Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Friday, April 3, 2015 — 7 Michigan ready for tough Big Ten weekend matchup The Wolverines will play Minnesota for early-season bragging rights By CHRIS CROWDER Daily Sports Writer If a wolverine and a gopher stood side to side, it would be easy to distinguish between the two. The wolverine is around the size of an average dog, possessing menacing teeth and sharp claws. The gopher is much smaller, with furry hide and long, narrow teeth. But in regards to the fourth-ranked Wolverines and the 19th-ranked Golden Gophers softball teams, it’s much harder to pick out distinct differences. The teams are almost mirror images of one another. When Michigan heads to Minneapolis this weekend, it’ll be the most anticipated Big Ten softball series of the season. The teams are first- and second-ranked in the Big Ten in hits, runs scored, slugging percentage, runs batted in, home runs and total bases. Michigan (5-1 Big Ten, 31-5 overall) is first in every category, but Minnesota (5-1, 29-5) isn’t too far behind. The Wolverines are also a little better in regards to pitching, boasting a 0.65 lower earned- run average. They have allowed 35 fewer runs and 32 fewer hits than the Golden Gophers. In fact, Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said that Minnesota is essentially the same team as the Wolverines. “This is a battle of who is mentally toughest, and regardless of what we talk about, you have all these people talking about the implications of this particular series,” Hutchins said. “I don’t see it that way. We could come out of there with no wins or all wins and we haven’t accomplished any of our goals yet. Our goal is just to play good softball against a good team.” With some of the top talent in the country throughout its lineup, including junior second baseman Sierra Romero and sophomore right-hander Megan Betsa, Michigan’s star power is well known. Romero leads the Big Ten in nearly every major hitting category, having an astounding slugging percentage of 1.101 and an on-base percentage of .688. Betsa continues to mow down batters, having tallied 143 strikeouts to go with 14 wins. The Golden Gophers may have the front-runner for Big Ten Player of the Year in pitcher Sara Groenewegen. The right-hander is arguably the most dominant pitcher in the Big Ten, racking up a league- best 18 wins, 190 strikeouts and a .169 opposing batting average. “We’re trying to get to contact better,” Hutchins said. “(Groenewegen) is a strikeout artist, so we gotta try to counter that.” Groenewegen is also dangerous at the plate, twice compiling 11 total bases in a game. But Groenewegen isn’t Minnesota’s only standout. Infielder Tyler Walker is one of the best hitters in the Minnesota batting order, with 33 runs scored, 40 RBI and nine home runs. But Michigan hasn’t withered on the road this year, as home-field advantage hasn’t lived up to expectations in giving the team a leg up at all. If Michigan is perfect at anything so far, it’s raining on other teams’ parades. The Wolverines are undefeated (11-0) in true away games — defeating top teams like No. 10 Arizona State, No. 5 Florida State and No. 6 Alabama — accumulating the second- most wins on the road in the country, trailing only Minnesota. Michigan has three losses on top of the two suffered at Alumni Field, but those losses have only come at neutral sites. This weekend, the Wolverines will play the Golden Gophers in another tough away series, Minnesota’s first home series of the year. Michigan feels up to the task, “I think we’re really prepared,” said freshman infielder Amanda Vargas. “It’s good that we’ve played a lot of harder games just for this exposure and for this type of weekend where we get to play Minnesota and compete.” Added freshman catcher Aidan Falk: “We adapt really well, so it’s going to be fun to rise to the occasion. I’m really excited, and I think we’re going to fight really well out there.” The wolverine may look much more intimidating than a gopher in nature. But this weekend, the question of who would win in a battle between a Gopher and a Wolverine has never been so uncertain. Michigan at Minnesota Matchup: Michigan 31-5; Minnesota 29-5 When: Friday- Sunday Where: Jane Sage Cowles Stadium SOFTBALL “This is a battle of who is mentally toughest.” ‘M’ faces another test By DANNY VARGOVICK Daily Sports Writer This weekend, the Michigan baseball team travels to Bloomington to take on the defending Big Ten champions. It’s an important series for the Wolverines if they want to prove capable of realizing their goals of making the NCAA Tournament. After winning five of their last six games, which included taking the series against then-No. 20 Maryland, the preseason favorite in the Big Ten, Michigan will try to continue its momentum against the Hoosiers. Last year, Indiana