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