The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, March 29, 2018 — 7
Michigan mercies UD Mercy, 15-0
There were so many runs, the
scoreboard wasn’t sufficient.
When sophomore outfielder
Haley Hoogenraad hit a grand
slam — the last in a series
of
exclamation
points
that
punctuated the third inning —
the number of runs displayed
for the frame clicked from seven
to one. There was no room for a
double-digit inning.
The
game
started
inconspicuously. Junior second
baseman Faith Canfield worked
a leadoff walk, but the rest of
the team was unable to follow
suit — a familiar refrain for the
Michigan softball team. But
the 17th-ranked Wolverines (1-1
Big Ten, 25-7 overall) made the
contest more and more lopsided
before defeating Detroit Mercy
(1-2
Horizon
League,
6-18
overall), 15-0.
“The biggest thing … was
just trying to make adjustments
early,” said freshman designated
player Lou Allan. “And I think
that after the first inning, we all
came together and kinda had a
game plan.”
Those adjustments showed
up in the second when two quick
groundouts were followed by
three singles, two stolen bases, a
walk and an error to score three
runs.
In the third, eight Michigan
batters came to the plate before
a single out was recorded. The
Wolverines got on base by any
means necessary, from line-
drive doubles to infield singles
to muffed throws. Every time it
seemed the Titans would be able
to stop the bleeding, Michigan
kept going.
Detroit Mercy didn’t help
itself, committing two errors
and throwing a wild pitch. The
Wolverines
didn’t
squander
those
chances,
scoring
six
unearned runs in the inning.
“We had to capitalize on
their mistakes,” Allan said.
“What we did in previous
games is get runners on, and
then we wouldn’t capitalize. …
It was like, just staying within
ourselves and just allowing
ourselves to do what we do and
play the game.”
And
when
Hoogenraad
deposited a 2-1 pitch into the
grass beyond left-center field, it
was just the cherry on top.
“We were all up and excited
for every little small thing that
was great that someone did,”
Allan said. “I think that really
helped us in the long run to get
our 15 runs.”
Meanwhile, freshman left-
hander
Meghan
Beaubien
mowed through the Titans’
order. She proved that last
Wednesday — when she couldn’t
even
complete
one
inning
before being pulled — was an
aberration, as she struck out
nine without allowing a hit.
But no game is over before the
fifth inning, and for the Titans,
the bottom of the fourth only
added insult to injury.
Michigan
coach
Carol
Hutchins opted to rest her
starters, instead giving several
seldom-used
bench
players
looks. And they, too, found
success.
Junior
infielder
Mackenzie Nemitz earned the
first hit of her collegiate career
with an infield single. She
eventually crossed the plate on
a bases-loaded single by junior
utility player Alex Sobczak.
“This game kinda boosted
our energy a little bit,” Allan
said, “and made us believe
our adjustments are actually
working.”
It was a true team effort, with
11 different players getting hits
and two others getting on base.
Senior first baseman Tera Blanco
and senior right fielder Aidan
Falk — two of the Wolverines’
heaviest hitters — were pulled
before
their
third
at-bat.
Beaubien and freshman right-
hander Sarah Schaefer combined
for 11 strikeouts and no hits.
Maybe the scoreboard —
missing digit or not — undersold
Michigan’s achievements.
“We’re trying to get them to
really just play the game and not
play the opponent and to be on
task every pitch,” Hutchins said.
“And I thought we were a lot
better today.”
MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily
Sophomore outfielder Haley Hoogenraad hit a fate-sealing grand slam in the third inning to put Michigan up 14-0.
Hoogenraad grand slam feuls ‘M’
For
Haley
Hoogenraad,
there was no better feeling in
the world than hitting a home
run. It just happened to be with
loaded bases.
She said after the game, she
didn’t know the bases were
loaded. She just knew it was
a
home
run
when the ball
met the bat —
and that was
the only thing
she
cared
about.
It was the
sophomore
outfielder’s
first
career
grand
slam
and the No. 17
Michigan softball team’s first
of the season. And at that point
in the game, it was just icing
on the cake — the Wolverines
already had a 10-run lead
prior to the grand slam and
eventually
commanded
the
game to a 15-0 win over Detroit
Mercy in five innings.
But the team was excited for
her regardless of the score.
“I
think
the
kids,
they
celebrate each other’s success,”
said Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins. “And they also know
how hard this kid’s worked,
and she didn’t always get to bat
for herself. We had her in the
10-spot a lot. And no kid likes
that, so she just comes in ... she
works hard.”
Hoogenraad’s
grand
slam
was proof her hard work bore
fruit. She wasn’t always given
the opportunity to make those
types of plays before.
