Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, April 14, 2016 — 7
Wolverines blank Michigan State
By AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING — It took five
innings, but the No. 2 Michigan
softball team finally found its
trademark
offense.
After
four frames,
the Wolverines’ offense looked
lost against Michigan State (2-8
Big Ten, 20-20 overall). Michigan
reached base just two times —
once on an error and once on a
single — and failed to get a runner
in scoring position. It seemed
uncharacteristic of a team sitting
at the top of nearly every offensive
category in the Big Ten.
Once the fifth inning began,
the Wolverines (8-2, 30-4) took a
lead they would never relinquish,
defeating the Spartans, 3-0, on
Wednesday at Secchia Stadium.
Junior Lindsay Montemarano
started the offensive surge by
lining the first pitch up the middle.
Michigan’s
next
two
batters
reached base on singles. After a fly
out, the Wolverines had the bases
loaded with only one out.
Abby Ramirez then stepped
to the plate and hit a ground ball
up the middle. Spartan shortstop
Jacquie Reiser made an impressive
diving play, stopping the ball in
the infield. But Montemarano still
scored, giving Michigan its first
run. Later in the inning, through a
fielding error and a wild pitch, the
Wolverines scored twice more to
give them insurance runs.
While the offense struggled
early in the game, junior right-
hander Megan Betsa stymied
Michigan
State’s
hitters.
She
struck out 13 batters in seven
innings for her fifth shutout of
the season and walked just three.
Betsa maintained control over the
Spartan lineup and it took until
the sixth inning for Michigan
State to put two runners on base.
Each of Betsa’s strikeouts came
from swings and misses and she
frequently got two strikes on
hitters.
After struggling in her last
start against Nebraska on Sunday,
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins
took Betsa out of the game in the
first inning. She later returned to
the game in the third inning as a
replacement for fifth-year senior
Sara Driesenga and earned the
win. In relief, she allowed only one
baserunner.
“I found my rhythm and they
didn’t get any hits (Sunday at
Nebraska),” Betsa said. “I think I
found my groove the second half
of that last game, I felt good. My
spin was really good today, it was
moving, and I felt confident in the
circle.”
Michigan,
which
constantly
scores first and often sees runners
reach base in the first inning, did
something its offense had not done
since its game against Washington
on February 27 — The Wolverines
went down in order.
Betsa,
though,
remain
undeterred despite her hitters’
early troubles.
“(I wanted to) spin the ball
through the zone and put zeroes
on the board,” Betsa said.
Michigan attained a necessary
Big Ten win, but it still showed
some of the mistakes on the
basepaths
that
it
did
last
weekend. In the second inning,
Montemarano hit a line drive to
the first baseman who gloved it
and immediately tagged first base
to double off senior outfielder
Mary Sbonek. It could explain why
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins
chose to hold up Montemarano
at third on the fly ball in the fifth
inning, taking a more conservative
approach.
The Wolverines were pleased
with Betsa’s effort, regardless
of their offensive struggles. In
Wednesday’s game, though, but
Michigan maintained its lead, its
players weren’t entirely satisfied
with its offensive output.
“We’re always confident in each
other, that’s one of the great things
about this team,” Montemarano
said. “We have the mindset that
it’s OK if you don’t get it done, my
teammates behind me are gonna
get it done. I think we really had
confidence that Megan could get it
done, but we’re never comfortable
with one run, two runs, 10 runs, 20
runs, we’re always going up there
looking to get more runs.”
The Wolverines didn’t score
15 runs as they did against South
Carolina early this year. They
didn’t even mount the eight they
tabbed
against
Nebraska
last
weekend.
But they did just enough to win.
Hutchins brings fire
to Michigan huddle
By BETELHEM ASHAME
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING — After four
innings of back-and-forth play,
the score sat deadlocked at 0-0,
and the No. 2 Michigan softball
team found itself in unfamiliar
territory.
Accustomed to scoring early
and
often,
the
Wolverines’
bats had fallen cold against the
Spartans. Inning after inning
passed, and Michigan simply
couldn’t put runs on the board.
Watching her team struggle
to make solid contact and string
hits together, Michigan coach
Carol Hutchins needed to rally
the troops.
Hutchins regularly huddles up
with the team between innings.
She opens the conversation in
the center of the huddle and then
walks out, leaving the players
to finish it before they take the
field or enter the dugout. Her
comments are typically short,
sweet and to the point. But before
the top of the fifth, she took an
extended period of time driving
her message home, seeking to
light a fire under her team to push
them forward.
“Things weren’t going our
way offensively and I was mad
about it.” Hutchins said. “I did
not like our energy at the plate,
but I said, ‘Look I’m going to get
over it because we still have an
opportunity in front of us and we
need to focus on that. So I’ll get
over it if you’ll get over it because
you’ve got to get over the past.’ ”
When the Wolverines broke the
huddle, a revitalized Michigan
emerged. Junior third baseman
Lindsay Montemarano stepped
into the batter’s box first and took
all of one pitch to lace a single
into right field. After junior left
fielder Kelly Christner laid down
a bunt, sophomore designated
player
Amanda
Vargas
sent
another single to right. In just
three at-bats after the timeout,
the bases were loaded with no
outs, and the Wolverines were in
business.
