The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
Monday, February 12, 2018 — 3B

Two dominant wins Friday. 

Two harrowing losses Saturday. 
A closeout win and a sigh of relief 
Sunday.

For the softball team, it was 

déjà vu.

Opening their season in the 

annual 
USF 
Wilson-Demarini 

Tournament, 
the 
Wolverines 

tallied three wins and two losses 
over the span of three days. 
Similar to the year prior, the team 
put on a first-day show, only to let 
the next two closely-contested 
games slip away before bouncing 
back with a convincing win.

The difference? This year’s 

team 
is 
younger 
and 
less 

experienced but has plenty of 
room to grow.

On Friday, Michigan posted 

back-to-back 
shutouts 
— 
7-0 

against 
Alabama-Birmingham 

and 8-0 against Georgia State 
— through the efforts of senior 
starting right-hander and first 
baseman 
Tera 
Blanco 
and 

freshman left-hander Meghan 
Beaubien.

In an otherwise stressless 

day, the biggest scare for the 
Wolverines came at the end of their 
first game against the Blazers. 
After Blanco had weathered the 
storm by keeping UAB scoreless 
through seven innings, Beaubien 
came in for her first collegiate 
appearance to close it, attempting 
to hold a 7-0 lead.

Throwing 
her 
first 
pitch, 

Beaubien hit the batter squarely 
in the chest, awarding the UAB 
hitter first base. Shortly after, 
she allowed consecutive infield 
and right field singles to load the 
bases.

Facing the pressure of loaded 

bases and a potential comeback, 
though, was no scare for the 
freshman, as she struck out 
two Blazers before forcing a 
groundout to second.

“Just one pitch at a time, you 

know, go after the hitters, trust 
my defense, don’t think too hard 
about the runners on base or the 
next batter coming up,” Beaubien 
said. “Just one pitch at a time and 
relax.”

Her mentality gave her the 

start against Georgia State, where 
she pitched a six-inning no hitter. 
Her defense, however, paved the 
way for her success, allowing her 
to pitch with little to no pressure.

Up five at the bottom of the 

fifth, senior utility player Aidan 
Falk dove to the ground in pursuit 
of the ball. With a one-handed 
grab, she came up with the play 
— one of many crowd-stirring 
defensive play — to further 
prevent any chances of an upset 
from the Panthers.

Despite the shutout, there were 

mistakes here and there.

But to Michigan coach Carol 

Hutchins, those mistakes were 
necessary to show the team that it 
still had room to improve.

“You know, we saw some 

great moments from our team,” 
Hutchins said. “We had some 
great offense. We had some great 
pitching. We made some great 
defensive plays and played some 
good softball.

“And then I thought we showed 

some signs that there are some 
areas to improve and not just at 
the game of softball. But I told 
them today, I think our mindset 
needs to become more consistent, 
and to have a consistency to our 
game we’re gonna need to have a 
consistency to our minds.”

The lack of consistency in its 

mindset showed after the first day. 
Before Saturday, the Michigan 
offense was rolling. Against UAB, 
Falk had three RBI and two hits. 
Sophomore shortstop Madison 
Uden 
and 
pitch-hitter 
Abby 

Skvarce added an RBI each.

Against 
the 
Panthers, 
the 

Wolverines recorded 12 hits. 
Senior 
utility 
player 
Taylor 

Swearingen recorded two hits, 
using offense to build confidence 
in her defense after she committed 
an error in the field where she 
allowed the ball to bounce off the 
top of her glove.

Junior catcher Katie Alexander 

scored the game deciding run 
before adding another RBI to 
round out her performance on 
Friday.

But the standout of the day, 

was junior second baseman Faith 
Canfield who hit two home runs 
in two games, including a three-
run homer over the left field wall 
against Georgia State. Seeing the 
ball sail over the fence sent a smile 
to Canfield’s face as she crossed 
home plate.

“It felt awesome. I mean, we’ve 

been practicing inside for the past 
month,” Canfield said, “so actually 
getting to see those balls go over 
the fence and not just hitting the 

top of our indoor facilities was 
pretty exciting, felt really good.”

