The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, April 4, 2018 — 7A

Wolverines sweep Delaware with Franklin homer

As the Michigan baseball team 

clung to a 3-2 lead over Delaware 
in the bottom of the eighth 
inning, 
junior 
center 
fielder 

Jonathan Engelmann stepped up 
to the plate and delivered a rocket 
up the middle to get on base. With 
lectures about the importance 
of creative baserunning surely 
floating 
through 
his 
mind, 

Engelmann overzealously took 
off toward second base. But his 
efforts would crash and burn, as 
the Blue Hen catcher launched 
the ball to the second baseman 
for an easy tag-out.

Junior third baseman Blake 

Nelson then grounded into the 
second out. After a promising 
start, 
the 
Wolverines 
found 

themselves facing a two-out, 
bases-empty situation.

Enter freshman slugger Jesse 

Franklin.

After 
Engelmann’s 

baserunning error and Nelson’s 
groundout, expectations were 
low for the first baseman. But 
Franklin shocked the crowd at 
Ray Fisher Stadium by cranking a 
shot to deep left field.

The ball flew over the wall, 

and 
the 
Wolverines 
poured 

out of the dugout to celebrate 
the impressive shot. Franklin 
rounded the bases, triumphantly 
stomped on home plate and was 
quickly mobbed by his gleeful 
teammates.

The solo bomb gave Michigan 

(16-11 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) a vital 
insurance run, effectively sealing 
a 4-2 win over Delaware (13-12).

“I just got a good fastball over 

the middle of the plate,” Franklin 
said. “Coach (Nick) Schnabel has 
been trying to give me tips to go 
the other way, and I’m just glad it 
went over the wall.”

Even before Franklin’s blast 

over the left wall, the Wolverines 
had a prolific day at the plate, 
amassing ten hits in the contest.

But those hits didn’t translate 

into as many runs as Michigan 
would have liked. The team 

was 
plagued 
by 
ineffective 

baserunning the whole day. Five 
runners were thrown out while 
trying to take additional bases, 
and the Wolverines stole just two 
bases despite their numerous 
attempts.

Despite a disastrous day on the 

basepaths, Michigan’s incessant 
desire to nab additional bases has 
paid dividends in the past and 
allowed the team to consistently 
compete.

“Today was probably our worst 

day baserunning-wise,” Franklin 
said. “We had a bad day today, 
but on Friday our baserunning 
won us the game and we were 
just going around and around and 
around. We talk a lot about extra 
90s and how it changes a game.”

Added coach Erik Bakich: “It’s 

just a mindset thing. Just wanting 
to get on base and go. We don’t 
want to be tethered to the base, 
we wanna get to scoring position. 
The more you can advance 90 
feet, the more chances you have 
to score runs. So again, we’re not 
a power hitting team, it’s nice 
to get an occasional home run, 
but we’re a manufacture type of 
offense.”

On the defensive side of things, 

though, the Wolverines were 
rock-solid. 
Sophomore 
right-

hander Karl Kauffman gave 
Michigan a solid performance, 
tossing six innings and allowing 
two runs, only one of them 
earned. Kauffman’s outing was 
supplemented by a combined 
three 
sound 
innings 
from 

freshman 
right-hander 
Jeff 

Criswell and junior left-hander 
Will Tribucher.

Criswell was cool and collected 

in his two innings of relief. In the 
eighth inning, Criswell found 
himself on the mound with the 
bases loaded but stepped up and 
sent the Blue Hens back to their 
dugout with their tails tucked 
between their legs.

“My approach there was just 

stay calm,” Criswell said. “Take 
deep breaths, just realize that if I 
can make a good pitch, somebody 
around me will pick me up and 
make a good play like they did 
today.”

Supporting Criswell in his 

showcase was the athleticism and 
ferocity of the Wolverine defense, 
which was in was in full display 
in the top of the seventh inning.

The first batter Criswell faced 

hit a bomb to deep left field, and 
the ball bounced off the wall 
where freshman Jordan Nwogu 
collected it and launched it to 
second base. The throw was just 
in time, and Michigan collected 
the out.

“It fired me up for sure,” 

Criswell said. “Seeing a guy like 
that make an incredible play just 
kind of lit a little bit of a fire in 
my stomach and kinda let me just 
go get the next two for the rest of 
the guys. It was an incredible play 
and props to him, it was a really 
good throw.”

With 
the 
win, 
Michigan 

extended its winning streak 
to 12 games, marking a drastic 
turnaround from a disappointing 
4-11 start to the season.

“We don’t ever want to go back 

to that rollercoaster of not only 
emotions, but of inconsistent 
play,” Bakich said. “It just feels 
different now because of the 
mindset the guys have. So, all the 
credit goes to them. Recognizing 
that their mindset needed to be 
better and then doing something 
about it and sustaining it to get 
the team hot.”

RUCHITA IYER/Daily

Freshman first baseman Jesse Franklin sealed Michigan’s win over Delaware with a home run in the eighth inning.

JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer

In a pressure-cooker event, 

Indiana came close to snapping 
the Michigan women’s water 
polo 
team’s 
15-game 
win 

streak.

The 
ninth-ranked 

Wolverines (1-0 CWPA, 23-7) 
added another victory to their 
ongoing 16 game win streak. 
The 9-7 win against No. 13 
Indiana (1-2, 20-6) awarded 
head coach Marcelo Leonardi 
his 
100th 

victory 
at 

Michigan.

On 
Senior 

Night 
at 

Indiana, 
electricity 
was in the air 
as the match 
against 
the 

Hoosiers 
was 
highly 

anticipated 
for both sides. 
Michigan was looking to win 
its 18th straight conference 
opener 
and 
continue 
its 

winning record.

“It was an environment 

where everyone was super 
pumped up,” said freshman 
utility player Maddy Johnston. 
“They had their band there, as 
well. We knew that we had to 
talk to each other because you 
can’t hear the coaches on the 
bench.”

The Wolverines started out 

strong by gaining possession 
during 
the 
initial 
sprint. 

Within the first two minutes 
of the match, Johnston posted 
her opponent and was open 
near 
center 
cage. 
Junior 

Julia Sellers recognized the 
opportunity and dished a lob 
pass that landed a perfect 
arm-distance grasp in front of 
Sellers. Johnston whipped the 
ball towards the corner of the 

cage and put Michigan on the 
board.

The two teams continued 

to trade goals throughout the 
second and third quarter. But 
the Wolverines’ momentum 
began to pick up.

With the score tied at 5 

and one minute remaining, 
Indiana’s 
Juli 
Hilovsky 

committed a penalty — giving 
the Wolverines with a six-on-
five opportunity. Junior driver 
Kim Johnson spotted an open 
look and assisted on senior 

attacker Caroline 
Anderson 
and 

tossed 
her 
the 

ball 
awarding 

Michigan 
with 

a 
1-point 
lead 

going 
into 
the 

final quarter.

The 

Wolverines never 
looked 
back. 

Several 
more 

power plays by 
Michigan 
and 

a few more missed shots by 
Indiana gave the Wolverines 
their well-deserved victory.

Though 
the 
16-game 

win streak itself calls for 
celebration, the coaching staff 
and players still believe the 
team needs to clean up some 
aspects of their game.

“We try to break down 

teams,” Johnston said. “We 
need to learn to be patient in 
our offense and learn to strike 
at the right time.”

However, 
the 
winning 

streak does not seem to be 
in jeopardy due to strong 
leadership and a drive for even 
greater play.

“We have strong leaders 

on our team so we always 
talk a lot,” Johnston said. 
“There is never too much 
communication. It helps with 
getting everyone on the same 
page.”

JODI YIP

Daily Sports Writer

Michigan notches sixth straight victory

For weeks, it has been the same 

story. The Michigan women’s 
tennis team has struggled in its 
non-conference 
schedule, 
but 

turned its season around for Big 
Ten opponents. And while the 
Wolverines picked up two more 
conference wins this weekend, the 
story finally changed.

It wasn’t just the big hitters and 

the higher-ranked players doing all 
the work this time — the rest of the 
lineup has finally caught up.

Michigan faced rival Ohio State 

on Friday and Penn State on Sunday, 
and while the matchup with the 
Buckeyes proved to be tougher than 
matches against the Nittany Lions, 
the Wolverines walked away with 
4-3 and 7-0 victories, respectively.

For the past two seasons, every 

time Michigan has played Ohio 
State, it was considered a non-
conference match. And for the past 
two seasons, the Wolverines lost 

to the Buckeyes, yet won the Big 
Ten. Some might say those Big Ten 
Championships don’t really count, 
but if the Wolverines were to go on 
and win the Big Ten this year, there 
wouldn’t be anything left to say.

“Last year they were clearly the 

better team,” said Michigan coach 
Ronni Bernstein. “We struggled 
against them. Every year’s a new 
year and it was definitely good to go 
in there and pull that one out.

“… Every time we play Ohio State 

it’s a huge rivalry, and we were 
excited to get through.”

After dropping the doubles point 

and two of the first three singles 
matches off the court, Michigan 
was in a 3-1 hole. A three-set win 
from sophomore Chiara Lommer 
at No. 3 singles trimmed the deficit 
to one, but there was still plenty of 
work to be done.

Senior 
Mira 
Ruder-Hook 

and freshman Bella Lorenzini 
remained on court at No. 5 and No. 
6 singles — if either lost, it would 
seal the match for Ohio State.

Ruder-Hook managed to claw 

out a 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 victory of her 
own, leaving the team’s fate in 
Lorenzini’s hands. Her match was 
tightly contested for its entirety, as 
she took the first set in a tiebreaker 
and was down 5-4 in the second 
set. As much as Mary Beth Hurley 
tried to force a third set and keep 
the Buckeyes alive, Lorenzini won 
three straight games to take the 
second set, 7-5, to give her team the 
victory.

