The Michigan men's track team finished sixth this weekend in West Lafayette at the Big Ten Championships. Page 15. SPORIUTS~id Monday M& AW " - M-1 stee-qk s tou--dL e ch gan al Tien crown, ni y bi'Od Alcaraz bats in winning run as Blue By Chris Grandstaff Daily Sports Editor COLUMBUS - This time not even Mother Nature could stop them. The Michigan baseball team broke into a rousing chorus of "The Victors" at Ohio State's Bill Davis Stadium just before the rain could drive them off the field for one last time. The Wolverines, thanks to senior Jason Alcaraz's game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning, celebrat- ed their first Big Ten tournament chain- pionship in 12 years right in the face of the oncoming thunderstorm with a 12- 11 victory over Minnesota. The storms that had moved Saturday's championship game to Sunday were threatening to delay the game again. But Alcaraz knocked in the game-winning run with a shot over the head of Minnesota leftfielder Scott Howard, and within seconds the Wolverines were sprawled all over the field in uncontrolled jubilation. "We battled all year for this," Michigan second baseman Bobby Scales said. "This feels great." But it was not easy. Michigan opened the tournament against host and top seed Ohio State on AP PHOTO Thursday night. After opening an 8-2 Theigehigan baseball team celebrates after Jason Alcaraz drove in the game-win- advantage over the favored Buckeyes ning run to defeat Minnesota and win the Big Ten tournament. The victory secures by the fourth inning, the Wolverines Michigan an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament - its first since 1989. failed to score another run, and faced a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of 'M' softball, host and No. 1 seed, first to be eliminated the ninth. But Michigan's Luke Bonner struck out Ohio State's Matt Middleton and then got Joe Wilkens to pop up and earn the Wolverines an 8-6 upset. "Ohio State is a great team," said Michigan coach Geoff Zahn. "We need- ed to have a great game to beat them, but all four teams in the tournament are good." The Wolverines would find that out the following day with yet another dif- ficult game - this time against Illinois. It looked like Michigan's season might come to an end against the Illini, as they trailed 6-5 with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the ninth. But Michigan seniors Jason Alcaraz and Brian Bush reached base on singles to keep hope alive. David Parrish then ripped a double to send the Wolverines to the championship game as the only remaining undefeated team. "You dream about this kind of finish on the last out," Parrish said. "He threw me a fastball and I saw it really well" The Wolverines got all of Saturday off as rain delayed the championship until Sunday. But things must have still appeared cloudy for the Wolverines in Sunday's first game as the Gophers out- raced Michigan to a 13-10 victory and forced a final and deciding game. In the tournament's final game Michigan jumped ahead 4-0 by the sec- ond inning behind the hot hitting of celebrates, 12-11 S Alcaraz, Bryan Besco and the always- consistent Scales. But the Gophers climbed right back into the game, tying the score by the fourth. The Wolverines were not to be out- done on this day. The two teams entered the ninth inning deadlocked at I1, and Michigan's J.J. Putz never gave the Gophers another chance for a come- back by pitching a quick one-two-three inning to set the stage for Alcaraz. "These last four games were proba- bly the most exciting games of my life," Alcaraz said. "I was pretty nervous when I first got up there and I swung through a couple of pitches. Once I got two strikes on me I settled down though." But the Wolverines had confidence in Alcaraz's hitting talent all along. "ie's a great hitter," tournamcs t MVP Bobby Scales said after the gar. "You can throw bottle caps at him at night, and he could be hitting with a broom stick, and he's going to hit .350'' The Wolverines will now return to the NC'AA tournament for the first time since 1989, and they are going in with a lot confidence. "If we keep hitting the ball like we are now I don't see how anyone can stop us," Alcaraz said. A fact that bodes sell for te Wolverines w-vho learned this we end that when it rains, it pours. Women run second at league mee4 By Ryan C. Maloney Daily Spurts Writer WEST LAFAYETTE - The Wolverines may not have performed as well as their capabilities might sugges Sunday, but the final result was nothing short of respectable. The Michigan women's track team finished fourth at the Big"Ten meet with a team score of 107 points. IHtometwn favorite Purdue captured first with a 143 points -- clipping second place Wisconsin by 21 points Minnesota placed third with a Ill points. "We took a couple of hits," Michiga assistant track coach Mike McGuir said, "but more than anything Purdu performed well. "They were on a roll, they were con fident and they had some kids st a home. IHey, that's what it's all about." Near the end of day two, Wolverin hopes were ignited by Brandi Bentley' See WOMEN, Page By Stephanie Offen Daily Sports Editor There was no joy in Michigan -- mighty Traci has struck out. teven before they could score a run, the top-seeded Wolverines were the first team eliminated from their own Regional with back-to-back losses this weekend to Florida Atlantic and Notre Dame. Heads were hung after Saturday's 0-1 loss to the Fighting Irish as Michigan walked away from Alumni Field - not looking ahead to Oklahoma City as they had for the past four years, but reflecting on a season that ended rather abruptly. The Wolverines looked as though they would score the first run of the game in the third inning when they placed runners at the corners with one out. tut instead of producing the clinch hit- ting that Michigan has relied on, the Wolverines registered two outs in a row and stranded both runners. "That's why we're not in the champi- onship," coach Carol Hutchins said. "Timely hitting is-part of it and that is where we fell sh i si Michigan fell short again an inning later With one out, Pam Kosanke was walked and Melissa Gentile was hit by a pitch. But it was the eagerness to score that first run that left Michigan scoreless for the inning. Kosanke stole third and tried to run home after the third baseman missed the catch. The go-ahead run was tagged out. "I was telling her 'no, no, no,"' Hutchins said. "I was yelling loud, but it was really loud out'there and she took off ... it could have hurt" our chance to win. Unlike the Wolverines, Notre Dame took the fourth inning as an opportunity to score. Leftfielder Lizzy Lemire doubled to center- field and was sent home by a single to left- field by pitcher Jennifer Sharron. "Lizzy's hit was a real-boost for us," Notre Dame coach Liz Miller said. "We didn't hit well yesterday, but our bats started to come to life better and it gave us the confidence that we needed." Myer's RBI would be the only one for the Irish. It would remain 1-0 going into the top of the seventh. Michigan was faced with its final chance to stay alive in their regional as Rebecca Tune See REGIONALS, Page 13 Carol Hutchins consoles seniors Traci Conrad (22), Tammy Mika (right) and Catherine Davie (left) this past weekend. Notre Dame ended Michigan's season, 2-0, in the NCAA Regionals.