The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, March 29, 2017 — 7A
‘M’ defeats UMBC,
continues hot start
Coming off a bye week
following a run of three wins
in a row, the No. 20 Michigan
men’s lacrosse team defeated
Maryland-Baltimore County by
a final score of 10-7 on Saturday
afternoon.
In its first game since the
biggest win in the program’s
history — a 13-12 victory against
No. 10 Penn — Michigan (8-1)
was able to avoid a letdown and
outlast the Retrievers (3-5).
With
a
pair
of early goals
from
senior
midfielder
Mikie
Schlosser,
the
Wolverines
took a 2-0 lead
early in the first
quarter, which
left
UMBC
fighting
from
behind for the
rest of the game.
“We have a lot of respect for
UMBC,” said Michigan coach
John Paul. “They’re a very good
team and they’ve been playing
really well recently. We kind
of had a feeling the way they
play that this was gonna be a
game we’d really have to gut
out. More than anything, I’m
just really proud of the guys for
doing what we needed to do to
get the W and move on.”
As has been the theme for
much of the regular season, the
Wolverines were led by their
three-star
offensive
players,
sophomore
attacker
Brent
Noseworthy (the team’s leading
scorer for the season) senior
attacker Ian King and Schlosser.
The trio provided the offense
needed for the victory. King
and Noseworthy each tallied
three goals on the afternoon,
combining
with
Schlosser’s
early pair for eight of the team’s
10 goals.
“Mikie kind of put us on his
back at the start, and he brings
so much energy to us,” Paul
said. “Our theme today was to
start and finish. I’m glad to see
that start.”
After controlling much of
the first half and taking a 6-4
lead into halftime, Michigan
saw UMBC find its way back
into the game in the middle of
the third quarter. A three-goal
lead was trimmed to one as the
Retrievers began to find their
offensive momentum with goals
from Max Maxwell and Max
Haldeman.
The following five minutes
were extremely
tense
for
the
Wolverines,
as
they
attempted
to prevent the
Retrievers from
tying the game
up.
Finally,
Noseworthy
restored
the
multi-goal
lead
by
completing
his hat trick with
four seconds remaining in the
third quarter, and King iced
the game with 5:03 remaining
in the fourth quarter before
completing his own hat trick
with 1:01 left to finish the
scoring for the Wolverines.
The
well-rounded
performance offered a great
tune-up as the Wolverines
embark on a final stretch of
six games that feature five
ranked opponents to conclude
the regular season. As the
young program has achieved a
national ranking for the first
time in its existence, figuring
out how to put away winnable
games before they get tight
is essential for the ascent to
continue.
“We stick with what works
for us (when the game tightens
up), working the ball around,
getting a look and making the
shots that we need to make,”
Noseworthy said. “Once we
played our game, we really
calmed it down, and we have a
chance against any team.”
Michigan bench gains experience in blowout
While the Michigan baseball
team’s 12-0 victory over Toledo
(0-3 Mid-American Conference,
5-19 overall) was just another
day at the office for the starters,
it was an eye-opening game for
the Wolverine’s bench.
“It’s two-fold,” said Michigan
coach Erik Bakich. “Number
one, it helps them because it
gives
them
repetitions
and
opportunities
to
compete.
And number two, it gives the
starters, who have been in there
every inning of every game, a
little bit of a breather … We want
to be able to take advantage of
that and keep those guys fresh
for the entire year.”
Once the Wolverines (1-2
Big Ten, 18-6 overall) took a
substantial lead, Bakich decided
to use the comfortable margin to
play some players who had just
a few appearances this season.
Five fielders — who had just 10
appearances combined prior to
Tuesday — were substituted in
the game.
The standout bench player
was junior catcher Brock Keener,
who came in to relieve junior
catcher Drew Lugbauer behind
the plate. In just his second
at-bat in a Michigan uniform,
Keener notched his first hit as a
Wolverine with a single through
the right side, earning his first
run batted in as well.
Keener’s
hit
earned
Michigan’s
10th
run
and
propelled the Wolverines to tack
on two more before the end of
the inning.
“Everything matters,” Keener
said. “Not saying practice doesn’t
matter,
but
you
contribute
towards the wins and losses.
The game’s sped up a little bit
and instead of playing against
your team, everybody’s all going
towards the same mission.”
But
besides
Keener,
the
bench’s hitting was off the mark.
