled.
MEACHAM'S FIRST two deliveries
to Chuck Froning were balls and
Alabama coach Barry Shollenberger
immediately pulled him in favor of ace
reliever Troy Brauchle. After serving
up a ball, Brauchle followed with two
strikes and then got Froning to ground
out to shortstop to preserve the Crim-
son Tide victory.
Brauchle picked up his 12th save of
the year while starter Rick Browne won
his 11th game against just one defeat.
Michigan starter Dave Kopf, who
lasted only three-and-one-third innings,
suffered his first defeat against nine
wins.
"Give Michigan a lot of credit for
(coming back)," Shollenberger said af-
ter the game. "They're a great team.
They weren't here to get blown out.
They didn't want to hear any of that.
We're very fortunate to come out with a
win.
INDEED, WITHOUT the aid of a few
Wolverine gifts, the Tide may have
found itself trailing instead of leading in
the late innings.
Bret Elbin's first-inning, lead-off
homer was no gift however, as it sailed
over the 370-foot marker in right field to
give Alabama a quick, 1-0, lead.
The Crimson Tide scored once more
in the inning when Dave Magadan, who
went three-for-four, knocked in Ted
McClendon. McClendon had singled
wolverines
s
winning
in fifth
and advanced to second base with the
help of a passed ball by Michigan cat-
cher Rich Bair.
MAGADAN'S THREE singles came
in his first three at-bats of the game.
Coupled with his five-for-five effort
against Arizona State Saturday night,
Magadan had eight straight hits, a
College World Series record, held by
former Michigan star Jim Paciorek.
Magadan was finally retired in the
sixth when reliever Scott Kamieniecki
got him to fly to left. Although he was
looking for number nine, Magadan was
pleased with eight straight hits.
"I was pretty satisfied with getting
eight in a row," said the Alabama first
baseman, who was drafted by the New
York Mets in the second round of the
amateur baseball draft Monday. "I
didn't feel any pressure (to get nine). I
tink there's more pressure when you're
0-8 than when you are 8-8."
ALABAMA SCORED it's third run in
the third before closing out it's scoring
in the fourth with three unearned runs.
Number nine hitter Craig Shipley drew
a one-out walk from Kopf, prompting
Michigan coach Bud Middaugh to bring
in Kamieniecki.
The freshman got the first batter he
faced to hit what looked like a double-
play ball to Barry Larkin, but the
usually sure-handed shortstop let the
ball get past him for an error, putting
runners at the corners.
It appeared Kamieniecki might get
out of trouble when he got McClendon to
strike out, but Magadan singled off of
first baseman Hayward's glove to drive
in Shipley. Skates followed with a single
off of Jacobson's glove, scoring one run
and moving Magadan to second. Alan
Stallings made the score 6-0 with a
single up the middle.
BUT THE WOLVERINES battled
back in their half of the fourth with
three runs. Hayward led off the inning
with a single and scored on a one-out
double by freshman Casey Close.
Close went to third on a single by
Fred Erdmann and scored on a wild
pitch. Erdmann scored on consecutive
singles by Bair and Dale Sklar making
the score 6-3.
While Kamieniecki was cruising
through the Alabama line-up, Michigan
added another tally in the sixth when
Larkin tripled over the center fielder's
head, scoring Bair.
THE SCORE NARROWED to 6-5 in
the seventh when Jacobson singled
home Chris Sabo, who had doulbed off
the right fielder's glove.
Michigan had one more chance to tie
the game before the ninth when it got a
runner to second with one out in the
eighth. But Sklar whiffed and Larkin
lined out to right-center to end the in-
ning.
Middaugh was not discouraged by the
loss and praised his team's attempted
comeback.
"We have a lot of heart," said Mid-
daugh," and we kept on battling and
almost pulled it out. That's the type of
ball club I've had all year long."
Middaugh sent Rich Stoll (11-2) to the
mound against Stanford last night
hoping to avoid elimination. Stoll was
the winning pitcher in Saturday's 6-5
win over Maine. If Michigan wins the
game, it faces Texas tomorrow night. If
not, the Wolverines make the long trip
home to Ann Arbor.
Michigan got a two-out baserunner in
the fourth when Ferd Erdmann singled
sharply to right. Erdmann got no far-
ther than first, however, when
designated hitter, Chuck Froning hit a
soft liner to the first baseman.
Stanford got a two-out double in the
fourth by shortstop John Verducci but
the next batter struck out to end the in-
ning.
In ast night's first game Arizona St.,
held on to eliminate Oklahoma State, 6-
5. Oklahoma State, considered by some
to be the favorites to win the College
World Series, rallied for four runs in the
ninth but came up one run short.
ARIZONA STATE (44-23) advances
to play either Alabama or Texas
tomorrow night,
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AP Photo
Alabama second baseman Fermin Lake tangles with the Wolverines' Dale
Sklar following a force out in College World Series action Tuesday night.
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(Continued from Page 1)
right field wallto Mike Watters, scoring
Bair and Larkin.
CHRIS SABO was then given an in-
tentional pass to load the bases. Ken
Hayward followed with a slow grounder
to short which resulted in a fielder's
choice and Jeff Jacobson grounded to
third to end the inning.
Stanford didn't score in their half of
the fifth and Michigan could manage
only a single by Bair in the sixth..
Stanford opened the scoring in the
bottom of the first inning on a home run
by Mike Aldrete. The four bagger came
off the fourth pitch of the inning and
sailed over the left-center field fence,
385 feet from home plate.
STANFORD ADDED an unearned
run in the second. Vince Sakowski
reached first base on a throwing error
by shortstop Larkin. Stoll then walked
Mike Dotterer on four pitches. An at-
tempted double steal by the Cardinals
was thwarted when Bair threw out
Sakowski. But John Verducci doubled
off the left-center field wall to score
Dotterer.
Michigan got its first fun on Bair's
fourth home run of the year. Sklar
followed Bair's round-tripper with a
walk but was eliminated when Larkin
grounded into a double play. Watters
followed with a single but was stranded
there when Sabo's long fly to right-
center was hauled in at the warning
track.
Stanford had a good chance to score
in the third when Aldrete and Eric Har-
dgrave hit consecutive two-out singles.
But Stoll got the next batter to strike
out.
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