Junior shortstop Abby Ramirez
took advantage of the situation
with an infield grounder to
second base that rolled just slowly
enough to allow Montemarano
to race home from third base.
Michigan had finally broken the
deadlock, and it was just warming
up.
The bases were loaded again
with two outs, and the Wolverines
were in prime position to do
major damage with senior second
baseman Sierra Romero coming
up. Romero smacked a hard-
hit ball toward the shortstop,
who couldn’t corral it, allowing
Christner to score. Moments
later, a wild pitch gave Michigan
its third and final run.
After four innings of subpar
hitting, the Wolverines broke
through for the 3-0 win.
“We were playing a little tight,
we weren’t being super aggressive
and we weren’t putting good cuts
on the ball.” Montemarano said.
“Hutch reminded us that we’re
good hitters and that we need to
trust our preparation.
“If we could just trust our
process and be aggressive and go
up there looking for something
in the zone — not looking for a
perfect pitch — good things will
happen.”
When Michigan needed to
get its motor running, Hutchins
took her time in the center of the
huddle. Her message resonated
with the Wolverines, and in a
close encounter, that made all the
difference.
SOFTBALL
KRISTINA PERKINS/Daily
Carol Hutchins fired up her team before a three-run fifth inning in Michigan’s 3-0 win Wednesday over Michigan State.
Yurovsky’s accolades
only part of her legacy
By MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Writer
Standing in the spectator area
at the Varsity Tennis Center,
Ronit Yurovsky looked up at
the ceiling. She had just been
asked how she wanted to be
remembered as her four-year
career comes to a close, and she
was exclaiming that she couldn’t
believe her college career was
almost over.
Then,
Yurovsky
paused,
deciding how to answer.
In her time at Michigan,
Yurovsky has earned a top-50
singles ranking in all three of
her seasons, earned Big Ten
Freshman of the Year and ITA
Midwest Rookie of the Year in
2013, is a two-time Academic
All-American and has earned
three invitations to the NCAA
Singles Championships.
But instead, when Yurovsky’s
long pause ended, none of those
accolades made their way into
her answer.
“I just want (people) to know
that I competed so hard on the
court,” Yurovsky said. “Every
time I stepped on the court, I
gave it my all. I played for this
school
and
represented
the
block ‘M’ on my shirt, because
that’s the only thing that really
matters. I just hope people know
that when I was out there, that
I would have given everything
that I have.”
A
lot
was
expected
of
Yurovsky
even
before
she
arrived at Michigan — she was
the 2012 NHSCA Senior Athlete
of the Year for tennis. Now in her
senior season, she has also had
to take on a leadership role in
addition to her job as one of the
team’s anchors. After the 2014-
15 campaign, the Wolverines
lost
three
seniors:
Emina
Bektas, Sarah Lee and Kristen
Dodge. All three were looked
to as leaders of the program by
everyone on the team, including
Yurovsky.
With their departures, it was
Yurovsky’s turn to step into the
role of team captain.
“(Naming
Yurovsky
team
captain) is not just because she’s
our senior,” said Michigan coach
Ronni
Bernstein.
“Obviously
she’s a great player, but she’s even
a better person.
She represents
what we’re all
about.”
This
year,
a
new
wave
of
younger
players
has
entered
the
fray.
Six
of
the
eight
members
on
the
Michigan
roster
are
freshmen
or
sophomores,
including
freshmen
Brienne
Minor
and Kate Fahey, who — like
Yurovsky
—
have
earned
individual national rankings in
their debut seasons.
But part of the Wolverines’
success, both as a team and as
individuals, can be attributed
to the experience of Yurovsky.
Her attitude both on and off the
court have set an example for the
rest of the team.
“She’s laughing, she’s happy,
she
keeps
people
loose,”
Bernstein said. “The kids know
once she steps on the court, she’s
all business. But off the court,
she’s just great to have around.”
Added
sophomore
Alex
Najarian: “She is always wanting
to help us do better on the court
and off the court … She just
wants the best for everybody
around her in everything that
she does, whether or not it
seems like it’s in your best
interest at the time.”
For a player who has had
so much individual success,
Yurovsky reflects most fondly
on the success that the team
has had in her time with the
Wolverines, especially last year,
when Michigan won the Big Ten
Tournament Championship for
the first time since 1997.
“That was pretty special when
we finally won it,” Yurovsky said.
“We beat Ohio State in the finals,
which was pretty good. That was
so memorable, because we were
the (regular-
season)
Big
Ten
champs,
but
winning that
tournament
was
pretty
special.”
But
now,
Yurovsky’s
time
with
Michigan
is
running
out.