As a freshman, she played in
27 games but
only registered
14 at-bats due
to her defensive
prowess
and
lack of offensive
ability.
When
she was in the
batting lineup,
it was always
at the bottom.
Her average of
.214, the second
worst on the team, didn’t help
either.
That didn’t deter her from
wanting to bat — it did the
opposite. It gave her a goal to
strive toward.
Thanks
to
her
previous
struggles,
she
put in time on
her
days
off,
searching
for
her
weaknesses
and fixing them.
Before
practice,
she would arrive
earlier for extra
repetitions. After
she batted, she
would watch over the video
to check her form, her timing
and anything wrong with her
approach in order to improve.
“She puts in a lot of extra,”
Hutchins said. “I can’t tell you
how many Mondays that I’ve
been in the building, and that’s
their day off, and she comes
wandering around to look for
the video, and she’s got her
gym shorts on and her batting
gloves, and she’s out in the
building. She just works for it.
It’s really exciting, and we’re all
happy for a kid like that.”
Coming into her own, she
increased her offensive load to
handle 74 at-bats so far in the
season with an average of .311,
good for fifth-best on the team.
All of that set her up for a career
highlight — a grand slam.
“Well, I think just, she’s
learned how to hit at this level,”
Hutchins said. “In a lot of our
big games this year, she’s had
some
big
cuts
for us and big
RBIs and right
now she’s pulling
more than her
weight.”
In the bottom
of
the
third,
freshman
first
baseman
Lou
Allan reached on
fielder’s
choice,
allowing her to
reach first. With junior utility
player Alex Sobczak hitting a
single to left field and sophomore
outfielder
Thais
Gonzalez
walking in a full count, the bases
were set for Hoogenraad.
The Titan pitcher tried to
bait her to swing twice, instead
throwing two balls. With a foul
the next pitch, Hoogenraad
prepared herself for a big one.
A wide swing from her signaled
just that.
As the ball flew into left
center field, there was no doubt
to anyone where it would land.
But to Hoogenraad, it was proof
of validation — that her hard
work was paying off.
“I was so excited,” Allan said
on Hoogenraad’s home run.
“I mean, I’ve seen her work so
hard in practice over the past
couple days and just for her to
get that home run, it was a great
feeling. Any time a teammate
gets a grand slam, I mean, that’s
awesome.”
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer
Strong freshmen power Wolverines’ victory
Prior
to
the
Michigan
baseball team’s game against
Central Michigan, freshman
Jesse Franklin was showing out
in batting practice, crushing
balls to right and center field.
At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, the
first baseman looks the part,
and after a tough transition
earlier in the season, he’s
putting it all together.
In the bottom of the sixth
inning, the Wolverines (3-0
Big Ten, 13-11 overall) clung
to a one-run lead against the
Chippewas (2-1 MAC, 7-16-
1 overall). Similar to batting
practice, Franklin found one
in his sweet spot and smoked
a solo shot over the right field
wall.
Though
the
Michigan
pitching staff proceeded to
give up two runs in the top
of
the
seventh,
Franklin’s
homer sparked the Wolverines
offensively for the rest of the
game.
Along
with
sophomore
outfielder Dominic Clementi,
who lined a single into right to
bring home two runs, Franklin
drove in another run in the
bottom of the seventh.
In the eighth, up by three,
Franklin continued to deliver.
Stepping up with runners in
scoring position once again,
the freshman hit a gapper
that plated two more to give
Michigan a comfortable 8-3
lead.
Central Michigan was able
to tack on two more runs in the
bottom of the ninth, but the
Wolverines’ lead proved to be
insurmountable, winning 8-5.
The game started off fairly
slowly for both sides, but the
Chippewas broke the deadlock
in the second inning via a
sacrifice bunt. Michigan coach
Erik
Bakich
pulled
junior
right-hander Troy Miller for
freshman lefty Angelo Smith.
“Troy was on a 45-pitch limit
just so we could have him in
relief for Friday and Saturday,
with
the
doubleheader
Saturday,” Bakich said. “With
Angelo, we were just going
to go one inning, but he was
throwing so well, and the game
was so close. We just felt we
needed to keep him in there.”
Smith provided the much-
needed
bridge
from
the
third inning to the seventh.
Smith kept Central Michigan
scoreless, allowing only one
hit.
“He
really
showed
us
something
today,”
Bakich
said. “I thought he did an
outstanding job attacking the
zone, being very aggressive and
consistent with all his pitches
and his execution. I thought
that was great to see.”
Another freshman, Jordan
Nwogu started at left field,
going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Franklin, Smith and Nwogu’s
successes are the continuation
of a trend this season. The
freshmen have stepped up to
help turn their team’s season
around.
