8 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 20, 2002 The icing on the cake Michigan defeated Ohio State for the sixth time to earn College World Series berth 0 By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Editor A screenwriter couldn't have writ- ten it better. The Wolverines faced off against their biggest rival Ohio State for the sixth time yesterday, and just like their other five encounters, they found a way to reign victorious. This one was for the ultimate prize, a trip to the Women's College World Series. Michigan's 4-0 win captured the NCAA Region 6 Championship and earned a berth to softball's biggest event in Oklahoma City for the sec- ond straight year and sixth time in school history. "They're tough, and they play for Michigan," Hutchins said. "And they stay together. This has been one of the most fun years I have been involved with, and it's because of the kids." Starting with the first weekend of the Big Ten season, the Wolverines and the Buckeyes have crossed paths whenever it mattered. Ohio State, with the nation's second highest bat- ting average and the Big Ten Player of the Year in Wendy Allen, had two heartbreaking losses to Michigan to start the conference season before surrendering the Big Ten regular sea- son title on the final weekend. Then, at the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan beat Ohio State twice to capture both the Big Ten regular season and tour- nament titles for the first time since 1998. "Beating them this year has made Deep sixed To say that the Michigan has had Ohio State's number this season would be an understatement. Whether it was regular season, Big Ten Tournament or NCAA Regional play, the Buckeyes have been unable to slow the Wolverines. March 31 (Regular Season) Michigan 5, Ohio State 4: Buckeyes have 4-2 lead in fifth, but the Wolverines come back as a Jessica Merchant bases- loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh wins the game. March 31 (Regular Season) Michigan 8, Ohio State 2: Just after her walk wins game one, Merchant hits a three-run homer as part of five-run third inning to blow the game open. May 10 (Big Ten Tournament) Michigan 5, Ohio State 0: Freshman Nicole Motycka baffels the Buckeyes' hitters as she throws a three-hit shutout. May 11(Big Ten Tournament) Michigan 2, Ohio State 1: Buckeyes are opti- mistic after they score in the top on the first, but Melinda Moulden's two-run single in the bottom half of the inning is all Michigan would need. May 17 (NCAA Regional) Michigan 3, Ohio State 0: Michigan seems to be in trouble after failing to captailize twice with the bases loaded and one out, but Meghan Doe's first RBI of the season with two outs in the sixth puts Ohio State in the losers bracket. May 19 (NCAA Regional) Michigan 4, Ohio State 0: Having to beat Michigan twice in order to win the regional, Ohio State commits numerous errors that led as only one of Michigan's runs being earned. us stronger, because we have had to get up to the challenge," Hutchins said. And after downing the Buckeyes again 3-0 on Friday, the Wolverines took them on again in the champi- onship game after the Buckeyes upset top-seeded Washington to win the losers bracket. Just as the Wolverines have done in many of their match-ups with the Buckeyes, they took advan- tage of key mistakes. With the game scoreless in the third, senior leadoff hitter Kelsey Kollen hit a routine ground ball to Buckeye shortstop Breana Pozzi, but Pozzi leaned to her left while the ball was to her right, letting the ball go into the outfield. Kollen hustled to turn the play into a double, putting runners on second on third with one out. Then Meghan Doe, whose first RBI of the season was the difference Friday, laid down a bunt that was cleanly fielded by Kristine Himes, one of the Big Ten's best third base- men. But Himes threw the ball into right field, scoring two. "I'm not sure that we've seen Kris- tine throw one away this year," Ohio State coach Linda Kalafatis. "She knew that the runner was quick and that she needed to make a play." The Buckeyes finally had a threat in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two out. Jennifer Link grounded to the right side of the infield that first-basemen Melinda Moulden charged but was unable to handle. Kollen picked up the ball and dove on first just before Link got to the bag to keep the Buckeyes scoreless. 6 0 I BRAI Marissa Young and Jessica Merchant celebrate after Michigan defea to earn a trin to the Wmn'c C nlpo Wnrld Srip fn the cnd ch toer rp thewmen s luege rr "I fielded it like normal but I saw that (Moulden) was not on the base and that Jenn Link was a fast kid. I knew that my only chance would be to dive," Kollen said. Michigan responded in the bottom of the inning when Monica Schock hit a ball up the middle that went through the legs of centerfielder Anna Smith and to the wall, scoring Kollen iseres Tor e secona siaint myea.. and Stefaine Volpe to put the Wolver- ines up 4-0 and the game out of reach. "I haven't seen Anna do that with a ball since she was a freshman," Kalafatis said. The Wolverines entered a situation in which they had to just win one of two games yesterday against the Buckeyes, because they upset No. 6 Washington, 6-5, on Saturday. High school teammates square off with WCWS at stake 0 By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Editor Saturday it was the battle of Santa Ana. With a berth to the Women's College World Series on the line, two of the best pitchers in the nation dueled against each other as Wash- ington's Tia Bollinger and Michigan's Marissa Young took the circle. But the fact that they have each led their teams deep in the NCAA Tournament was not the only thing they had in common. Bollinger and Young both attended the same Santa Ana high school. In fact, those weren't the only two on the field from Mater Dei High School in California's Orange County. Michi- gan's Kelsey Kollen and Courtney Bentley went there as well. "A lot of my kids knew about Tia Bollinger," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. "And they certainly helped us prepare." Their preparation helped as Bollinger, a for- mer National High School Player of the Year, was taken out of the game in the top of the fifth inning after Bentley and Kollen hit back- to-back singles and was credited with the loss in the 6-5 game. But the event was the fact that four players were on the same field in a game of such a high magnitude were from the same high school. Mater Dei has always been known as a softball powerhouse, qualifing for the Cal- ifornia Interscholastic Federation finals four out of the five years that Kollen, Young, Bent- ley and Bollinger played there, from 1996- 2000, capturing three state titles. And with two of the country's best pitchers on the same high school team, such dominance does- n't seem so far fetched. "We would alternate with Tia and Marissa," Bentley said. "It was a nice.:. backup to have if you have two of the best pitchers in the Michigan's country on your high Marissa school team. It was a Young pretty tough team to DANNY beat." MOLOSHOK/Daly The Wolverine left fielder was a co- captain with Bollinger her senior year at Mater Dei, and the two were best , friends throughout their junior and / senior years.a "To think of all the regionals to, to be sent to have Washii your ex-co-captain with you," ,, Tia Bo Bentley said. "It was good to face her again because I hadn't faced her in two years." Such occurances however are " -0. common for softball players who come out of Orange County, which pro- duces more college players than any other area in the country. In fact, every Big Ten team has at least one player from the area. Washington slugger Jaime Clark, who ripped two mon-' strous homeruns off Young on Saturday, played at Mater Dei's Santa Ana rival, Foothill. Kollen's expected replacement for next season, recruit Tiffany Hass, plays there currently. "She hit me pretty bad this sum- mer tooYoung said of her former rival and summerball teammate Clark. - While Clark may have got- ten the best of Young on Satur- day, most players enjoy seeing so many familiar faces at the college level from their days in Orange County. "Not many of us know what kind of pitcher Tia is or what kind or batter Jaime is," Bentley said. "It gives us a familiar sense when we get on the field." As for keeping the tradition of Mater Dei players coming to ichigan alive, anything's possible. "I felt that Michigan was the place >r me," Bentley said. "I liked the oaching staff a lot. I liked the team, the campus, everything. The kids go where they want to go. It just turned out that we all headed out to Michigan. I know some girls would like to go to Michigan because it's a good program, but if they take a visit, they can always talk to us, and we'll give our honest opinion. But you never know."