16 - fhe Michigan Daily - Wednesda SERIES Continued from Page 13 two at a time. . The barrage of doubles began with Conrad's rocket inside the left field foul line and continued with shots by senior Tracy Carr and junior Jessica Lang. When the Michigan hitters had returned to the dugout, the Gamecocks were down four runs and only had two more times at bat against Griffin to make up the deficit. Although South Carolina pushed a run across the plate in its half of the sixth, the Wolverines rendered it mean- ingless with their next at-bat. The Wolverines scored six runs on six hits, chasing Johnson from the mound and turning a 4-1, tightly con- tested battle into a Michigan rout. The 10-1 final was the largest mar- gin of defeat for the Gamecocks this season. When Johnson was asked if the game was the hardest she had been hit all year, she was quick to answer in the affirmative. Despite entering the week- end with the third-lowest earned-run -4 average in the nation, both Johnson and Sky Brown allowed four earned runs in the blowout. It was Michigan's Griffin who looked like the All-American on the mound this weekend. In her three outings, Griffin pitched three complete games, allowed only one earned run and struck out 19 bat- ters. The Big Ten Player of the Year defeated the No. 8 team in the nation twice, chalking up her national-best 35th victory in Sunday's championship game. As amazing as Griffin was under the sweltering heat in the championship game, it was her effort the day before that caught the attention of everyone in the stands. While her opposite number Johnson was throwing a no-hitter through five innings, Griffin showed just as much poise in keeping South Carolina off the scoreboard. "Sara did a great job," Hutchins said. "She kept her composure the whole weekend" Is was not the actual championship game that caused Wolverine hearts to skip a beat, but the contest that preced- ed it. The 1-0 Michigan victory over South Carolina on Saturday was a game for the ages with each pitcher hurling a gem. The win put the Wolverines in the enviable position of going into the championship game the following day needing only one victory in two games. The double-elimination tournament gave Michigan a cushion for Sunday's contest and the chance to be more aggressive than normal. "(Michigan) had nothing to lose (in the championship game,)" Compton said. "They outright beat us." Michigan opened the tournament at Alumni Field with a 3-2 victory over Central Michigan. The tournament title allowed the Wolverines to return to the Women's College World Series after tying for seventh last season. Michigan, the No. 6 seed, will play defending champion UCLA at 6 p.m. tomorrow. 3y, May 22, 1996 SPORTS cCrowd !yBy Richard Shi lDaily SpotX Wrte Last weekend the crowd atA Field must Iave been listening to Me Out to the Ballgame" 6 Roca, root, rooter the home team.. For that matter, the Michigan softba team must have been also. Ifthey don't nin its a shame... The Wolverines, playing on the home field, braved the heat and ente tained the mostly-Michigan crowd e route to capturing the NCAA Region Championship. The 977 spectators who watcheda title game on Sunday were the sec largest softball crowd in Michigan his tory. And the crowd was in full voi roaring during Wolverine rallies, Not to disappoint the home crow Michigan was victorious in all three the games it played in the tournament Michigan coach Carol Hutchins sai she believed that the crowd played ~si(sii.~i's -y~~r150~>huge part in the tournament. I can't tell youiow exciting it& be on the field when something ai pens and you hear the roar" Hutchir "Ithink it gives us a total advantage The heat was on the Gamecocks o Sunday, from Mother Nature as well a from the Wolverines. On the hottest day of the season s far, Michigan star Sara Griffin shi down South Carolina, allowing onl five hits while fanning four. The ba e were on fire as they torched Job i who suffered her worst loss of the se son. Every starter had a hit for th Wolverines. MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily "I think seeing her (Saturday) total helped us," Michigan first basema Michigan shortstop Kathryn Gleason and the Wolverines came out of the NCAA regional as victors. Michigan will be making Traci Conrad said. "We knew what si its second consecutive appearance in the Women's College World Series. had and were prepared for her." Blue softball out for redemption at World SeriAw Wolverines break records in NCAA regionals; Carr becomes Michigan two-bag lady By Mark Snyder Daily Sports Writer Michigan is on a mission. Last season left the Wolverines unsatisfied on their first trip to the Women's College World Series. A loss to Southwestern Louisiana put the Wolverines in the loser's bracket and led to a showdown with Iowa. So The Hawkeyes squeezed out a 14-inning, 9-7 victory to Notebook bounce Michigan from the tournament, an early exit that fueled the fire for this year's, squad. But that was last year. Michigan is looking for redemption and coach Carol Hutchins remains excited at the prospects. "It's unbelievable (to return). I know it's been (the team's) goal all along to go back because it left a lot of people unsatisfied last year. "They're going back and I think you're going to see Michigan play (well) out there," Hutchins said. Freshman first baseman Traci Conrad was in Ann Arbor last season when Michigan won the regional title, and said she was drawn to the Wolverines pri- marily because of the chance that this past weekend presented. "I chose to come here because it's a top-notch pro- gram," she said. "I wanted to go to the College World Series, and now, knowing that we're going (to Columbus, Ga.) is just a great experience." This year, the Wolverines may get their revenge. Iowa joins Michigan in the WCWS, as the Big Ten once again has two teams among the final eight com- petitors. The Wolverines play defending champion UCLA at 6 p.m. tomorrow. If they win, they will face the winner of tomorrow's Iowa-Arizona contest. REWRITING HIsToRY: This Michigan team contin- ued its assault on the record books this weekend by breaking a few marks. The win in Sunday's regional championship game was the Wolverines' 51st victory, surpassing last sea- son's mark by one. Individual players got into the act as well, Senior third baseman Tracy Carr reclaimed sol possession of the Michigan career doubles recort with her two-bagger in the sixth inning of Sunday contest. Carr is also the career leader in at-bats a well as runs batted in. Sophomore pitcher Sara Griffin set season mark last weekend. Griffin extended her victory total t 35, while becoming the single season leadvi strikeouts and innings pitched. SHARING THE WEALTH: The Wolverines' 14-h attack in the championship game was truly a tear effort. Every starter had at least one hit, and eight differ ent runners crossed the plate for Michigan in the run away victory. "One person gets a hit and everyone else just fol lows,' said Conrad. "As a team, just to keep gettin base hits in the (seventh) inning was unbelievable. Hutchins did her best to get as many players the fray as possible. Juniors Tracy Taylor and Mar Adams and freshman Tammy Mika entered th game as pinch-runners, scoring two runs amon them.