However, 
that 
smile 

disappeared soon after as the 
team faced No. 2 Florida.

Despite 
going 
against 
a 

perennial powerhouse in the 
Gators, Michigan didn’t change 
its approach as it had the two 
preceding games. To the players, 
they were just “going out to play 
softball like they had always 
known.”

“It’s Florida,” Beaubien said, 

“and everyone talks about that 
because they’re such a good 
program, but we don’t approach it 
any differently.”

Just as they had before, the 

Wolverines came out strong. 
Canfield led off with contact, 
which was likely to be a double 
before it was ruled foul. And in 
a moment’s notice, Michigan’s 
offense 
became 
stagnant 
as 

sophomore 
outfielder 
Thais 

Gonzalez popped out to second 
base and Falk grounded out to 
second to cap off the first inning.

Beaubien held Florida to just 

four hits and two runs, but her 
effort wasn’t enough as those two 
runs proved to be all that was 
needed to win. The Wolverines’ 
stagnant offense stranded 10 
total runners on base against the 

Gators and South Florida, many of 
which were in scoring position.

Inning after inning, Michigan 

produced extra base hits.

But whether they had zero 

outs or two outs, the Wolverines 
couldn’t muster a way to convert 
the opportunities. Faced with 
its final set of outs in the seventh 
inning 
down 
two, 
Michigan 

brought out freshman shortstop 
Natalia Rodriguez to try to ignite 
the offense.

Just like her fellow freshman 

Beaubien, pressure proved to be 
ineffective, as she hit a single to 
centerfield. With a runner on first 
and hope in the dugout, the team 
rallied around the possibility of 
tying or winning the game.

“I brought her in the leadoff 

batter and she got on base against 
Florida,” Hutchins said. “That 
was fantastic, high-pressure, that 
is softball at its highest pressure. 
I think she’s a confident kid. I 
think she believes in herself. 
She’s talented, and she’s got that 
great body language that comes 
with it. What we call swag. I like 
that swag. Shows me that she’s 
confident in her abilities.”

But just as quickly as the 

Wolverines’ hopes began, Florida 
ended 
them 
by 
inducing 
a 

groundout by Canfield.

“I thought we had, you know, 

we had a great game against 
Florida, and I liked our mindset,” 
Hutchins said. “I thought we put 
ourselves in a position to win the 
game, and we didn’t win the game, 
but we were in the game to win it.

“And then I did not see that 

out of them in the South Florida 
game. We seemed, it was kind 
of like a letdown type of thing. 
This morning we came out strong 
the first inning but then we shot 
ourselves in the foot almost every 
inning, just cues that I don’t think 
we’re locked in enough.”

Coming out of the bus to go into 

its fourth game in two days, the 
team’s lack of energy was evident.

That lack of energy made all the 

difference.

Despite putting up a fight, the 

Wolverines fell, 3-2, to the Bulls, 
an unexpected loss just like the 
year prior. Finding themselves 
down one late in the game, 
Hutchins made a tough call to 
pull Blanco for Beaubien, relying 
on the left-hander to maintain the 
slim gap.

However, even though the 

defense kept the margin to one, 
the 
offense 
struggled 
again, 

failing to take advantage of an 
opportunity in the seventh, as 
three 
pinch-hitters 
hit 
three 

straight pop outs or groundouts to 
end the game.

Bouncing back from a rough 

loss, the Wolverines proceeded 
to 
convincingly 
beat 
Illinois 

State, 6-1, to end their opening 
tournament run. While the result 
of the weekend might not have 
gone the way the team had hoped, 
there were many takeaways that 
offered a good look at not just 
the strengths of the team, but the 
potential offered by its youth.

“We’re here for one reason, is to 

be locked into play good softball,” 
Hutchins said. “So hopefully, you 
know, it’s a learning curve, and 
there’s a lot of new kids playing 
every game.”

“I think you’re never fully as 

good as you’re going to be,” Canfield 
said. “So I think all around, we 
can sharpen up and if anything, 
just improve our presence, which 
I think will come with time as we 
get more comfortable as the season 
goes on.”

