Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, March 22, 2017 — 7A
Blanco leads ‘M’ past Bowling Green
The Wolverines may have had
to wait six days longer than they
wished, but they were ready out
of the gate
Tuesday.
The
Michigan
softball
team
(18-7-1)
proved
themselves
unfazed
by
two
weather
postponements
last
week that pushed back a matchup
with
Bowling
Green
(14-17)
originally scheduled for March
15. The Wolverines jumped on
the Falcons’ right-hander Brooke
Parker early and never looked
back, outlasting Bowling Green,
7-1.
A Falcon error in the first inning
allowed junior right-hander Tera
Blanco to reach first base to load
the bases. The gaffe immediately
proved costly for the Falcons, as
a hit-by-pitch and a sharp RBI
single from senior third baseman
Lindsay Montemerano brought
in the first two runs of the game.
Junior infielder Amanda Vargas
followed that up with a two-run
single to break the game open and
give Michigan an early four-run
lead.
Michigan would grab two more
runs on another Vargas single in
the bottom of the third inning to
extend the lead to 6-0 and chase
Parker from the game.
“The goal is to outscore the
other team,” said Michigan coach
Carol Hutchins. “It’s always nice
to jump ahead — it puts the other
team on their heels — but right
now I’ll take runs any way we can
get them.”
For a team that has struggled
with runners in scoring position
this
season,
Vargas’
calm
approach in those situations was
a welcome sign. The key for her,
she says, is maintaining the same
mental approach.
“Pretty much the mindset is,
‘You need to just be calm, relaxed,
and do everything you we do in
practice’ … taking our normal cuts
and not overthinking it,” Vargas
said. “We just need to calm down.”
With the six-run cushion,
Blanco took care of the rest in the
circle.
Against
a
patient,
but
overmatched
lineup,
Blanco
allowed one run on five hits in her
complete-game outing.
Blanco was also able to keep
the ball in the zone against a
Bowling Green lineup that has
walked over 80 times this season,
surrendering only one walk on
the day while also adding eight
strikeouts.
Continuing
to
show
improvement in that category,
Blanco allowed just two free-
passes in her last 21 innings, in
sharp contrast to the 25 walks she
allowed in her first 52.2 innings of
the year.
She was tested, though, in
the top of the fifth inning, when
Bowling Green managed an RBI
single to put runners on first and
second with only one out. But
Blanco snuffed out the potential
rally,
striking
out
outfielder
Kendyl Wheeler and fielding a
grounder cleanly to get the runner
at first to end the threat.
“I think she’s just getting
more comfortable in her role
as our other pitcher,” Hutchins
said. “Like, she’s pitching every
other game, I think she’s gotten
comfortable in that role for
us. She’s owning it, she knows
we count on her, I think she’s
accepting it and embracing it.”
Sophomore
catcher
Katie
Alexander immediately grabbed
the
run
back,
putting
an
exclamation point on the win with
a no-doubt, solo home run to left-
center field to extend the lead back
to six. The home run was her first
of the season, another positive
sign for Alexander, who seems to
be heating up in the batters box
and seizing the regular starting
job behind the plate.
And as the team moves forward,
it may be contributions from the
likes of Alexander, Vargas and
others that give Michigan the
necessary boost to move past its
prolongued slump.
With the pitching rotation
starting to stabilize — and if that
slump is indeed over — more
offensive consistency could be
the final piece to the puzzle as the
team heads towards conference
play.
MARINA ROSS/Daily
Junior right-hander Tera Blanco led the Michigan softball team to a 7-1 win over Bowling Green on Tuesday.
MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Writer
Barnes Arico to face
former team in NIT
Fifteen years ago, Kim Barnes
Arico accepted the position of head
coach at St. John’s in Queens, N.Y.,
after helming Adelphi’s program
for three seasons. She was moving,
for the first time, into Division I
women’s basketball.
Fast forward 10 years, and Barnes
Arico exited that program as the
winningest coach in school history
with a total of 176 victories. In her
final season with the Red Storm,
her team went 24-10 and advanced
— for the first time — to the Sweet 16
in the NCAA Tournament.
At the end of the season, though,
Barnes Arico left a program that she
had built almost from the ground
up – before her arrival the team had
never won a game in the Big East –
to become a Wolverine.
And, for the first time in her five-
year tenure as the head coach of
the Michigan women’s basketball
team, Barnes Arico is set to face her
previous school.
“It’s definitely a little emotional
for me,” Barnes Arico said. “But, at
the end of the day, I bleed blue.
