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By Alan Olschwang
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
03/14/19

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

03/14/19

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Thursday, March 14, 2019

ACROSS
1 Grammy
category word
6 “And here it is!”
11 Pickup spot,
perhaps
14 Take a break
15 “Return of the
Jedi” forest moon
16 Fashion or sense
preceder
17 *Like power lines
19 Band booking
20 Conspiring (with)
21 Cake invitation
Alice accepted
23 Does, say
24 *End an
engagement?
27 Alternative rock
genre
29 “Come on in!”
30 Any member of
ABBA
33 What a birdie
beats
34 Aromatic herb
37 ’90s game disc
38 *Teddy kin
42 One of the fire
signs
43 Pull a fast one on
45 Served, as time
46 Brilliance
48 One-footer, e.g.
50 Gray shade
51 *Feature items
in some annual
sales
55 World-weary
words
59 Up
60 Babe __, only
woman in
ESPN’s Top 10
North American
Athletes of the
20th Century
62 Life-saving pro
63 Simple card
game, and
what’s hidden in
the answers to
starred clues
66 __-disant: self-
styled
67 Ancient Aegean
region
68 “The Wreck of the
Mary __”
69 Channel that airs
many RKO films

70 __ closet
71 John of “The
Addams Family”

DOWN
1 Agricultural pest
2 “Rawhide” singer
3 Taps player
4 Brought (in)
5 Like a footnote
that explains
footnotes
6 Locale
7 Early stage
8 Dictator played
by Forest
9 Leicester toilet
10 Journalist Peter
11 Time of one’s life
12 Cartoon genre
13 Continued
unabated
18 “The one who
makes it, takes
it” breakfast
brand
22 Breezed through
25 Recipe verb
26 Crucifix letters
28 Fellows
30 Beach letters
31 Try to attract
32 Lacking humility
33 Third deg.?

35 Verdant patch
36 Auction unit
39 “Gotcha!”
40 Singer Vannelli
41 Some RIT grads
44 After-hours
47 Supplies power
to
49 #2, for one
50 ’60s-’70s tennis
great Arthur
51 Extract forcibly
52 Bleachers sign

53 David and Ricky’s
dad
54 Israeli hero
Moshe
56 Drum kit part
57 Motherly
introduction?
58 German steel
center
61 Operatic princess
64 Versailles
monarch
65 Taylor of fashion

Question:

What goes
great with your
morning coffee?

Answer:

michigandaily.com

When the No. 25 Michigan softball
team takes the field at home for the
first time in 2019 this weekend, it
will look to put early-season incon-
sistencies in the rearview mirror.
After securing the Big Ten regu-
lar-season title a season ago — the
program’s 10th in the last 11 years
— the Wolverines enter their first
homestand with a record hovering
around .500. After spending two
weeks outside the NFCA Poll for
the first time in 18 years, Michigan
will look for contributions from its
entire roster at Alumni Field.
The Daily breaks down each of the
Wolverines’ position groups as they
aim to capitalize on a Kent State
team that enters Ann Arbor mired
in an eight-game losing streak.
Pitchers:
This year’s pitching staff is
headlined by sophomore Meghan
Beaubien, who posted a 33-6
record, 1.16 ERA and 266 strikeouts
across 217 innings pitched en route
to first team All-American honors
in 2018. The southpaw’s success
in the circle has been highlighted
by the four no-hitters to her name,
one of which came less than three
weeks ago against California State
Northridge. After suffering a bro-
ken wrist in the weight room last
fall, Beaubien’s ERA has ballooned
to 2.44. She’s been dominant as a
starter, but Beaubien has allowed
upwards of four runs in multiple
relief appearances in 2019.
Another arm that’s been impres-
sive is freshman right-hander Alex
Storako, who has firmly established
herself as the team’s second starter.
Storako is often referred to as a
“spin pitcher” by Michigan coach
Carol Hutchins, which has been
evident in her 76 strikeouts across
65.1 innings pitched. Opponents
are managing a batting average of
just .167 against Storako, but her
2.14 ERA has taken a hit thanks in
part to the 10 home runs she has
surrendered.
Though her numbers aren’t as
dominant as Beaubien and Stor-
ako’s, sophomore right-hander
Sarah Schaefer provides value to
the staff by inducing soft contact.
Schaefer has recorded a 2.69 ERA
across nine appearances thus far, a