was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after reaching the College World Series in 2013. But the Hoosiers (1-4 Big Ten, 17-8 overall) might be having an off year. They were just swept at Iowa last weekend, but they still have had a number of impressive wins in non-conference play. They opened the year winning two of three at Stanford, and have since swept Cal State Fullerton and beaten both Louisville and Kentucky. But, perhaps more importantly, they have experience. “They’re a tough team at home,” said Michigan coach Erik Bakich. “They’ve got a lot of the veterans back from the teams from the last two years that went to the World Series. They lost a few, but they’ve got a nucleus back. They can certainly hold their own.” Offensively, Indiana is No. 6 in the Big Ten in runs scored at 141, just 16 runs behind third-place Michigan. The Hoosiers are led by first baseman Craig Dedelow, who leads the team in hitting at .330, and third baseman Austin Cangelosi, who leads the team in slugging at .545. Both were part- time contributors last year, but have recently had the opportunity for more playing time this year with teammates graduating and leaving early for the MLB Draft. Friday, Michigan (2-4, 16-12) will start junior right-hander Jacob Cronenworth, who started the season as the team’s closer but has moved to the rotation in part due to his effectiveness and in part due to injuries. Cronenworth has a 3.07 earned-run average on the year to go with a 0.89 WHIP. Cronenworth will be going up against left-hander Caleb Baragar, arguably Indiana’s best pitcher, who has a 0.79 ERA on the season. In his last start, he went seven innings against Iowa, allowing only one run on four hits and a walk. Baragar should prove to be a challenge for the Wolverines. Saturday and Sunday, Michigan will use freshman right-hander Ryan Nutof and sophomore left-hander Brett Adcock, respectively. Nutof earned Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week honors for his start last week against Maryland where he went 7.1 innings, allowing five hits, one walk and no runs. The freshman, who sports a 2.92 ERA on the season, has pitched nine more innings than anyone else on the team and has recently cut down on his walks. Finally, Adcock will start for the Wolverines in the final game of the series. Adcock is coming off a taxing start last weekend when he threw 95 pitches in just four innings due to a large number of walks and strikeouts, but he kept the Terrapins to just two runs over those four innings. He has been both Michigan’s best and worst starter at times this year. He has given up 28 walks and struck out 30 batters in 30.2 innings this year. This weekend series is another test in a long season of challenges for the Wolverines. It will be a good indicator of whether or not the Maryland series win was just a fluke or a true indicator of talent level. Though Michigan and Indiana are trending in opposite directions, they appear to have a similar talent level. “They’re a team that doesn’t beat themselves,” Bakich said. “It’s gonna be a good challenge.” Michigan at Indiana Matchup: Michigan 16-12; Indiana 17-8 When: Friday- Sunday Where: Bart Kaufman Field GRANT HARDY/Daily Brett Adcock will look to rebound from his four-inning start last weekend. Wolverines routed by Wildcats By KEVIN SANTO Daily Sports Writer Another ranked opponent lined up across from the Michigan women’s lacrosse team. It was the fourth opportunity for the Wolverines to prove themselves against a lacrosse powerhouse this season, but it became apparent early on that this game would be no different than the others. No. 6 Northwestern removed all hopes of an upset, defeating Michigan (0-2 Big Ten, 5-6 overall), 17-8, on Thursday. The Wildcats (1-1, 7-3) quickly and consistently broke down the Wolverines’ defense throughout the first half, establishing position just outside the crease and punishing Michigan with a slew of goals. With 11 minutes left in the first half, Northwestern put together a string of five unanswered goals to put the Wildcats up, 11-3. Leading their scoring barrage was midfielder Selena Lasota, who tallied a total of six goals. “Our only fault was that Northwestern had possession for most of the game,” said sophomore defender Brooke Pancoast. “So we were tired, naturally. (Clearing) is something that we have to work on as a team and that we will work on the next couple practices. We haven’t capitalized on turnovers, and we (need) to take care of the ball.” Michigan didn’t do itself any favors, either, committing 40 fouls, allowing five free- position goals and allowing itself to be outshot, 32-13, in the game. The Wolverines’ setbacks weren’t just on the defensive end. They struggled to possess the ball in their scoring third and never managed to claim a lead. Northwestern perfectly executed