“(I’m going to show) no mercy,
for sure,” Barnes Arico said. “St.
John’s will always hold this special
place in my heart.”
Since Barnes Arico’s departure,
Joe Tartamella serves as the head
of St. John’s program. Previous to
that position, he had been on staff
for nine seasons under Barnes
Arico and had served four of them
as associate head coach. Tartamella
is known for his recruitment.
Tartamella isn’t the only familiar
face that Barnes Arico will see
on the opposing bench Thursday.
Assistant coach Da’Shena Stevens
played for Barnes Arico, assistant
coach Jonath Nicholas also assisted
Barnes Arico, and the director of
basketball
operations,
Veronica
Mullen, was a player for Barnes
Arico at Adelphi.
Predictably, Barnes Arico holds a
place for them all.
“My former graduate assistant —
who married one of my assistants
who had played for me — is the head
coach now and they have three little
kids,” Barnes Arico said. “They’re
going to bring the whole family out
and a bunch of my players are on
the bench there as well as former
players.”
Notably, St. John’s has infiltrated
Crisler Center not just through
Barnes Arico, but also through
Michigan assistant coaches Joy
McCorvey and Megan Duffy who
played and sidelined, respectively,
under Barnes Arico as a Red Storm.
The large, albeit unconventional,
community that Ann Arbor and
Queens share will be put to the
test in the upcoming fourth-round
game of the WNIT. Barnes Arico
has been able to dodge the bullet of
competing against her former team
before, but was unsuccessful this
year.
While a Wolverine, Barnes Arico
has managed to bring Michigan to
an NCAA Tournament appearance
her first year here in 2012, as
well as appear in four WNITs —
though the snubs by the NCAA
selection committee mar the latter
accomplishment.
At the end of the day, Barnes
Arico is ready to bring her team past
Thursday’s battle. Her players have
been reiterating they want to do this
to prove a point that they deserved a
bid to the NCAA Tournament, they
want to do this for their seniors
and they want to do this to unfurl
a WNIT championship banner for
the first time at Crisler.
“I am thrilled this game is going
to be at Crisler,” Barnes Arico said.
“And in front of our home fans to
give our team an opportunity, once
again, to play on our home court.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BOWLING GREEN
MICHIGAN
1
7
Michigan prepping for high-powered WMU
On Tuesday, Michigan coach
Erik Bakich was asked about his
No. 18 Michigan baseball team’s
upcoming Big Ten debut against
Maryland this weekend on WTKA.
Bakich quickly pointed out that
the Wolverines “can’t look ahead”
past their Wednesday showdown
against Western Michigan at Ray
Fisher Stadium.
Wisely, Bakich isn’t overlooking
the Broncos (9-7), who have
won eight of their last 10 games,
including a victory this past Sunday
at Evansville, 4-3. The Wolverines
are equally hot, winning eight of
nine and sweeping their Sunday
doubleheader against Northern
Illinois.
While coming out on top is
always the goal, state supremacy
is also on the line. The last time
the two state foes played – March
26, 2014 – Michigan won 12-4.
The Wolverines (15-4) will look
to continue their winning ways
against Western Michigan and
garner the upper hand in the
matchup.
Nevertheless, Michigan and
junior pitcher Jayce Vancena have
a daunting task ahead of them,
facing a fierce Broncos lineup.
Western Michigan ranks 10th in
the NCAA with a .327 team batting
average and boasts an impressive
.418 on-base percentage. The
Broncos’ offense is led by junior
Tanner Allison, who earned a Mid-
American West Conference player
of the week nod last month. Allison,
an outfielder who also pitches,
leads
Western
Michigan
in
hits,
slugging
percentage, runs
scored,
home
runs, runs batted
in
and
batting
average at .435.
In
order
to
overcome
the
efficient Broncos
offense,
Bakich
will
implement
the
same
unassuming game plan the team
has used all season.
“The recipe for us has been
very simple,” Bakich said. “Quality
starts, good defense, timely hits.
That’s really been our key to
finding ways to win.”
While reliable play in all phases
of the game will be necessary to
defeat Western Michigan, the
Wolverines will have to continue
their impressive play on defense.
Michigan currently ranks 14th
in the NCAA with a .982 fielding
percentage.
“One
thing
we’ve
done
consistently is played a high level
of defense with
some really good
playmakers on the
field,” Bakich said.
Throughout
the
early
part
of
the
season,
Bakich repeatedly
complimented his
team’s
defense.
