SPORTS
Wednesday, May 22, 1996 - The Michigan Daily -15 t-
rvai, Temple will be missed; Alcaraz needs to step
Jua~ G@IdStell Wolverines' leaders on and off the field Temple had his one of his worst out- leader in saves and appearances -
aily Sports Editor this season -Temple and John Arvai. ings of the season, allowing eight runs almost pulled it off.
STATE COLLEGE - Michigan's Temple and Arvai played their last in less than five innings. After starting off well, Arvai just ran
ason Alcaraz and Mark Temple lined games as Yet the senior from Farmington Hills out of gas in the fifth. And even after
p to receive their conference awards Wolverines in all but got Michigan into the playoffs letting in five runs, he still pitched
efore the Penn State-Michigan contest Michigan's with his 8-4 record, five complete admirably in these last-minute condi-
ast Thursday. 14-3 drubbing games and exceptional control. The tions.
Temple, who was named First-Team to Penn State Wolverine ace led the conference with The Wolverines can rebound from
ll-Big Ten as a starting pitcher, will be and 7-4 loss to an unbelievable .78 walks allowed per losing two games, but it's Arvai and
ed. Alcaraz - Big Ten Freshman Illinois last nine innings. Temple who will be hard to replace.
y eYear and All-Big Ten first teamer week, and it He walked his second batter in the "It's been great for me in a transition
s Michigan's starting left fielder - has couldn't have first inning, and you knew that this was- year to have a couple of guys that work
l the potential to become one of the ended any n't the usual Temple. as hard as they do," Zahn said of Arvai
op players in the conference. worse for the On the other hand, Michigan needed and Temple. "They were good leaders
The question is whether Alcaraz - senior duo. more than the usual Arvai. The senior by example and there's no question, we
who led Michigan with a .360 average Bot h closer filled in for Steinbach (out with a will miss them next year. We hope that
-,and his young teammates can step seniors would have liked to have seen stiff neck), Arvai's first career start in younger kids will pick up their work
up their leadership roles to replace the better results, and both deserved better. 86 appearances. And Arvai - the team ethic and carry on next year."
up next year
One of those players is Alcaraz.
"If you're not impressed with Jason
Alcaraz, you're not watching baseball,"
Zahn said. "Here's a kid who has been
playing with a hurt shoulder for most of
the year and never complains and with
his hitting - you can't ask anymore
from a kid like that."
With Temple and Arvai gone, Alcaraz
is one of the players who can lead by
example next year.
Temple and Arvai did it, and the
young Wolverines followed. It doesn't4w
matter that next year Alcaraz will be a
sophomore.
When he is a senior, others may fol-
low just as players did with Arvai and
Temple.
BASEBALL
tinued from Page 13
udden sliced the first pitch to left
field that drove in Klimek and Dusty
Rhodes to put the Illini up to stay.
Zahn pulled Arvai next and the clos-
er/starter John Arvai was eighty-sixed.
"It was a new experience for me to
start," Arvai said. "It is a different
mindset. I didn't have the same stuff I
started the game with:"
llinois coach fichard "Itch" Jones
talked about the strategy his team used
against a pitcher the Illini haven't faced
all season.
"We felt (Arvai) hadn't gone more
than three or four innings in the season
often," Jones said "That's probably why
we took a few more pitches early in the
ball game. It took us a while to get to
him and we probably didn't get to him
until he got a little tired"
The Wolverines' best shot to tie the
e came in the sixth. Michigan had
runners on second and third with
nobody out, but just managed to score
one run on a Mike Cervenak groundout
to shortstop. Kirk Beermann didn't
come through as he struck out swing-
ing.
And Alcaraz followed with a hot-
shot to the mound that deflected off of
Illinois pitcher Brian Hecht right to
*mek for the easy play. A little bit of
bad luck, but a lot of poor execution.
"We had a chance to blow the game
wide open and we didn't,' Zahn said.
"We had two runs on seven hits early.
We didn't get two-out hits when we
needed them. Illinois widdled their way
back and went ahead."
Michigan's Derek Besco just missed
a two-run home run in the seventh
inning that would have tied the game.
Both Jones and Illini pitcher Brian
Bctht said they thought it was gone.
1n the ninth, Kelly Dransfeldt made
the final out of the game representing
the tying run at the plate.
Illiini Brian Hecht went the full nine
innings to pick up his seventh win of
the season. His record improved to 7-3.
In the first game, the Wolverines
again fell victim to their opponents'
starting pitcher - this time Penn
te's hurler Jim Jaskowski, who shut
Michigan earlier this season.
Jaskowski (7-4) hurled a complete
game victory, scattering three runs on
seven hits, walking one and striking out
two. A eyen the hits that the
Wolverines got were weak ones.
Michigan didn't score until the sixth
inning.
"(The Wolverines) never really knew
what was going to come anymore,"
Jaskowski said. "They didn't have very
many good swings. They'd look for a
change, and the fastball gets by them.
Or they'd look for the fastball, and all
of a sudden it becomes a change. They
looked off balance all game."
Unfortunately for Michigan, Temple
(8-5) was just as off-balance as its bat-
ters. The senior from Farmington Hills
wasn't hitting his spots and was throw-
ing the ball in the dirt early and often.
Penn State catcher Jared Sadlowski
took advantage of Temple's control
problems by smacking two two-run
home runs in the game.
Sadlowski's second dinger came
toward the end of the Nittany Lions'
nine-run fifth inning in which eight
consecutive Penn State runners
reached base safely.
Quickly, it was a 12-0 game and an
early exit for Temple.
Temple's line: four and one-third
innings, nine hits, eight runs, seven
earned, two walks and two strikeouts.
"I think (Temple) was pressing a lit-
tle bit,' Zahn said. "I think he was try-
ing to force the ball down. He wasn't
throwing free and easy. That wasn't the
best Mark Temnle you saw."
Michigan senior pitcher John Arval was pulled out of his normal spot as closer in last weekend's Big Ten Tournament to get
the start against Illinois. The Illini, however, handed the Wolverines their second loss of the tourney, relegating them to fourth
place and elimination. The start was Arvai's first in 86 career appearances for Michigan.
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