Redshirt freshman infielder
George Hewitt appeared in just
two games this season and had
only one at-bat previously. His
inexperience showed when he
struck out twice.
While
the
field
didn’t
experience much action due
to the lack of offense in the
Rockets’
lineup,
there
was
still an opportunity to see new
pitchers go to work.
Freshman
right-hander
Karl
Kauffman
made
three
appearances for Michigan prior
to the game’s matchup, but had
his best game yet against Toledo.
He came in to relieve junior
right-hander Jayce Vancena on
the bump at the start of the sixth
inning.
Kauffman
opened
action
against the Rockets with three
straight strikeouts to retire the
side. Immediately, he earned a
new career high in strikeouts
per game — a record he would
add to in the next inning.
He has appeared in 3.1 innings
this season and almost doubled
that in one outing by pitching
2.0 more Tuesday.
With the last two innings
approaching
and
Toledo
unlikely to make a comeback,
the
Wolverines
brought
in
redshirt sophomore left-hander
Grant Reuss.
Reuss had pitched in just 1.1
innings this season, but has
managed to make his mark in
what little playing time he has
received. He had four strikeouts
this season and added two
more in the one inning that he
pitched.
“Grant Reuss looked very
good in his inning,” Bakich said.
“He’s a junior now and really
struggled with command his
first couple years, and he’s done
a very nice job of commanding
his fastball in all the outings
that he’s had so far this season.
“He’s a guy that is very much
improved and looks very good
out there on the mound.”
While it remains to be seen
when these reserves will see
the field again, experiences like
the one they got against Toledo
could prove to be vital as the
season progresses.
Wolverines survive against Central Michigan
In its series finale against
Penn State on Sunday, the
Michigan
softball
team’s
offense exploded, scoring a
season-high 17 runs on 13 hits.
Yet
amidst
the
ballooning
production
and
excitement,
Kelly Christner wasn’t herself
at the plate, and hadn’t been for
a while.
Despite the Wolverines’ big
game, the senior centerfielder
had only one hit on the entire
weekend. After starting the
season on an offensive tear —
22 runs batted in over the first
22 games — Christner didn’t
collect another RBI for two
weeks, stuck in an offensive
slump.
But Tuesday, not only did
Christner make her presence at
the plate known again, she was
Michigan’s sole saving grace
offensively.
Christner
went
2-for-2
against Central Michigan (2-1
Mid-American
Conference,
17-9
overall),
contributing
both of the Wolverines’ RBI,
with a third-inning solo shot
to right field and a single up
the middle in the fifth frame.
Her production lifted No. 20
Michigan (3-0 Big Ten, 23-7-1
overall) past the Chippewas,
2-0, in a midweek pitcher’s
duel en route to the Wolverines’
ninth-straight victory.
“(Christner) was just locked
in,”
said
Michigan
coach
Carol Hutchins. “We needed
somebody to come through for
us, and we’re very pleased that
Kelly did.”
Amidst its short one-game
break from Big Ten competition,
Michigan appeared to have
backtracked — dealing with
many of the same struggles
that plagued the team early on
in the season. The Wolverines
demonstrated
weak
swings
at the plate and did not have
a hit until the third inning,
leaving
numerous
runners
stranded on base. These flaws
were
underscored
in
the
seventh inning, when despite
loading the bases with no outs,
Michigan couldn’t score.
“We really couldn’t seem to
get our kids to lock in and to
stay with the game plan to try
to drive our outside pitch to
the righties,” Hutchins said.
“We took a lot of really feeble
swings, not what we’ve been
working on, and not what I
think we’ve gotten better at. We
really didn’t look like we had a
great edge to play today.”
Despite the poor offensive
performance, the Wolverines
still ended the game with a
victory
due
to
Christner’s
RBI. A pair of hits and a single
posted by senior shortstop Abby
Ramirez and sophomore catcher
Alex
Sobczak,
respectively,
were Michigan’s only other hits
on the day.
Central Michigan, on the
other hand, couldn’t find a way
onto the scoreboard. Aware
that the Chippewas would start
ace right-hander Rachel Knapp
— who touts 135 strikeouts on
the season — Hutchins decided
to pitch senior right-hander
Megan Betsa for a second-
straight game.
“They pitched their ace,”
Hutchins said. “And we pitched
ours.”
And as Hutchins’ prediction
of intensity from the opposition
in the circle and a low-scoring
game became reality, Betsa
verified that she was primed for
the job.