“Besides having really good
upperclassmen role models, I
think the biggest thing is just
that all of the coaches really
believe in us,” Franklin said.
“Even if we do poorly in the
field, they still encourage us,
and I think deep down they
really think we can do it. You
can really see and feel that
when you talk to them.”
The freshmen may have
catalyzed
the
victory,
but
sophomore
outfielder
Christian Bullock and juniors
Jonathan
Engelmann
and
Blake Nelson consistently got
on base, combining for four
runs and three stolen bases
between them.
“A lot of guys contributed,”
Bakich said. “A lot of guys
came off the bench and made
a difference. A lot of different
pitchers were used in the
game, so it was very much a
total team effort even though
the
freshmen
seemed
to
shine.”
Michigan can’t hang on
Mack Lasker finally nailed his
pommel horse routine.
While the sophomore specializes
on the event, he has struggled
throughout this season. But on
Saturday, he scored a career-high
14.45 in the No. 7 Michigan men’s
gymnastics team’s 405.05-407.35
loss to No. 8 Penn State.
The
Wolverines
began
the
competition
with
five
clean
routines on floor exercise, led by
junior Emyre Cole leading the way.
Cole scored 14.25, good for the win
on the event with freshman Jacob
Moore placing third.
Then came Lasker and his
teammates’ display on the pommel
horse. A week after having six
falls across five routines on the
apparatus, Michigan had no major
mistakes. By far the tallest gymnast
on the team at 6-foot-3, Lasker’s
long lines brought him success as
he tied for first place on the event
with the Nittany Lions’ Stephen
Nedoroscik, the defending pommel
horse national champion.
Senior Dmitri Belanovski started
the Wolverines off strong on rings
with a simple yet well-executed
routine that he capped with a stuck
dismount. His score of 14.10 ended
up being a team-high on the still
rings, an unusual result for the
leadoff athlete.
“He kept the momentum going,”
said Michigan coach Kurt Golder.
“It’s always important to get off
to a good start, and that’s what he
did. He actually has kind of a pretty
easy routine, but he really executes
it well. Got the stick, just gets the
whole team fired up.”
Sophomore Mitchell Brown led
off on vault with a score of 14.30,
and his proceeding teammates kept
raising the bar. Both Moore and
redshirt junior Marty Strech stuck
their vaults, and Cole anchored the
rotation with a score of 14.75 to win
his second title of the day.
“The pressure was on for sure
because I wanted to do a great
vault, I wanted to stick it,” Cole said.
“I didn’t want to under-rotate it or
anything so I kind of played it safe,
but it was a good feeling just hitting
back to back to back, increasing the
score again.”
Though
the
Wolverine
teammates put in four solid
rotations, the season-long issues on
parallel bars and high bar returned
for Michigan in the final two rounds
of the competition, with three falls
occurring on each event.
Brown fell in his parallel bars
routine,
and
junior
Matthew
Whitaker added two falls of his
own moments later. Cole was put in
the unenviable position of salvaging
the rotation for his team, and he
rose to the occasion with a score of
14.35 after ending his routine with a
stuck double front dismount.
Bock, competing in the all-
around for the first time this season
after undergoing surgery in January,
followed Cole with a stuck dismount
of his own and a score of 14.55, good
for second place on the event.
“I’ve been hitting my sets pretty
well in the gym lately, so I think I’ve
broken through a little barrier in
that regard,” Bock said. “Just trying
to crank through the set instead of
wondering if I’m going to hit it or
not, so I think that’s made it a lot
better.”
Michigan maintained a narrow
lead of just 0.25 points going into
the high bar rotation, and five
solid routines would likely have
been enough to hang on for the
win. Redshirt junior Alec Krystek
hit a clean routine in the leadoff
position, and freshman Jonathan
Liu followed with a clean routine of
his own.
But junior Uche Eke ran into
trouble on a release skill and
fell, though he finished with a
stuck full-twisting double layout
dismount after remounting the
bar. Two routines later, Belanovski
fell twice after attempting another
challenging release skill.
Inconsistency on parallel bars
and high bar has been a prominent
feature
of
the
Wolverines’
performances this season and
is something they will need to
improve on with the season
drawing to a close. Saturday, the
inconsistency cost them one meet.
In the postseason, it could cost
them much more.
DARBY STIPE/Daily
Freshman first baseman Jesse Franklin showed out in batting practice, then continued it in the real game, hitting a home run and two singles in Michigan’s win.
CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Writer
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer
“Well, I think
just, she’s
learned how to
hit at this level.”
“I think the
kids, they
celebrate each
other’s success.”
MEN’S GYMNASTICS
Read the full story at
MichiganDaily.com
BAILEY JOHNSON
Daily Sports Writer