When the Wolverines struggled 

early in the season, the pressure 
often fell on junior Kate Fahey at 
the top of the lineup. The team 
could typically rely on her to get a 
point, but couldn’t produce points 
down the rest of the lineup. But the 
opposite was true of both Friday 
and Sunday’s matches, where 
after Fahey dropped her match, 
Michigan’s other singles players 
came in clutch.

That came in play during 

Sunday’s match as well. Due to 
Penn State having just four courts, 

not all the singles matches were 
played at once. No. 3 through No. 
6 went out first, and with four 
wins on four courts, the match was 
clinched before Fahey and the top 
of the lineup even got the chance 
to play.

“I think we’re getting more 

confidence as a group,” Bernstein 
said. “Three through six pulled 
through on Friday night and today 
we had three through six on to start 
the match. So I think everyone’s 
feeling confident and that’s what 
you want to do. As the season goes 
on, I mean we’re getting to April 
now, and you want to be playing 
with some confidence.

“We’ve definitely turned it 

around, which is good.”

The bottom of the lineup is 

finding its form just in time for the 
conference schedule to conclude 
and championship season to begin. 
With six straight wins and an 
unbeaten record in the Big Ten, 
Michigan’s early season woes seem 
to be a distant memory.

Behind production from bottom of the lineup, Wolverines sweep weekend

PAIGE VOEFFRAY

Daily Sports Editor

DARBY STRIPE/Daily

Freshman Bella Lorenzini helped the Michigan women’s tennis team earn two conference wins over Ohio State and Penn State this past weekend.

MEN’S GYMNASTICS
Michigan tops No. 18 UIC

On Senior Night, freshmen 

Jacob Moore and Cameron Bock 
delivered 
top 
performances, 

leading the Wolverines to a 
417.700-366.500 win against No. 
18 UIC.

After honoring the graduating 

team members, Michigan began 
the competition on floor routine. 
Moore — ranked third in the 
nation on floor — carried out a 
dominant performance, scoring 
14.900 to nearly match his 
personal best. Following Moore, 
junior Emyre Cole performed a 
clean 
routine, 

sticking all five 
of his passes 
and 
scoring 

14.350.

Following 

their 
strong 

show 
on 
the 

floor, 
the 

Wolverines 
wavered 
a 

little 
with 
a 

shaky pommel 
horse 
routine. 

Freshman 
Cameron 
Bock 

struggled with his form, but 
remained on the horse without 
falling — a remarkable feat in 
itself, according to coach Kurt 
Golder.

“It’s just pure strength and 

determination 
that 
he 
kept 

going,” Golder said. “And he did 
a real good job of recovering from 
it, because it was a big mistake.”

Despite those mistakes by Bock 

and sophomore Mack Lasker 
on pommel horse, Michigan 
maintained a 138.100-117.650 lead 
after the second rotation.

The seniors led the lineup on 

still rings. Tristian Perez-Rivera 
built momentum by performing 
two strong and stable iron crosses 
on his way to a score of 13.450. 
Dmitri Belanovski followed with 
a score of 13.650, and freshman 
James Read anchored the rings, 
scoring 14.300.

“He just really turned it on 

maybe a month ago,” Golding said 
of Read. “We decided to pull his 
redshirt, and right now I’m real 
glad we did that.”

Michigan continued onto vault 

where Cole impressed the judges 
with a strong Yurchenko earning 
a 14.500 mark.

On 
parallel 
bars, 
Bock 

delivered a confident showing 
with 
a 
double-pike 
before 

sticking 
the 
dismount. 
The 

judges scored Bock’s routine at 
14.600. Belanovski also delivered 
a notable routine with a score of 
13.950.

Redshirt junior Alec Krystek 

led the lineup on high bar. 

Krystek struggled 
to 
execute 
his 

routine as he fell 
off the bar during a 
straddle Tkachev. 
While they started 
with 
a 
sub-par 

performance, 
the 
Wolverines 

stayed 
focused 

as Bock finished 
strong with two 
Tkachevs in his 
routine and stuck 

a full twisting double layout 
dismount.

The Wolverines finished the 

meet ahead of the Flames. Bock 
was recognized for both his effort 
and skill by breaking the school 
record in parallel bars, high bar 
and all around. Belanovski also 
finished with a season best on high 
bar with a 9.300 on execution, and 
14.350 overall.

“A little more confidence,” 

Belanovski said, “made it a little 
more safe, and focused on hitting 
that execution score.”

For Michigan, the theme of 

the meet was confidence and 
consistency.

Although 
there 
were 
a 

few noticeable mistakes, the 
Wolverines seem certain that they 
can iron out the kinks before the 
Big Ten Championship next week.

“I think we have a great 

chance,” Belanovski said. “And 
we’re ready to bring it home.”

VAQAAS ASLAM

For the Daily

Wolverines overcome mistakes, defeat 
Flames ahead of Big Ten Championships

“It’s just pure 
strength and 
determination 

that he kept 

going.”

Michigan ekes out win 
against No. 13 Indiana

WATER POLO

“We need to 
learn to be 

patient in our 

offense.”

