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Sports
Tuesday, April 18, 2017 — 7
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ACROSS
1 Valuable stone
4 Hamilton and
Burr, notably
8 Find incredibly
funny
14 Word for a Latin
lover
15 Cookbook author
Rombauer
16 Not certain
17 Mom-and-pop
stores
20 Vietnam’s capital
21 Part of MST:
Abbr.
22 FDR’s successor
23 Serpent’s tooth
26 Irreverence
29 Alfalfa, Darla and
friends, with “the”
33 Biblical verb
ending
34 Quick hellos
35 Curbs, with “in”
38 Blackjack half
39 “God bless us,
every one!”
Dickens
character
42 Wedding notice
word
43 What hares and
mares do
45 Long, long time
46 La Brea __ Pits
47 Game with
windmills, ramps
and such
52 Coiffures
54 Move, in real
estate lingo
55 Part of MST
56 Tango maneuver
58 Higher than
62 Waterspout
climber of song
67 California’s San
__: Hearst Castle
locale
68 Filming locales
69 401(k) kin
70 Six times cinq
71 VCR insert
72 Gov. Cuomo’s
domain
DOWN
1 Deep cut
2 2016 Best
Actress Stone of
“La La Land”
3 Pained sound
4 Like a child’s love
for a parent
5 Heavenly sphere
6 Grounded bird
7 Fresh talk
8 Pioneering hip-
hop trio from
Queens
9 Single
10 Beast of burden
11 Does without
much thought
12 “Give it __!”
13 Cantankerous
18 Barn storage
space
19 “How sweet __!”
24 Classic grape
soda
25 Smile that may
be silly
27 Eggplant __:
Italian entrée,
briefly
28 L’eau land?
29 Shakespearean
king with three
daughters
30 Nagging desire
31 College
freshman’s
comment about
why his parents
call so often
32 Until now
36 Patricia of “Hud”
37 Medieval laborer
39 Take care of
40 Vacation option
41 Memo heading
44 Defunct Soviet
space station
48 First-aid fluid
49 “__ happens ... ”
50 Pass, as time
51 Mongolian desert
52 Bank holdup
53 No longer
sleeping
57 “Hey, get a load
of this”
59 Chief Norse god
60 Quite
61 Significant
periods
63 Kyoto cash
64 Droid
65 Positive vote
66 Gas additive
brand
By Jeffrey Wechsler
©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
04/18/17
04/18/17
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
xwordeditor@aol.com
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AUTOMOTIVE
Blanco providing spark at the plate
Michigan first baseman Tera
Blanco came to the plate in the top
of the first inning last Wednesday
with a runner on second base and a
two-run cushion already in tow.
Blanco patiently worked a 3-2
count before finding her pitch; she
didn’t miss. Keeping her weight
back, she blasted the fastball to
center, rocketing what appeared
to be a shot headed for Yost and
beyond.
But the ball plummeted just
feet too short, allowing Michigan
State centerfielder Lea Foerster to
make a spectacular leaping grab
just left of the “222” sign under the
flagpole, indicating the deepest
part of the ballpark. It may have
been frustrating for Blanco at the
time, but the result didn’t mar the
progress that has become apparent
in her approach at the plate.
This type of approach — one
complete with high contact level,
pitch recognition and patience
— hasn’t been there for the
Wolverines’ fans to see since last
year’s Women’s College World
Series.
In her next at-bat, in the third
inning,
the
Spartans
wanted
nothing to do with Blanco —
walking her on five pitches with
first base open and two outs.
Neglecting to force the issue,
Blanco took her base, extending
an inning that very well may have
halted there just weeks ago. Two
batters later, a bases-loaded walk
of junior infielder Amanda Vargas
would tack on another run and
extend the lead to four.
While Blanco’s day may appear
inconsequential in the scorebook —
no hits, no runs batted in, one walk,
one run scored — her approach
offered more evidence of a player
breaking out when her team needs
it most.
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins
believes her improved mentality
has led to her across-the-board
improvement.
“Tera has done her part and
embraced pitching,” Hutchins said.
“She wants to win and wants to
be good. She’s improved in every
category and most importantly in
attitude.”
