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.”