i
ITCHELL DECIDES
Former Michigan basketball player Willie Mitchell
will enroll at the University of Alabama-Birmingham,
according to yesterday's wire reports. The junior-to-
be forward left the Wolverines in search of more
play ing time.
SPORTS
Wednesday
May 22, 1996 13
Blue softball moves
on to World Series
By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Writer
When the Michigan softball team
entered the NCAA Region 2
Tournament on Friday, it expected the
best team from the regional to advance
to the Women's College World Series,
It did. Fortunately for the
Wolverines, "The Victors" was playing
after the championship game.
The No. 7 Michigan softball team
rolled its way through yet another tour-
nament, putting away No. 8 South
Carolina in a 10-1 title-game trouncing.
Although the Wolverines were home
at Alumni Field, they played the game
as the visitors, because they were the
home team in more games than were
the Lady Gamecocks in the tourna-
ment.
But Michigan coach Carol Hutchins
only saw positives in the opportunity to
bat first.
"I thought this is good if we can
jump on them a bit," Hutchins said.
"(Lead-off hitter Kellyn Tate) getting
on base is so key for us in our offense"
And capitalize they did. Michigan
got on the scoreboard quickly in the
first inning with singles by All-Region
hitters Tate and Traci Conrad. Tate
scored on Conrad's single up the mid-
dle, bringing up sophomore Sara
Griffin.
Griffin laid into a pitch and sent it
screaming to the warning track, deep
enough for Conrad to score easily from
third base.
"(The inning) set a tone for the rest'
of the team and (made them) feel like
they can hit," Hutchins said.
The frame proved to be the turning
point, as the Wolverines put South
Carolina pitcher Trinity Johnson in a
hole before she had even thrown a
pitch.
"Michigan did what they needed to
do and they jumped on us quick,"
South Carolina coach Joyce Compton
said.
Try as the Gamecocks might, the
team could not push any runners across
the plate, despite having numerous
opportunities in the first few innings.
"We came right back in the first and
second innings, and I think that was the
crucial two innings when we couldn't
get anything across," Compton said.
The two runs by the Wolverines were
more than the combined output of the
two squads in the previous day's 1-0
Wolverine win in which neither team
scored until the sixth inning.
But Michigan was not content to let
the two runs stand on their own, and
continued pounding away at the ball.
The Wolverines stayed quiet until the
sixth when the heart of the order stirred
up trouble once again - taking bases
See SERIES, Page 16
a higan first baseman Traci Conrad celebrates the final out of Sunday's 10-1 Wolverine victory over South Carolina. The win
ned the softball team a berth in the Women's College World Series In Columbus, Ga.
'M' baseball knocked out early in Big Ten tournament
By James Goldstein ence tournament. retired 10 of the first 13 batters, fre-
Daily Sports Editor Indiana came away with the Big Ten quently getting the Illini sluggers early
STATE COLLEGE - Michigan crown by beating the Illini, 6-4, Sunday. in the count.
closer John Arvai saves games. Illinois forced Sunday's game by The Michigan hitters also gave Arvai
He ordinarily works the final one, defeating the Hoosiers the day before, (3-3) an early 2-0 lead in the second
*o, sometimes three innings. But 8-5. Since both teams were 2-1 after the inning on Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Arvai was given the task to do some- game, the schools had to duel it out one Jason Alcaraz's and Mick Kalahar's
thing desperately more important - to more time Sunday. The conference title RBI doubles. But in the fourth inning,
save the season for the Michigan base- gave the Hoosiers an automatic berth in Arvai got himself in trouble by walking
ball team. the NCAA Tournament - their first- First-Team All-Big Ten second base-
And to do it as a starter. ever berth in the national tourney. men Brian McClure. Then up stepped
In 85 previous appearances, never Arvai's first started off smoothly. He another first-teamer - Big Ten Player
did Arvai grace the mound as a starting
pitcher. Now came game 86 - the
Wolverines' second game in the dou-
ble-elimination Big Ten Baseball
,ournament at Beaver Field.
On Thursday, Penn State annihilated
Michigan 14-3 in what was First-Team e Breckenridge Avalanche Ale
All-Big Ten pitcher Mark Temple's
worst conference outing of the season. * King Old Ale
That set up a do-or-die game against
Illinois the followina Ste bach was sup- Nor'wester Raspberry
posed to start that game,. but com- Weizen
plained about a stiff neck. Enter Arvai.
Michigan coach Geoff Zahn gave the at
to tesenior sclos. tngofh Michigan's Premier a
d otesno lsr ihg ns' Arvai put in his longest outing of the~r me
season - four and two-thirds innings Multi-tap ANN ARBOR ' b r
-but ran0: oufgs inIllinois' 7-4 vic
tory over the Wolverines. The loss
eliminated Michigan from the confer- 338 S.. State 996-9191
of the Year Josh Klimek.
Klimek, who hadn't had a hit up to
that point in the tournament, crushed
Arvai's 1-1 pitch for a two-run homer.
His 25th of the season tied the game at
two. One swing, one hit, tie game. The
ball smacked halfway up the scoreboard
behind the 350-foot right-field fence.
Arvai was not out of the inning, how-
ever. Illini third baseman Jon Anderson
drove in Danny Rhodes from second
with a two-out single to left field that
put Illinois ahead 3-2.
After Michigan tied the game on an
unearned run in the top of the fifth, the
Illini quickly struck back. Arvai got
the first two batters to fly out, but gave
up consecutive singles to Klimek and
Dusty Rhodes and a walk to Danny
Rhodes. Zahn walked out to the
mound, but kept Arvai in the game.
Zahn maybe should have taken him-,
out then. Illinois first-baseman Kevin
See BASEBALL, Page 15
Healthy volunteers needed for
blood & marrow donation
Wanted: Normal, healthy volunteers to donate
small blood and bone marrow samples. Subjects
will be paid up to $120.00 for the procedure which
is completed under a local anesthetic by a physi-
cian at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. Total time of
entire visit and procedure is approximately one
hour. Donor can usually drive, work, study or exer-
cise immediately afterward. Call (313) 930-5558
between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm for fur-
ther information and to volunteer.
--I