EAST LANSING —With 50 

seconds left against Michigan 
State, 
down 
64-61, 
Kim 

Barnes Arico called a timeout. 
Despite drawing up a plan, the 
Wolverines were unable to get 
off a shot, turning the ball over 
with 36 seconds left.

This left a blank stare of 

frustration on Barnes Arico’s 
face, 
as 
No. 
21 
Michigan 

women’s basketball (9-5 Big 
Ten, 20-7 overall) went on to 
lose, 66-61, to the Spartans 
(5-8, 15-11).

“We were trying to get Hallie 

(Thome) a touch in the post, 
first and foremost, because we 
felt like she was having a lot of 
good one-on-one situations,” 
Barnes Arico said. “Then when 
we didn’t have her to try and 
get Katelynn (Flaherty) off 
a flare screen to a rescreen. 
I think everybody became 
hesitant right there, a couple 
people had some open looks 
and then we just kept passing 
the ball.”

For the first three quarters, 

the Wolverines seemed to leave 
their talents in Ann Arbor.

Michigan was unable to 

sustain 
consistent 
play 
on 

either side of the ball. When 
the offense prospered, the 
defense was ineffective and 
vice versa.

After a 7-0 run to start the 

game, the Wolverines went 
cold. In the final eight minutes 
of the quarter, Michigan scored 
just four points. Excluding 
senior 
guard 
Katelynn 

Flaherty, 
the 
Wolverines 

were out of sync – resulting 
in a 21-11 Michigan State lead. 
Offensively, Flaherty was the 
only one who could convert, 
scoring nine of the Wolverines’ 
11 points. To make matters 
worse, Michigan turned it over 
eight times and struggled in 
transition on defense, allowing 
Michigan State to knock down 
three 3-pointers.

In 
the 
second, 
the 

Wolverines picked up their 
offense by scoring 21 points. 
Unlike 
the 
first 
frame, 

Flaherty struggled and her 
teammates picked up the slack. 
Thome returned to form after 
posting just two points in the 
opening quarter, scoring 10 
points – including six from the 
line.

Despite 
the 
offensive 

turnaround, 
Michigan’s 

defense was still horrendous.

The 
Wolverines 
allowed 

another 
21 
points 
as 
the 

Spartans 
were 
incredibly 

efficient 
from 
the 
field, 

shooting 
50 
percent 
from 

three and 53.3 percent from 
the floor. This impressive play 
had Michigan State up 42-32 at 
the half. When the teams last 
played each other, Michigan 
State scored 48 points in the 
entire game.

The 
second 
half 
wasn’t 

much better.

Just as Michigan cranked 

up its defense by allowing 
only 13 points in the third, its 
offense again went quiet. The 
Wolverines could only muster 
13 points, holding the deficit 
at ten.

Michigan 
showed 
some 

resilience to open the final 
quarter 
by 
quickly 

knocking down 
two 
3-pointers 

– 
cutting 
the 

deficit 
to 

four. 
But, 
the 

Spartans 
held 

tough and never 
surrendered 
their lead.

For 
the 

Wolverines, the 
game itself wasn’t the only 
loss. Freshman forward Hailey 
Brown went down with an 
unknown leg injury and her 
status is to be determined. 

Michigan 
never 
seemed 

to find their groove. The 
Wolverines shot an abysmal 
36 percent from the floor. To 

make matters worse, Michigan 
couldn’t hold onto the ball, 
committing 23 total turnovers.

“(Turnovers) 
that’s 
been 

really the problem,” Barnes 
Arico said. “We work on it 
every day. I think coming into 
the year we really knew that 
might be something that could 
be a problem for us because 

we 
weren’t 

returning 
a 

point guard.”

The 
only 

thing that kept 
the Wolverines 
in 
the 
game 

was 
their 

effectiveness 
from the free 
throw 
line. 

They knocked 
down 21-of-24; 

Thome accounted for nine of 
them.

Despite a successful season, 

Michigan has now lost three 
of its last four. And turnovers 
have been a big part of the poor 
play. If the slide continues, this 
could have them missing out on 
the NCAA Tournament, again.

