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.