It’s been no secret that the
junior first baseman/right-hander
has underperformed at the plate
relative to expectations. Blanco
was perhaps the second-most
productive Wolverine hitter last
season, behind only Sierra Romero.
After a monstrous 2016 season —
.404 average, 66 RBI, 12 home runs,
.537 on-base percentage, etc. —
Blanco was slotted into the middle
of the order to start the season.
With a young offense now devoid of
the same firepower that headlined
the 2016 lineup, Blanco, at least,
could assuredly be counted on.
Until she couldn’t.
Perhaps her increased role in the
circle affected her, perhaps it didn’t.
Perhaps it was unfair to expect
the same production at the plate
— alongside her role in the circle —
right away, perhaps it wasn’t.
Blanco admits that the increased
workload has an impact mentally,
though she has readily denied that
the dual role directly affects her
performance.
“It’s something I’ve had to get
used to this year, but I really enjoy
it,” Blanco said earlier in the season.
“I love being in the lineup and
having to make an impact on the
game. It’s a lot to handle mentally,
probably, I think that’s the biggest
thing.”
She took that same approach
into the weekend series against
Maryland, this time with better
statistical success.
Deadlocked in a 1-1 tie in the
top of the fifth inning Sunday,
Blanco stepped in with a runner
in scoring position and two outs.
She identified her pitch, knocking a
sharp single back up the middle to
bring in the go-ahead run.
This time, there was no robbing
Blanco of her production.
And really, the game against the
Terrapins was just one part of a
larger trend.
Over the last 15 games — a
significant sample size — Blanco
has posted a .382 average, with 16
RBI. In addition, her 10 walks and
just three strikeouts over the same
span are a testament to a more
patient approach that has keyed the
turnaround.
While it’s not certain what was
hindering Blanco at the begining of
the season, what is apparent are the
changes that she has shown lately.
The changes Blanco has noticed;
the changes Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins has noticed; the changes
that just may change the course of
the Wolverines’ season.
BASEBALL
Michigan preparing
for Michigan State
The No. 13 Michigan baseball
team (6-3 Big Ten, 29-7 overall)
will
face
in-state
rival
Michigan
State
in
a
midweek
matchup
Tuesday.
While
this
contest
is
considered
a
non-
conference
game — a full
Big Ten series
will be played
later
in
the
season
—
it
will provide a
strong test for
the surging Wolverines.
Michigan is coming off a
sweep of No. 18 Oklahoma,
while the Spartans (5-4, 20-12)
dropped their series finale
Sunday against Ohio State after
taking the first two games.
Tuesday’s game figures to
produce a high number of hits
and runs, with both teams
leading the Big Ten in batting
average — the Wolverines are
first with a .294 average and
the Spartans come in a close
second at .293.
Michigan’s
current
hot
hitters
include
sophomore
second baseman Ako Thomas,
batting .350, and sophomore
designated hitter Nick Poirier,
batting .324, sitting in the first
and seventh slot of the lineup,
respectively. The Wolverines’
squad
is
deep,
something
Michigan State is no stranger
to.
Outfielder Brandon Hughes
leads the Spartans with a
.336 average, and it doesn’t
get much worse from there
— catcher Matt Byars rounds
out the team with the lowest
batting average of the starters,
yet still bats .263.
Michigan’s
offense
sputtered during last Tuesday’s
matchup
against
Eastern
Michigan, but fortunately for
the Wolverines, their defense
was as sharp as ever. This
has become a common theme
for Michigan, as it leads the
Big Ten with a .984 fielding
percentage.
But after the Wolverines’
impressive
win
over
the
Sooners on Sunday — when
Michigan recorded 17 hits — it
may be back to top offensive
performance.
Getting a lot of hits will be
no easy task against a strong
Michigan State pitching staff,
though. The Spartans sit third
in the Big Ten with a team 3.43
earned-run
average.
Right-
hander
Mike
Mokma
will
most likely be on the bump for
Tuesday’s game and he enters
the game with a 2.77 ERA.