Michigan out of sync, loses to MSU
Hailey Brown suffers left leg injury

EAST LANSING — A loss 

wasn’t the only calamity the 
Michigan women’s basketball 
team suffered on Sunday.

Freshman 
forward 
Hailey 

Brown went down with a lower 
left leg injury late in the fourth 
quarter. Brown was trying to 
defend a transition drive from 
Michigan State’s Branndais Agee 
when the injury occurred.

Brown fell underneath the 

basket 
and 
was 
helped 
off 

without putting weight on her 
left leg. On the bench, a trainer 
put an ice pack around Brown’s 
ankle. She did not return.

Just minutes earlier, Brown 

hit a 3-pointer to bring the 
Wolverines within four points. 
Those were the last of her seven 
points on the day, which Brown 
scored on 3-of-4 shooting from 
the field, the latest in a run of 
impressive performances.

The quietest starter during 

the first part of the season, 
Brown broke out with a 23-point 
performance against Indiana last 

month. She followed that up with 
double-doubles in two of her next 
three games, adding a fourth 
reliable scorer to Michigan’s 
starting trio of senior guard 
Katelynn Flaherty, junior guard 
Nicole Munger and junior center 
Hallie Thome.

Without her, the Wolverines’ 

offense lagged in the game’s 
final minutes. What had looked 
like a promising 
comeback 
lost 
steam, 
as 

Michigan 
blew 

a chance to tie 
the game in the 
last 
minute, 

committing a shot 
clock 
violation. 

Then, with nine 
seconds 
left 
in 

the contest and 
three on the shot 
clock, sophomore 
forward Kayla Robbins fouled the 
Spartans’ Victoria Gaines. Two 
free throws later, any chance for 
a win had evaporated.

“Hailey’s 
a 
great 
3-point 

shooter and she obviously made a 
3 (just before the injury), and you 

know, she’s tough with the pick-
and-pop and the flare screens to 
Kate,” said Michigan coach Kim 
Barnes Arico. “... Definitely not 
having her in at the end of the 
game took away one of our best 
3-point shooters. Next to Kate, 
she’s probably shooting it the best 
of anyone on our team right now.”

Brown will be evaluated in 

the coming days. No immediate 
update 
on 
the 
injury 
was 

provided.

Should 
Brown 
miss 

Wednesday’s 
game 
at 

Minnesota, either Robbins or 
freshman guard Deja Church, 
the only two bench players to 
get consistent minutes for the 
Wolverines, will likely move into 
the starting lineup. Church was 
the immediate replacement for 
Brown, but Robbins also played 
in crunch-time because senior 
forward Jillian Dunston fouled 
out.

It’s hard to overstate the 

potential impact of this injury 
if Brown is out for a significant 
time. Michigan’s last two games 
are in Minneapolis and home 
against Maryland, a top-10 team. 
The Wolverines would have been 
happy to win one of the two with 
a healthy squad. Without Brown, 
disaster looms.

Michigan will likely make the 

NCAA Tournament regardless. 

The Wolverines 
are 34th in RPI 
and the Big Ten 
features a slew 
of 
tournament 

contenders, 
making it hard 
to see a repeat 
of last season 
even 
with 
a 

similar slog to 
the finish.

But finishing 

the year with 

two more losses — and dropping 
five of their last six — would 
open the door to ambiguity 
heading into the Selection Show. 
Michigan lived the perils of such 
a situation last season. Without 
Brown, it might do so again.

DARBY STIPE/Daily

Kim Barnes Arico and Michigan took their third loss in the past four games with a 66-61 loss to Michigan State.

HUNTER SHARF
Daily Sports Writer

ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer

The Wolverines 
never seemed 
to find their 

groove.

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Junior infielder Faith Canfield hit two home runs in a two-game stretch at the USF Wilson-Demarini Tournament as Michigan compiled a 3-2 record.

‘M’ shows highs and lows of a young team in early-season tournament

No immediate 
update on the 

injury was 
provided.

TIEN LE

Daily Sports Writer

