BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
Gillies comes through in clutch
Monday, May 11, 1998 - The Michigan Daily - 15
By T.J. Berka
Daily Sports Editor
For the balance of the season, the fortune:
the Michigan softball team depended on the
With the combination of pitcher Sara Griff
31-1 record and catcher Melissa Gentile's
home runs, the second-ranked Wolverines h
*rrpiled a 52-5 record.
But this weekend, the two G's we
enough, and Iowa placed Michigan in the lo
bracket Friday with a 1-0 victory over Gri
Instead of folding, Michigan placed its hop
the shoulders of a third G - sophomore pit
Jamie Gillies. And Gillies didn't disappoint
Gillies, overshadowed by Big Ten Pitchi
the Year Griffin the whole season, broke oi
that shadow Saturday evening, defeating I
twice to help the Wolverines grab their foi
' nsecutive Big Ten Tournament champions
'Gillies did a real nice job to hold us ti
one run, and then to turn around and come b
CHAMPS
Continued from Page 20
The leader of Saturday's hit parade
was catcher Melissa Gentile.
In the fourth inning of the first lowa
game, Gentile doubled on a hit that
ded near the warning track.
After she got back to the dugout. see-
ond baseman Melissa Taylor was over-
heard telling the power hitter that she
was due for a home run
in her next atbat two innings later,
with the score tied I-1, Gentile blasted a
home run over the left-centerfield fencee
that almost went into neighboring Ray
Fisher Stadium.
After Gentile touched all the bases,
Taylor was again orerheard: "I told yout
*at you were due."
Taylor wasn't the only one who had
confidence in Gentile.
Hutchins "had a comment to me
before I hit my home run," Gentile said.
" lutch came over to me and said,
'Skeeter, it's time for vou to dance."'
Gentile and the entire Michigan
dugout were dancing at the end of the
first game as the horer sparked a five-
run inning for the Wolverines.
4 "Our team is so contagious," Gentile
said. "It's like the measles- if one per-
son hits, everyone hits. It's been like that
all year. We just need one person to get
it started
In the first gamte Saturday against
Minnesota, Sat Griffin pitched a sever-
hit shutout, imrprov ig tier record to 31-
I on the year with the 4-0 victory.
In the first day of the tournament, the
Wolverines had trouble generating
'ffense.
in Friday's second game, Iowa took a
1-0 lead on a fourth-inning home run by
Shawnte Vallejo. That was all the scor-
ing that the Hawkeyes needed as they
silenced Michigan offensively.
The main problem for the Wolverines
on Friday was that their usually powerful
offense floundered against Iowa's
Leticia Castellon.
"This isn't our gane," Michigan
ach Carol Hutchlins said after the loss.
Woc're an offensive ear that scores a
lot of runs, and today we just couldn't
get going"
Despite the offensive woes, Griffin's
pitching propelled Michigan to a 1-0 vic-
tory over Minnesota in the first game.
and pitch as long as she did," Iowa coach Gayle
Blevins said,
In the first game against the Iawkeyes, who
had not yet lost in the tournament, Gillies gave
up an early run, and it looked as if Griffin might
have to go back in.
But Gillies fought back, shutting out the
Hawkeyes the rest of the way and opening the
way for the Michigan offense to pepper Iowa's
Leticia Castellon for five sixth-inning runs in
the 6-1 victory. Gillies only allowed three hits
and retired 10 of the Hlawkeyes' last 12 batters.
Gillies, as impressive as she was in the first
game, saved her best for the sudden-death
championship game against the Hasikeyes that
followed. She retired the first 15 Iowa batters,
bringing a perfect game into the sixth inning.
"Mum was the word in the dugout," Gentile
said of the team's mood as Gillies' no-hit bid
progressed. "If anyone had said anything they
would have gotten popped."
The Hawkeyes finally popped a couple of sin-
gles through the Wolverines' defense in the sixth
and broke ip Gillies' bid for perfection, but
Gillies had played her role well enough. She left
the game and Griffin wrapped up a 5-1 victory.
With a 16-2 record on the season, Gillies was
not exactly a liability coming into this week-
end's play. She seems to save her best for lowa,
only giving up one run in three games against
the 1Hawkeyes this season.
The Hawkeyes "have always been our big
rivals, and I think everyone just steps up for a
challenge," Gillier said.
If there was one possible knock against the
Wolverines this season, it was their pitching
depth. Coaches, reporters and maybe even
opponents wondered if Michigan was vulnera-
ble once Griffin was out of the pitching circle.
This weekend not only reaffirmed Michigan's
depth, it also added another G to the
Wolverines' list of big-time players - Gillies.
Michigan pitcher Jamie Gillies had one of her best days ever
- two wins, one run, five hits over 12 innings.
'M' endures role reversal to wM*
By T.J. Berka
Daily Sports Edtor
When you're the No.2 ieam in the country adversity is
sorething that doesnt com' into play very often.
The Michigan sotball team. in compiling a 48-4 record
coming into this rieckends ig en Tournament, taced very
.. --------..litie adrersity. In fact, the Woverines
ruon the regular season conferene title
bS a whopping 7' 1 2 gaies.
Co mmentasy Considering the cae ith which
....--- --- \iiehigan cruised throughr the Big Ten
schedule, how wrould the Wolverines perform if their backs
were against the wal ?
Friday, Iowa put the \'olverines i1 jLirst that position, shutting
out Michigan, 1-0, and sending the Wolverites into the losers
bracket of the tournament.
"We lust hare to rrrry about (Minnesoa) tomorrow,"
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said after the loss. "We can't
be looking toward the championship game right now."
Winning the championship game looked to be a difficult
task for the Wolverines, as it required Michigan to win three
games on Saturday, a feat that had not been accomplished dur-
ing the first three years of the tournament.
After shutting out the Golden Gophers in the opening game.
the Wolverines rcnsilt up against the Hawkeyes, needing a vic-
tory to force a championship game. lowsa started Leticia
Castellon, who had frustrated the Wolverines the previous day.
Castelon stayed sharp for a while, but Micihigan eventually
fought back. using a three-rn home run by catcher Melissa
Gentile to break open a I-I deadlock it the fifth inning.
The home run was a mammoth shot which few into the pine
trees in left-center field -- perhaps spurring the Wolverines to
greater heights in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
"I think coming through the losers bracket makes this wina
lot more sweeter," Gentile said. "We could have just as easily
Just hung our heads.
Michigan didn't hang its heads though. Instead, the
Wo erines learned to fight from behind, ani maybe even put
themselves in position to hang something else - a champi-
onship banner
Pam Kosanke had six putouts in
Michigan's championship win over Iowa.
Dily sports.
We do softball
like none other.
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