On the hill for the Wolverines
will
be
junior
left-hander
Michael Hendrickson. He is
the normal Sunday starter for
Michigan, but after he suffered
a broken nose last week, junior
right-hander Alec Rennard had
to step in. Hendrickson needed
the extra couple of days to
rest, but Michigan coach Erik
Bakich assured he will be ready
for Tuesday’s game.
While Hendrickson has a
4.25 ERA, he has the experience
of a weekend starter and has
played against the Wolverines’
toughest opponents.
And for the most part, the
Michigan’s toughest opponents
are Michigan State’s as well.
The Wolverines and Spartans
have
many
common
foes,
the most recent being Notre
Dame, Eastern Michigan and
Western Michigan. Michigan
defeated all three, whereas
Michigan State fell to each,
with all of the games being
midweek
matchups.
The
Spartans have not been strong
in midweek games as of late,
dropping their last three by
one run each.
The Wolverines on the other
hand have proven they can
win the close games, as their
last two midweek games were
both won by one run each. If
Tuesday’s game is close, the
Wolverines’ prowess in close
games seem to give them the
advantage.
MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Writer
ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily
Junior first baseman Tera Blanco has managed to post a .382 average over the last 15 games — a sign of improvement at the plate that the Wolverines needed.
‘M’ looking to sweep Spartans
With its perfect record at
Alumni Field on the line last
week, the Michigan softball
team managed a 5-1 win over
Michigan State, thanks to an
effort that saw the Wolverines
tally twice as many hits as the
Spartans. Right-hander Megan
Betsa
tossed
17
strikeouts,
matching
her
career-best
performance in the circle.
On Tuesday, the 18th-ranked
Wolverines (11-2 Big Ten, 31-9-
1 overall) will look to complete
the season sweep against their
in-state foe just a week later.
Both Michigan and Michigan
State (5-8, 21-16-0) have hit
bumps in the road since their
last encounter.
While
it
appeared
the
Wolverines
—
the
then-top
team in the conference this
past weekend — would have
little trouble routing Maryland,
this was not the case. The
Terrapins robbed Michigan of a
series sweep with a 2-1 victory
Saturday,
even
though
the
Spartans had swept Maryland
just two weeks ago.
As the Wolverine offense was
unable to jumpstart Saturday,
the lineup saw significant shifts
for Sunday’s game. The changes
seemed to pay off, as a seventh-
inning rally allowed Michigan
to overcome Maryland, 4-3,
eking out the 2-1 series victory.
“I’m glad we got through
it,” said Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins after the series.
One point of consistency that
has been the Wolverines’ saving
grace throughout the season is
the performance of Betsa. The
ace notched two complete-game
victories in the circle, tossing
26 more strikeouts, boosting
her total on the season to 292 —
good for No. 1 in the nation.
“Megan’s been a rock for
us,” Hutchins said. “She’s our
leader. She’s throwing right
now with an offense that’s
underperforming. So she’s got
to have nerves of steel, and I was
really proud of her. I thought she
really had a gutsy performance
(Sunday).”
Michigan
State
faced
struggles of its own on the
weekend.
Though
the
Spartans
intended to host Illinois at its
own Secchia Softball Stadium,
flooding prevented this from
happening, and their matchups
were instead held at Davenport
University. The field has been
an issue all season, and now
water damage has Michigan
State’s infield and outfield to be
replaced.
The Spartans were swept
by
the
Illini,
including
a
heartbreaker Saturday in which
Michigan State took Illinois
to extra innings, but ended
up falling, 6-5. The Spartans
are now on a four-game losing
streak.
It is clear that both teams
are looking for a spark heading
into Tuesday’s game, though the
Spartans may need it more.
But with some recent low
points — a game dropped to
Ohio State and a game dropped
to Maryland — it will be pivotal
that the Wolverines come into
the game with confidence.
And if they can beat Michigan
State, that confidence could also
be important to carry over for
Michigan heading into next
weekend’s series against Big
Ten competitor Wisconsin.
PAIGE VOEFFRAY
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan
State at
Michigan
Matchup:
Michigan
6-3 Big Ten,
29-7 overall;
Michigan State
5-4, 20-12
When:
Tuesday 6
P.M. ET
Where: Ray
Fisher Stadium
ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer
ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins and her team have a shot to sweep Michigan State