16 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 6, 2002
BUCKEYES
Continued from Page 13
onslaught and scored four more
runs in the fifth inning.
"I think it was very critical
because four runs scored after
that, and without those four runs,
it is a 5-5 ballgame," Roberts said.
Roberts was also involved in
another play that showed just how
important the smallest things can
be in baseball. This time, it was a
fraction of an inch, and Roberts
did everything right. In the bot-
tom of the eighth inning, Roberts
stepped in to face Ohio State's
Chris Hanners, who had just been
brought in to relieve starter Scott
Lewis. The left-handed Roberts
blasted a shot to deep right field.
But Roberts hit the ball too
squarely and did not get under it
enough to drive it out of the park.
"He hit the ball right on the
screws," interim coach Chris Har-
rison said. "If he misses that balla
little bit and gets it up, it is a tie
ball game."
Roberts - whose six home-
runs tie him for second on the
team - knows what it is like to
hit the long ball. Even though it
resulted in an out, his shot in the
eighth was one of his best hits all
season.
"That's one of the hardest balls
I've hit all year," Roberts said. "I
hit it really hard and hit it on the
nose, butI didn't have enough air
under it to get it out of the ball-
park."
If Roberts was a fraction of an
inch lower on his swing he could
have tied the game with a three
run homer.
In the end, Michigan was not
able to come back against the
Buckeyes splitting the four-game
series. Both of Michigan's wins
came in Saturday's double head-
er. Junior left-handed pitcher
Rich Hill struckout 11 batters in
the seven-inning first game of
I I
rhisbt-c7ih come
4...,
r O
the doubleheader, en rotite to a
5-4 win. Sophomore Jim Brauer
pitched his first career complete
game and his first career shutout
in the 1-0 win in the second
game Saturday.
Despite the week's record, Har-
rison was happy with his teams
performance. Michigan was 3-3
over the course of the week after
splitting midweek matchups with
Notre Dame and Eastern Michi-
gan.
"We have to look at this week
and say, 'We played some really
good baseball," Harrison said.
"We look at this week and this is
probably our best week all year."
M' NTES
Vomen's tennis
arns NCAA berth
Thanks to a late-season run and its
vancement to the Big Ten Tourna-
nt semifinals, the Michigan women's
inis team qualified for the NCAA
ornament. The Wolverines received a
i to this year's tournament and will
y Georgia Tech in the first round in
xington, Ky. on Friday.
This is the first meeting between the
> schools. No. 34 Michigan (7-6 Big
n, 14-10 overall) went 7-2 in the ,
nth of April, while No. 22 Georgia
ch (4-6 Atlantic Coast Conference,
-9) struggled down the stretch, losing
e of their last seven. Michigan
eived its fourth NCAA invitation in
history and the first since 1998.
- Staff reports
Men's golf takes
ighth at Big Tens
Michigan men's golf placed eighth
the Big Ten Conference Champi- 4
ships this weekend in Iowa City. The
>lverines posted a team total of
70, 18 strokes behind first place
nnesota.
Michigan's top performer was senior
idy Matthews, who finished with a
th-place 285, despite entering the
al round in a three-way tie for first.
- Staff reports
imms, Okenwaplace e
:Jesse Owens Classic
The Michigan men's and women's
ck and field teams competed yes-
day in Columbus at the Jesse
wens Classic.
Michigan sophomore Vera Simms
lished third in both the 400-meter
rdles and the long jump for the
men, while men's senior Ike Oken-
posted personal bests in the 100-
d 200-meter dashes.
- Staff reports
agers add a recruit
Tommy Amaker has locked up the
top in-state recruit for the.2004-05
season. The Wolverine reported that
rising junior Ronald Coleman has
given early commitment to Michigan.
A 6-foot-6 small forward, Coleman
averaged 17 points and nine rebounds
last season for Romulus.
- Staff reports