The
senior
right-hander
threw
her
fifth
straight
complete-game
shutout,
delivering nine strikeouts and
allowing only one hit. The
ace has found her groove as of
late, striking out 68 batters and
allowing no runs over her past
36 innings in the circle.
Her prowess shined in the
third inning, striking out the
side, and then again in the
fourth when she got out of
a two-runner, one-out jam,
tossing back-to-back strikeouts
that allowed the Wolverines to
leave the frame unscathed.
“Honestly,
(Betsa)
did
amazing, which isn’t unusual
for her,” Christner said. “She
goes out there and just attacks
them from the start, and it
really just sets the tone.”
Though Michigan managed
to escape the game through the
tenacity of Betsa and Christner,
the Wolverines will need more
contributions
throughout
the lineup when they face
tougher opponents. They know
that relying on a sole player
to produce offensively is an
unsustainable practice.
“I think we could have made
an
adjustment
(to
Knapp)
earlier,” Christner said. “You
need to know what (the pitcher)
is going to throw you and what
her process is. We have to find
better ways to get on base, find
longer at-bats and find better
at-bats overall.”
MEN’S LACROSSE
JAKE KARALEXIS
For the Daily
“Once we play
our game, we
really calmed it
down.”
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
‘M’ contributes to win
in Pac-12/B1G challenge
With
a
series
of
solid
individual performances, the
Michigan women’s track and
field team helped the Big Ten
win in the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten
Challenge.
With
their
57
points,
the
Wolverines
finished
considerably behind first-place
Nebraska’s 142, finishing eighth
out of eight teams overall in the
tournament.
Junior Claire Kieffer-Wright
led
the
way
for
Michigan
with her 1.75-
meter jump in
the high-jump,
enough to finish
first after a tie-
break.
“I
always
enjoy it when
I get to open
up my season
pretty strong,”
Kieffer-Wright said.
Kieffer-Wright was able to
bring home the victory after
neither her nor her opponents
were able to clear the 1.78-
meter jump. Since she had fewer
misses throughout the day she
was awarded the win.
“She’s just a workhorse,”
said Wolverines’ coach James
Henry. “She’s willing to work
hard … (and) set an example as
a captain.”
Kieffer-Wright’s consistently
solid
performances
are
especially impressive given that
she is also a part of Michigan’s
volleyball team.
While Henry said that this
commitment has taken a toll on
her body, he praised her ability
to balance both sports.
Kieffer-Wright was not the
only Wolverine to have a good
showing. Junior Aaron Howell
followed
her
teammate’s
victory, finishing third in the
high jump with her 1.70-meter
jump. Juniors Claire Borchers
and
Sydney
Badger,
along
with redshirt freshman Meg
Darmofal, finished 5-6-7 in the
1,500-meter run.
Freshman
Jade
Harrison
finished fourth in the 100-meter
run, starting her outdoor season
strong after a very good first
indoor season with Michigan.
Despite the series of good
performances, Henry stressed
that he was not increasing his
expectations of her.
With
some
athletes
sitting
out
after
competing in the
NCAA
Indoor
Championships
two weeks ago,
the
challenge
also
served
as
a
good
opportunity
for many of the
younger athletes
to compete.
While the transition from
indoor to outdoor takes place
over
a
short
time-period,
neither Henry nor Kieffer-
Wright viewed the shift as
particularly difficult.
“It’s a lot of the same,”
Kieffer-Wright said. “You strive
for your best every meet.”
Henry
also
stressed
the
importance of recovering and
rehab after a tough finish to the
indoor season.
“We’ve got to do well in the
long-term,” he said.
With a good start to the
outdoor season behind her,
Kieffer-Wright
—
a
bronze
medalist at last year’s Big Ten
Outdoor
Championship
—
stressed that her focus remains
on contributing to her team,
saying “as long as I can score
points for my team, that’s all
that really matters to me.”
CHRISTIAN NEUBACHER
Daily Sports Writer
“It’s a lot of the
same. You strive
for your best
every meet.”
AARON BAKER/Daily
Junior catcher Brock Keener notched valuable playing time against Toledo on Tuesday afternoon and gave the Wolverines their 10th run of the game.
PAIGE VOEFFRAY
Daily Sports Writer
ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer
MARINA ROSS/Daily
Senior centerfielder Kelly Christner went 2-for-2 with a two-run homerun against the Chippewas on Tuesday.