With just four matches left in the
regular season, it won’t be long
until the Wolverines will have to
move on. That won’t be easy. As
evidenced by the way with which
people in the program talk about
her and her impressive resume,
Yurovsky has left an indelible
mark on the program.
“It’s her character,” Bernstein
said. “She’s competed so hard
for us, but it’s more the person
that she is. I have complete trust
in her, and you never doubt her
intention in anything.”
That hard work and those
good intentions are in the back
of Yurovsky’s mind, too.
Back in the Varsity Tennis
Center, as Yurovsky considered
her ideal legacy, she added: “I
wasn’t going to walk off the
court unless I gave it my all.”
In just over a month, the
women’s
tennis
season
will
be over. Yurovsky will have
walked off of the court for the
last time, leaving a sparkling
career behind her. And though
her statistics may be forgotten,
the example she has set and the
impression she has left on her
teammates and coaches is built
to last.
“I just want
(people) to know
that I competed
so hard.”
‘M’ tops Eastern Michigan
By SYLVANNA GROSS
Daily Sports Writer
Coming into its Wednesday
game against Eastern Michigan,
the Michigan baseball team was
in a rough
patch.
It
had
suffered its
first home loss this past weekend,
had been pummeled Tuesday
in East Lansing and had been
struggling to hit.
The Wolverines (3-2 Big Ten,
22-9 overall) were ready to take
out their frustration. Not only did
they best the Eagles (13-17) at Ray
Fisher Stadium, they won, 19-3.
Matt
Ramsay
started
the
damage in the first inning with
two consecutive stolen bases and
the first run of the day — sparking
the team’s early 4-0 lead.
“I love stealing bases — that’s
part of my game,” the fifth-
year senior said. “We picked up
on some of their tells early on
in the game, and (the Eastern
Michigan pitchers) were pretty
slow to the plate. So I knew if I
got on base early I would have the
opportunity to steal some bases.
Luckily, I was safe.”
Senior
centerfielder
Cody
Bruder led the team’s charge
with
five
runs
batted
in
and
4-for-5
hitting.
Other
impressive
performances
came from four pinch-hitters
Bakich put in the bottom of
the seventh. Two of the pinch-
hitters were freshman Jimmy
Kerr, who had two runs, and
sophomore Matt Ross, who got
his first collegiate hit.
“I’m happy we won, but I’m
more pleased with the way we
played,” said Michigan coach Erik
Bakich. “(Ross) has been patient
for 30 games and was finally able
to play in the 31st (of the season)
and then gets his first hit. You
can’t draw it up better than that.
(Kerr) delivers a quality at-bat
that’s resulted in a base hit every
time. Maybe we need to start
giving them more opportunities.”
Added Kerr: “I want to take
every opportunity to get on base
and to get an RBI. I wanted to
keep the inning going and just get
to the next guy.”
Eastern
Michigan
made
six
pitching
substitutions,
starting in the top of the second.
Freshman Gary Clift Jr. made
his
first
career
appearance
and struck out Michigan’s first
batter, freshman Ako Thomas,
keeping Michigan off the board
in the inning.
In the bottom of the third, the
Wolverines extended their lead
by four more runs, including
a bases-clearing double to left
field by fifth-year senior Dominc
Jamett.
The Eagles
were
still
scoreless
in
the top of the
fifth, so Bakich
took
the
opportunity
to
substitute
in
freshman
pitcher
Troy
Miller for Nutof.
“It was great to put the game
away early,” Ramsay said. “I
think a lot of it has do with the
pitchers, (Nutof) did a good job
of staying in the zone and being
low in the zone and incorporating
his defense by staying low in the
strikes. I think when you have
pitchers filling up that space it just
makes the defense better.”
Eastern Michigan got on the
board in the seventh inning when
Eagle
junior
catcher
Jeremy
Stidham tripled to right center.
Stidham scored the first run of
the day for his team — it just
wasn’t nearly enough.
Michigan finished with 19
runs and nine Wolverines scored.
Junior catcher Harrison Wenson,
Benedetti and Bruder all scored
four runs each.
But though Jamett — who
played as catcher later in the game
— didn’t tally any runs, Bakich
thinks
the
designated
hitter
was instrumental to the team’s
success despite
his
minimal
playing
time
this season.
“He’s
a
senior, he’s a
captain
and
he stands for
all
the
right
things,” Bakich
said. “He represents everything
that’s great about Michigan. He’s
cemented into the foundation
of the program. I thought it was
an opportunity he deserved. He
knows that he just wants to make
a positive contribution anyway
he can and he was happy to take
advantage of that today.”
Bakich made it clear that he
felt Michigan not only won the
game, it won each inning. That’s
a feeling he’s happy to get back.
MICHIGAN
MICH. STATE
3
0
WOMEN’S TENNIS
EMU
MICHIGAN
3
19
ELIZABETH XIONG/Daily
Matt Ramsay stole two bases in the first inning Wednesday against the Eagles.
“It was great to
put the game
away early.”