The Michigan men's track team
rocked the competition at its own
Phil Diamond Invitational. Page 15.
S? ORTS
May 10, 1999
Cervenak breaks 'M' all-time hits record
Game-wininig homer
is his 268th career hit
By Chris Grandstaff
Daily Sports Editor
His teammates call him "Piggy," because of his tendency to
get dirty on the diamond, but the nickname also fits his down
to earth, all out style of play - a style of play that has made
co-captain Mike Cervenak one of the most productive hitters
in Michigan baseball history.
On Sunday Cervenak swatted Hoosier pitcher Brad
Edwards' 2-2 offering over the left field wall for his 268th
career hit- passing Ken Hayword to become Michigan's all-
time career hits leader.
The home run, which turned out to be the game winner,
could not have come at a better time for the Wolverines or for
Cervenak. Cervenak, who had tied Hayword for the all-time
lead last Sunday, had been unable to record a hit in three
straight games.
But with the score tied 3-3 in the fourth inning Cervenak
found his swing and provided the spark the Wolverines need.
The hit was extra special for Cervenak, given that his entire
family was on hand to see him play because of Mother's Day.
"I'd been hitting the ball hard all week, but people were
making good catches," Cervenak said. "I'm almost glad I did-
n't do it at Ball State or Eastern because it was nice to do it here
today at home in front of my whole family."
Michigan coach Geoff Zahn put it all in perspective.
"This record is great for him;" Zahn said. "It really shows
the type of work ethic he's had. He's made himself a great hit-
ter, and is a good example of how hard work can pay off. He's
just a great young man, and the fact that his teammates voted
him captain attests to that. He's been a real pleasure to coach"
Blue takes twofrom Indiana;
series concludes today at Fish
By Chris Grandstaff
Daily Sports Editor
With fourth-place Indiana invading
"The Fish" for a weekend series, the
Michigan baseball team needed a strong
midweek performance against the Mid-
American Conference to maintain the
momentum they had gained in last
weekend's sweep of Michigan State.
What they got was a bruised ego and
pair of one-run losses on the road to Ball
State, 6-5, and Eastern Michigan, 10-9.
Not exactly the best way to head into
the Indiana series, where just one game
separated the third place Wolverines
from the Hoosiers.
But the Wolverines (14-9 Big Ten, 27-
23 overall) won two out of three games
this weekend against Indiana (12-1 1, 34-
14), and have a chance for more when
the series concludes this afternoon.
The Wolverines took immediate
charge of the series on Saturday with a
convincing 7-1 victory, despite less than
perfect conditions, which led to a two
hour rain delay. Both teams scored a run
in the first inning before Mother Nature
sent them to the locker room.
Once play resumed, the teams
remained tied at one, until the fourth-
inning, when red-hot David Parrish
opened up the scoring floodgate for the
Wolverines. The Michigan catcher
launched his seventh home run of the
season, a two-run shot, which gave the
Wolverines a lead they would never
relinquish.
On the mound Saturday, Michigan
received a solid pitching performance
from senior righthander J. J. Putz (4-3).
The Wolverine hurler pitched eight
innings, allowing only one run and strik-
ing out seven.
Michigan continued its winning ways
in the opener of Sunday's Mother's Day
double header. Wolverine pitcher Bryce
Ralston improved his season record t
an impressive 7-1, while he and hi
teammates cruised to a 7-3 victory.
Co-captain Mike Cervenak delivered
the game winner, breaking a fourth
inning 3-3 tie with his fourth home run
of the season. It was Cervenak's 268th
career hit, which puts him atop the
Wolverines all-time career hits list.
Cervenak's shot seemed to give the
rest of his teammates a jump-start as the
Wolverines would tack on three more
runs in the inning, and held the Hoosier
See BASEBALL, Page
DANA LINNANE/Da y
Michigan co-captain Mike Cervenak belted a fourth-inning
home run to establish a new career hits record at Michigan
while winning the game for the Wolverines.
mcgr.i Softball sweeps Indiana; eyes tourney
B tmichiy dail B Stephanie Offen
Dly Sports Editor scoreless for the final four innings and
the Wolverines were able to shell out six ETEN
The Michigan softball team ended its more hits to capture the 8-3 win. TOURNAMENT
Big Ten season much like it began. The first game of Sunday's double- 1 9 So b l pyo schedule
muoluni Fiold in Ann Arbor.4
The Wolverines started conference header was also not reflective of
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STA TRAVEL
WEVE BEENTERE
wOW YOUR lCE.-IE
WW.a tt e O.C
en streak and ended it with a sweep of
Indiana this weekend.
Michigan entered the three-game
series already having locked up a first
seed and the opportunity to host the Big
Ten tournament. The Wolverines started
off the weekend looking like the team
that had dominated the conference all
season, but ended it with a list of things
to work on for the upcoming week.
The Wolverines came out forthe sec-
ond game of yesterday's doubleheader
and the last game of the regular season in
rare form. The first inning ended with
Michigan on top 2-0, but the Wolverines
seemed to fall apart in the second.
Michigan allowed three runs on three
errors to fall behind 3-2 to the Hoosiers.
"We just made some mental mistakes
along the way," Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins said. "I tell them that there are
no excuses. We need to be better then
that this upcoming week"
And the team was actually better
than that for the rest of the game.
Freshman Kate Eiland held the Hoosiers
hitting by Indiana put the Hoosiers into a
tie with the Wolverines after four
innitgs. -
But Michigan answered with consis-
tent hitting of their own. Senior
Catherine Davie recorded the 60th dou-
ble of her career in her second-to-last
regular season game, tying the Big Ten
career doubles record. This followed
Davic's record-setting performance in
game one, when she and Traci Conrad
tied former pitcher Sara Griffin's career
doubles record for Michigan.
"Conrad and I have been joking
around about it because we have been so
close:' Davie said. "But it is a great
honor to break a record of a great player
like Sara (Griffin)."
But it was younger members of the
team, freshman Stefanie Volpe and
sophomore Rebecca Tune, who gave
Michigan two runs in the top of the fifth
to clinch a 5-4 victory.
Unlike Sunday, the league-leading
Wolverines were in their best form on
Saturdav. Junior Melissa Gentile started
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championship: (5) winnervs.(3) winner
the game off with a three run home run
- just the beginning of the hit parade
for Michigan.
Rain delayed Saturday's game in t*
bottom of the third in the middle of
another hitting streak for the Wolverines.
Michigan had five straight hits before
the two-hour delay and came back with
two more after the rain subsided.
The third inning put the Wolverines
up 11-2. Both teams went scoreless
through the fifth, putting the mercy rule
into effect.
The three wins conclud
Michigan's season on an upswing
route to hosting the Big Ten champi-
onships on Friday. Prior to this weekend,
the Wolverines had ensured a first-seed
in the two-game elimination tournament.