nline Poll so cast the largest shadow on the Michigan letic department this week? 1Kelly Bataka B) Josh Laogfeld i s. les Woodson D) Jason Bacashihua c igandaily.comIsports SPOT MONDAY 1 MA 21, 2001 ) 7V Surprise! Baseball 2nd at BTT By Jim Weber Daily Sports Writer COLUMBUS - Despite Michigan holding the sixth and lowest seed in the Big Ten Tournament, the Wolverines had rea- son to believe they could win the postseason tournament that concluded yesterday. After all, the Wolverines won the tournament in 1999 at Ohio State with the lowest seed. This year, though, Michigan had to settle for runner-up after losing to third-seeded Min- nesota 3-2 yesterday in the championship game. Michigan lost in its first game to Ohio State, but Minnesota had not yet lost in the double-elimination tournament. Michigan turned to freshman Jim Brauer against the Golden Gophers. Brauer came into the game with a less than impres- sive 3-2 record and a 6.44 ERA, but lasted 6.2 innings while allowing three runs,just one of which was earned. The Gophers were shut out until the sixth inning when Jason Kennedy homered off Brauer to cut the deficit to 2-1. In next inning, Minnesota loaded the bases with no outs on a single and two bunts. Michigan then turned a double play but Scott Welch scored from third to even the game at 2-2. The next bat- ter, Sam Steidl, drove in the eventual game-winning run on an infield single to shortstop Bill LaRosa. Michigan had taken the lead in the third inning when LaRosa scored on a wild pitch by Minnesota pitcher Ben Birk with the bases loaded. The bases were reloaded for the Wolver- ines after Jordan Cantalamessa walked. But Michigan stranded all three runners when Nate Wright grounded out to firstbase. Gino Lollio added his fourth homerun of the year in the fourth inning to stretch the lead to 2-0. That was the last time Michigan would score. In the bottom of the seventh inning, with men on first and third with two outs, Minnesota pitcher Ben Birk made an amazing catch on a line drive hit to the mound by catcher Jake Fox. Birk, who was out for most of the year after being hit in the face on a similar line drive against Miami, stopped the See GOPHERS, Page 15 Bacashihua to skate for Plymouth ichigan celebrates in a previous game against Western Michigan. The Wolver- s re happy now that they're headed to the Women's College World Series. 1lue wi1ns regionals, beaded to Okahoma By Seth Klempner Daily Sports Editor Michigan goalie recruit, Jason Bacashihua, decided last week not to join the Michigan hockey team. Bacashihua committed to the Wolverines in the fall, but was recently determined to be academically ineligible to compete next season. Bacashihua, who for the past two years has played for the Chicago Freeze, a junior 'A' hockey team, opted for the NHL Entry Draft instead, to be held at the end of this month - automatically forei-ting his con ll eiilitv According to Freeze general manager Kevin Rooney, the 18-year-old is pro- jected to be drafted as high as the second or third round. In hockey, a player can enter the draft after his 19th birthday and remain eligi- ble to play at the NCAA level. If he opts for the draft before turning 19 - like Bacashihua - he loses his NCAA eligi- bility. "If academics were not an issue, Jason would be coming in this fall," Michigan head coach Red Berenson said. "He put himself in a difficult situation during his first two years of high school. And now he was trying to dig himself out, and he ly Jeff Phillips )aily Sports Writer After a rocky beginning of the sea- on, the Michigan softball team has #hed the Women's College World Series for the first time since 1998 by lefeating South Florida yesterday in he regional final, 12-5. "We're thrilled - the kids are very :xcited," Michigan coach Carol lutchins said. "I've always said, 'It's iot about where you start, but where you finish.' (The win) is great for the >rogram." ichigan was led by pitcher Marie arda, who pitched 18.2 innings over he four games and did not allow a single run - earned or otherwise. She picked up three of Michigan's our wins at the regional. "Marie Barda picked us up and car- ried us on her shoulders - she was terrific," Hutchins said. Yesterday's win was the Wolver- ines' second against the Bulls at the regional, but the championship victo- ry came much easier than in their first meeting - a four-hour, 13-inning marathon, which Michigan won 6-2. Barda pitched 8.1 scoreless innings in relief of fellow second-team all-Big Ten member MarissaYoung. The Wolverines also defeated Chat- tanooga and host, top-seededed Alaba- ma en route to the WCWS berth. The win gives the Wolverines the No. 4 seed in the WCWS and the opportunity to face fifth-seed Okla- homa on Thursday, May 24 in Okla- homa City. See BULLS, Page 2A wasn't quite out of it yet." Bacashihua, who lacked the necessary combination of ACT scores and grade point average to be play for Michigan, would have needed to retake some class- es next fall to become eligible. Had he been eligible, Bacashihua would have backed up senior goalie Josh Blackburn, who will be making starts at goalie for the fourth consecutive year. With no other goalie recruits coming in, it was likely that Bacashihua would have become the starting goalie for the 2002 season. "It won't really change anything this See BACASHIHUA, Page 15 U 77 Jackson Industrial Ann Arbor, MI148103 Climate controlled units available call now for a reservation 313-213-5933 $15 Earn up to $15 per session in negotiation experiments being held in the business school throughout May, June and July. Experimental sessions last under an hour. You will be eligible to participate in more than one experiment and possibly more than one session in the same experiment. Days: S unday through Friday Times: 5:00 and 6:30 PM. To be included in the pool of possible subjects, register at: http://ddm.bus.umich.edu/-s ummer0l To participate, you must be over the age of 18.