He is not only
impressed
with
their
ability
to
make the routine
plays, but also the web-gem plays
that give momentum to the squad
and can often save runs.
For Michigan to come out
victorious, it must continue its
strong play on defense, as only one
error may prove the difference
against the talented bats of the
Broncos. Given any extra outs,
Western
Michigan
possesses
the offense to capitalize with
additional runs.
The Wolverines will also look
to separate themselves on the
basepaths.
Michigan
currently
ranks fourth in the NCAA with
2.26 steals per game and ranks
fifth with 43 stolen bases. The
Wolverines’ aggressive approach
on the bases should allow them to
put runners in scoring position and
could potentially lead to the game-
defining run.
However, Michigan may see
limited success on the bases
against the Broncos, as Western
Michigan
catcher
Jesse
Forestell has allowed just four
stolen bases on the season.
While Michigan possesses
the personnel to come out
victorious, Western Michigan’s
offense and catcher will be lofty
obstacles to overcome.
HUNTER SHARF
Daily Sports Writer
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Michigan baseball coach Erik Bakich will have to have his team ready to square off against a potent offense when it takes on Western Michigan.
“The recipe for
us has
been very
simple.”
Coughlan lifts monkey
off Wolverines’ backs
In an exciting back-and-forth
battle, the Michigan women’s
lacrosse team claimed its first
Big Ten victory in program
history by taking down Ohio
State (0-1 Big Ten, 5-5 overall)
in overtime, 12-11. It marks
the Wolverines’ first win over
the Buckeyes in their last five
meetings.
Michigan (1-0, 3-7) rolled
into Columbus on Saturday
riding the momentum it gained
from a blowout win over Detroit
on
Wednesday
night.
That
energy was zapped early in the
game, however, as the Buckeyes
jumped out to a 5-1 lead.
The Wolverines rallied in
the final seven minutes of the
first half, led by senior attacker
Lauren
Oberlander,
who
scored four goals in the game.
Sophomore goalie Mira Shane
stopped a free-position attempt
in the waning moments of the
frame, allowing the Wolverines
to enter halftime down just two
goals with momentum on their
side.
“We had about 20 shots in
the first half, we just weren’t
placing
them
the
way
we
needed
to,”
said
Michigan
coach Jennifer Ulehla. “So, we
talked about it at halftime, and
I knew we were going to get just
as many opportunities, it’s just
a matter of really being able to
finish it.”
As
Ulehla
expected,
Michigan’s
opportunities
eventually
translated
into
goals
in
the
second
half.
During a stretch in which they
scored five straight times, the
Wolverines took their first
lead of the game, 8-7 with 14:10
remaining. Just over three
minutes later, senior midfielder
Anna Schueler scored her 100th
career goal to extend the lead
to 9-7.
With less than five minutes
to play, Michigan held an 11-8
lead. But, similar to the rest
of the team’s wins since the
program’s inception, it would
not come easily.
Ohio State scored two quick
goals to cut the Wolverines’ lead
to one. Stunned, the Wolverines
struggled
to
maintain
the
energy that had carried them on
that 5-0 run early in the second
half. With just 43.3 seconds
left in regulation, the Buckeyes
scored a third consecutive goal
to tie the game at 11 apiece.
The game would come down to
sudden-death overtime.
“I (told the team) that every
single one of you has to be
thinking that we’re coming up
with this draw and we’re going
down on the offensive end and
that we’re going to shoot and
score. Period. There is no way
that we are leaving this stadium
without a ‘W’,” Ulehla said.
Inspired by Ulehla’s message,
the Wolverines put the final
five minutes of the second half
behind
them
and
returned
to the field with a renewed
intensity in overtime. After
winning the draw, they set up
their offense and prepared to
strike.
The ball got tossed around
the perimeter for nearly a
minute before it finally ended
up in the netting of senior
attacker Kim Coughlan’s stick
in front of the goal. Like she
has so many times during her
illustrious
Michigan
career,
Coughlan
delivered
with
a
game-winning shot and gave
the Wolverines the thrilling
12-11 victory.
“It was unbelievable. All
the seniors after that goal just
looked at each other and broke
down,” Coughlan said. “We’ve
been working for this for four
years now.”
Michigan
will
look
to
extend its winning streak to
three games when it hosts
Northwestern
on
Thursday.
And with the burden of winning
their first Big Ten game finally
lifted, the Wolverines look
forward to the rest of their
conference
schedule
with
increased confidence.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
KARL FINKBEINER
For the Daily
SYLVANNA GROSS
Daily Sports Editor