a defensive trap in the first half, forcing 11 turnovers. But after the Wildcats removed the trap in the second half and replaced goalie Bridget Bianco with Brooke Jones, Michigan showed glimpses of offensive success. “They were double-teaming the ball and getting out on the adjacents,” said Michigan coach Jennifer Ulehla. “(With) that much pressure on us, we struggle. The best way to get shots off was in transition. In the second half, I think we were able to run more of our offense. We did a better job (breaking the trap) in the second half.” When the Wolverines were able to run their offense effectively, there were rare glimpses of grace around the net. With 23:11 left in the first half, after breaking the trap, sophomore attacker Jess Angerman received a pass left of the crease from sophomore attacker Tess Korten. Angerman then buried a shot into the net with a defender riding her left shoulder. Her goal was the first of Michigan’s eight goals. The Wolverines’ offensive effort also featured four goals from sophomore midfielder Kim Coughlan. Sophomore midfielders Anna Schueler and Madeline Dion and sophomore attackman Lauren Oberlander contributed one goal each. But unfortunately for Michigan, the Wildcats’ mantra for the night appeared to be “anything you can do, I can do better.” Though the Wolverines improved their scoring efficiency in the second half, scoring five goals on 10 shots, it simply wasn’t enough. With the exception of one pair of consecutive goals for Michigan, the Wildcats didn’t allow a single unanswered goal. Thursday night began as an opportunity for the Wolverines to make a statement. But it ended much worse: a lopsided defeat, a third straight loss and another reminder that Michigan can’t keep up with ranked opponents. Coughlan keeps racking up goals By LELAND MITCHINSON Daily Sports Writer It was a bittersweet night for sophomore midfielder Kim Coughlan as the Michigan women’s lacrosse team took on No. 6 Northwestern Thursday. Despite Coughlan’s efficient four goals on four shots, her team fell 17-8 to the Wildcats. The first half of the game gave no indication that Coughlan’s night would be anything out of the ordinary, though she did tally her first goal of the night and 23rd goal of the season with 11:24 remaining in the first half, giving the Wolverines their third goal of the contest. Given an eight-meter free- position shot, Coughlin faked low and shot high to convert the open opportunity. “Their defense in the first half was pretty hard to beat,” Coughlin said. “We just needed to see what they were doing and adjust to it. We started communicating more, spreading it out and passing the ball and moving it fast, that helped a lot, working as a team and seeing the open person right away.” With Michigan trailing, 11-3, at the end of the first half, Northwestern seemed to have the game well under control, though Coughlin did her best to make it difficult for the Wildcats. Coughlan had back-to-back goals in the middle of the second half to complete her hat trick and slow down the four-goal run from Northwestern. “Kim is one of our more explosive players,” said Michigan coach Jennifer Ulehla. “When they backed off of the double-teaming defense, that high-pressure defense, she was able to really use her athleticism.” The first of the two came off another free-position shot where she once again faked out the goaltender and scored from eight meters out. “We work a lot on (free- position shots) in practice,” Coughlan said. “The more practice you get the better you get at them.” Though Michigan had just three opportunities from the eight-meter all game, Coughlan’s two successful attempts made sure the Wolverines did not squander those advantages. She created her next goal by dodging a Northwestern defender and giving herself enough space to get the shot off just in front of the crease. Though the game was already in the bag for the Wildcats, Coughlan refused to give up, scoring for a fourth time with 6:38 left in the game. Creating space for herself, once more, she put one past the goalie while surrounded by Northwestern defenders. “She is very explosive,” Ulehla said. “Whether or not she actually got the shot off or she ended up getting fouled and then scoring off of the eight- meter, it just opened up more opportunities for her.” Coughlan’s four goals bring her total on the season to 26, making her the Wolverines’ leading scorer. She will look to take her momentum from this game and turn it into a win for her team this Saturday, when Michigan takes on Duquesne. “She continues to get better every single game, and this was one of her best,” Ulehla said. WOMEN’S LACROSSE N’WESTERN MICHIGAN 17 8 ALLISON FARRAND/Daily Sophomore defender Brooke Pancoast was part of a Michigan unit that allowed Northwestern to control possession. “So we were tired, naturally.”