12 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 6, 2005 SOFTBALL Continued from page 1. and got Bercaw out by a stride, ending the inning and the potential rally. "They just got the big hit and we just could not come up with it," Hutchins said. "We couldn't move our runners, and we just never got the big hit. And that's what he needed." Both Ritter and Abbott were relentless, going the entire distance for both of their respective teams. Ritter had 13 strikeouts while Abbott - who leads the nation with 599 strikeouts this season - had nine. But the story of the night was Abbott's ability to get out of the tough jams. The tournament started on a better note for the Wolverines. It began against unranked DePaul (45-21) on Thursday. Ritter went the distance, striking out 12 batters and scattering 3 hits on her way to a 3-0 win. Senior designated player Nicole Motycka's single in the first inning brought in two runners, while junior second baseman Tif- fany Haas added a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Ritter then had her most impres- sive game of the College World Series the following night against Texas (49-13). She outdueled Texas' national Player of the Year Cat Osterman in a 4-0 Michigan victory. Ritter didn't allow a hit after allowing a single to begin the game, and Findlay went 2-for-3 on the night with two RBI. The winner of today's rematch between Michigan and Tennessee will go on to face two-time defend- ing champion UCLA. The No. 7- ranked Bruins (39-18) qualified for their sixth finals appearance in seven years after beating No. 4 Texas, 3-0. Michigan last faced UCLA last season in the UNLV Desert Clas- sic. The then-No.t-ranked Bruins defeated the Wolverines by a 3-0 margin. The finals are a best-of- three series format. "We can still win - we can still win the tournament," Hutchins said. "We just need to stay in the moment and play one game at a time. Obviously we need to try and find to get a way to Abbott." THE SIGN SAYS IT ALL... One Month FREE Rent $0 Deposit Special Plus $50.00 off monthly rent Move in by June15,2005* 1819 Willowtree Lane Ann Arbor, MI 769-1313 www.colegeparkweb.com MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily Dejected Michigan players leave the field as Tennessee celebrates its 2-0, extra-innings upset of the Wolverines last night. Blue looks to orget past H. JOSE BOSCH ON SOFTBALL OKLAHOMA CITY - Whispers around the softball world could be heard about Michigan being cursed at the Wom- en's College World Series. To use the word cursed would be an understatement. The Wolverines amassed a 2-14 record in seven previous tournament appearanc- es and finished seventh out of eight teams in five of those tournaments. But this season Michigan isn't playing like a cursed team. The Wolverines are playing more like an obsessed team. And people have noticed. In a tournament where many of the games have been decidedby defensive miscues in the late innings, the Wolver- ines won their first two games the hard way - greatpitching, solid defense and timely hitting. "We won and we came here to win," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said after the Wolverines' first win over DePaul. "We're trying to win this tournament, and it's the only tournament we care about." In each of the first two games, a Wol- l verine has stepped up. Whether it has been backing up a bad throw and gunning a runner out at home plate - sophomore Rebekah Milian - or throwing out a run- ner trying to steal - junior Becky Marx - Michigan has made the big plays when they counted. And its traditional big guns have stepped up in ways beyond anyone's imagination. In her first two games, junior Jennie Ritter pitched like she was possessed - striking out 24 batters while only giving up four hits - in her two shut outs. Not to mention the fact that she out-dueled the national Player of the Year, Texas pitcher Cat Osterman. Seniors Jessica Merchant and Nicole Motycka have combined to hit 6-for-it with two RBI and three runs - provid- ing leadership from upperclassmen in a tournament that has been dominated by underclassmen. And freshman Samantha Findlay - displaying calm beyond her years - hit a two RBI single against Osterman on Friday night to open up the game for Michigan in its 4-0 win. "I don't think we felt the pressure that we've felt in the past," Motycka said. A IRANScom NO CLASS ANDLO .00KING TO GO ON AN INTERNATIONAL. VACATIO9N? AIRBARGAIAISCOM HAS THE BEST AND CHEAPEST AIRFARE PRICES! "And that's what made the difference." A key contributor to the team's calm- ness has been Hutchins. From her post either in the dugout or in the coach's box along the third-base line, Hutchins has exhumed an aura of coolness that has been contagious for her team. But last night, the Wolverines slipped a bit in their game against No. 11 Tennes- see. Despite another solid performance in the pitcher's circle, Ritter wasn't as dominant as she had been in the first two games. The offense also struggled. Against the World Series' new darling - Lady Vols' pitcher Monica Abbott - the team didn't look as sharp at the plate and failed to cash in on run-scoring opportunities. But Michigan softball is still just three wins away from its first national champi- onship. Standing in its way is Tennessee and two-time defending national cham- pion, UCLA. The Bruins were counted out by many early in the year, buta strong finish and some terrific play in the NCAA tourna- ment have placed the Bruins in their third straight title game. The Lady Vols have become the ulti- mate Cinderella team, making the most of their firsttrip to the Women's College World Series and upsetting powerhouses Arizona and Michigan. For the Wolverines to stay true to form, they must rely on the armof a dominant Ritter - which, so far, has been more valuable than the Hope Diamond. But 4 Michigan must also rely on its older play- ers - such as Motycka and Merchant - and the young guns - Giampaolo and Findlay - if it wants to leave Oklahoma City with a national title. In this tournament, Michigan has been trying to shake off its past and make way for a whole new future. Ironically, the only way the Wolverines will be able to win a national champion- ship is if the past and future of the pro- gram canjoin togetherto notch two more victories in the present.