Tourney time
Michigan's softball team heads into the
Big Ten Tournament ranked second in
he field. Head online to see the full
*ament schedule and rankings.
rnichigandaily.com /sports
SPORTS
MONDAY
MAY 8, 2000
State of Affairs
Golfers place 7th in
Big Ten Tournament
6M' ekes
out sweep
of Spartans
y David Roth
aily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING -Yesterday at Old
College Field, Stephanie Volpe hit the
ball really hard.
She hit it hatd enough to cleat tle
fence in left field, to gise Michigan a I-
o victory.'Ihe ssin completed a tsso-
game sweep over rival Michigan State
' nd gae the Wolerines a chance to
ecome Big Ten champions.
Minutes after Michigan was celebrat-
ing its second close victory of the week-
end, the Old College Field announcer
assuaged the team's jubilation,
announcing that Iowa had beaten
Northwestern. If the Wildcats had won,
Michigan would have been crowned Big
Ten Champions and would have hosted
next week's conference tournament.
Instead, the Hawkeyes finished on top,
so Michigan will have to settle for see-
nd in the Big Ten and will pack its
ags for Iowa City next weekend.
Despite finishing half a game behind
Iowa, the Wolverines were happy to
tally two victories before heading into
the Big Ten tournament, especially after
suffering two one-run losses to Osio0
University earlier in the week.
"If you can't come up here and get
ready for Michigan State, you aren't a
See SOFTBALL, Page 19
By Dan Williams
Daiy Sports Editor
The eighteen-hole walk was a long
and frustrating one for the Michigan
men's golf team Sunday at the Big Tcn
Tournament in West Lafayette.
The Wolverines fell far out of con-
tention and below expectations as they
finished seventh oserall. Though they
held onto second in the standings after
Friday's action, their steadily declining
scores over the weekend knocked them
down five places.
The individual fifth-place finish of
senior Michael Harris, who was
expected to compete for a title, further
salted the team's wounds.
Harris started strong on Thursday
when he shot a 70, but the veteran
increasingly fell out of contentio(wvet
the next three days with scores of 73,
75, and 75.
Junior Scott Hayes slid down the
leader board as well on day four as his
81 dropped him into a tie for 23rd.
Hayes had a quick start out of the gates
when he shot a 67 Thursday, but lie
never was within striking distance of
par again in the competition.
"We did terrible. I feel like we were
a complete disappointment," Michigan
coach Jim Carras said. "I have a pretty
good idea how good we are, and we
definitely didn't show it the last two
rounds.
"We've got to find some way to get
this team to finish strong."
NORMANNG/Day
Marie Barda's pitching in East Lansing on Saturday was a key factor in
the softball team's sweep over the Spartans.
Wolvennes salvage
split, playoff hopes
By Ryan C. Moloney
DAly Sports Fditor
As the Michigan Nine trotted off
the field at Oldsmobile Stadium
Saturday after a 9-7 loss to
Michigan State, the prospect of
staying alive for the final spot in
the Big Ten tournament looked as
bruised as the ball freshman Bobby
Malek had just taken yard.
Malek's walk-off homerun was
the second three-run homer yielded
by Michigan reliever Jeff Trzos in
as many innings and the resulting
scenario shrouded the Wolverines
in yet more discouragement- win
the next day against the Spartans,
and take every game against Iowa
the following weekend, or say
goodbye to any possibility of a
tournament birth.
Alas, the Wolverines are still
alive today, if only by a thread.
Yesterday, they outlasted the
Spartans 4-!, in a pitcher's duel that
bore no resemblance to Saturday's
debacle.
"It was a great win, a must-win,"
Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said.
"You have a choice to crawl under a
rock or come back, and our guys
traditionally come back fighting."
See BASEBALL, Page 19
Michigan fills post in large way
ly Raphael Goodstein
)ail' pos E tor
The Michigan basketball team's two-
'ear search for a low-post behemoth to
*ce Robert Traylor looks to be over.
Josh Moore, a 7-foot-2, 315 pound
enter, has committed to play for the
Volverines. The New Jersey native has
et to receive parental permission so he
as not signed a letter of intent, buthe is
xpected to receive Michigan's l2th -
nd final-scholarship.
"This moves Michigan's class close to
he Top I0," Hoop Scoop recruiting ana-
y'lark Francis said. "He's a huge,
ongous physical specimen. It's pret-
y scary how good he could be."
Moore, 19, signed with Rutgers last
detmically. But, he decided that he did
not want to play for Rutgers and consid-
eted playing for UCLA and Missouri
before committing to Michigan.
"It was pretty damn important (that
Michigan sign a center)," Francis said.
Moore jotns fornard Bernard
Robinson and guards Asery Queen and
Maurice Searight in next year's recruit-
ing class.
According to Francis, Moore will
replace Chris Young and Josh Asselin as
the starting center. The two - along
with Peter Vignier, who graduated - all
were tried as starting centers for
Michigan. But they all struggled, which
necessitated the signing of Moore.
See RECRUIT, Page 18
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Brian Elilerbe is hoping that Josh Moore
will answer his low-post questions.
year, but did not qualify academically
and spent the year at Saint Thotnas More
Prep School in Connecticut. After his
year at prep school, Moore qualified aca-