sizeable inflation from her 1.57 clip
in 2018.
Catchers:
After taking over as the starting
catcher midway through her soph-
omore year, senior captain Katie
Alexander has established herself
as one of the best backstops in the
conference. She slugged her way
to a .314 batting average with 24
RBI while picking up second team
All-Big Ten honors a season ago,
but has struggled at the plate in the
early stages of her senior campaign.
Alexander enters the homestand
with a .152 batting average in 17
starts, but leads the team with three
home runs and ranks second with
11 RBI.
Freshman Hannah Carson —
FloSoftball’s No. 21 2018 prospect
— has assumed the backup catcher
duties so far this season, despite
junior catcher Abby Skvarce’s
upper-hand in age. Carson tallied
a .571 batting average and 31 home
runs as a senior in high school en
route to her fourth consecutive first
team All-State selection.
First base:
This season’s starting first base-
man job has presented the biggest
head-scratcher so far, following
the graduation of Tera Blanco, a
first team All-Big Ten selection in
2018. It’s been a battle between
senior Alex Sobczak and sopho-
more Taylor Bump since opening
weekend, but neither player has
much experience on the right side
of the infield.
As of now, the position appears to
belong to Sobczak, who entered
the season with 63 career starts
under her belt. On the other hand,
Bump’s natural positions are third
base and shortstop, meaning she is
accustomed to playing defense on
the other side of the infield. Neither
player has put up big numbers at
the plate so far this season, but
Sobczak’s team-high .429 on-base
percentage trumps Bump’s .250
mark.
Second base:
Michigan’s lineup starts and ends
with senior second baseman Faith
Canfield — both literally and figura-
tively. The two-time All-American
has firmly established herself as
the leadoff hitter, and she comes
into this weekend scorching hot
after posting a .448 batting average

during the team’s West Coast
trip last week. Canfield spent her
freshman season learning the ropes
of her position from then-senior
Sierra Romero, who took home
2016 National Player of the Year
honors. Now that Canfield is in her
second year as captain, Hutchins
wants to see her “take this team by
the horns.”
Shortstop:
For the second straight season,
sophomore Natalia Rodriguez
will be the Wolverines’ everyday
shortstop. Rodriguez registered a
.250 batting average in 53 starts as a
freshman, so her .333 mark thus far
represents a massive leap forward.
After recording 10 stolen bases on
12 attempts last season, Rodriguez
has already swiped five bags on as
many tries in 2019.
Third base:
Last season, Madison Uden was
Michigan’s breakout star. After
finishing her freshman year with
a .255 batting average in 12 starts,
2018 brought about monumental
success to the tune of a .357 average
and 35 RBI. While the numbers
prove that Uden stepped up as a
hitter a season ago, her biggest de-
velopment came from a leadership
standpoint — something evident in
her teammates’ choice to nominate
her as a 2019 captain, despite being
just a junior.
One of this year’s early-season
shocks has been Uden’s struggles at
the plate. She limps into this week-
end with a .174 batting average — a
183-point regression from 2018.
Outfield:
The Wolverines’ outfield corps has
been their most consistent position
group over the first month of the
season. Freshman left fielder Lexie
Blair has been a staple towards
the top of the order, posting a .316
batting average with a team-high
eight doubles. Now in her third
year as the starting center fielder,
senior Natalie Peters is another
staple of the lineup. She earned
second team All-Big Ten honors
in 2017 after posting a .361 batting
average, but saw that number dip to
.312 last season. When it comes to
defense, junior right fielder Haley
Hoogenraad is one of Michigan’s
finest. Hoogenraad recorded 43
putouts without committing an
error a season ago.

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

Breaking down ‘M’ Softball’s 2019 roster

Navigating Uncharted Territory

Carol Hutchins said it better than any-
body: “This team has been a little bit of
up and a little bit of down.”
The Wolverines head into home play
with a 12-10 record, something that
the Michigan coach, her players and
the softball community at large aren’t
accustomed to experiencing — nor
could’ve predicted given the program’s
precedence of dominance.
The team has weaknesses: namely,
finding starters at first base and pitcher,
hitting consistently and closing out
tight games. But so does every team, as
Hutchins said after practice Tuesday.
This season still marked a change from
the program’s typical preeminence, and
the problem isn’t how players hold a
bat or field a fly ball.
Michigan has a few
choices to make. To
focus or worry about
their legacy. To hope
for results or get them.
To swing with author-
ity or think too much.
For so many years,
Michigan held a
mental acuity that
allowed it to reach a
pinnacle of excellence
as a program, and this year has tested
that focus. In game after game, players
have pointed to mental struggles as the
root cause of awry pitches, problems
hitting and general strife on the field.
The Wolverines know their problem.
And while repeated mental lapses have
certainly created new obstacles, they
also present a new opportunity.
This is the first team the program has
seen in years to face a recurring issue
affecting performance. Sure, that’s
not ideal, but it also sets the stage for
greatness.
This team could be the one to face
adversity and attack it. The Wolverines
can show up at the plate, be ‘on’ men-
tally and perform at the level at which
we know they’re capable from big wins
against ranked opponents. They’ve
identified the problem — now they just
have to solve it.
To truly get to the root of the problem,
though, Michigan has to look at why
it keeps falling into mental lulls in the
first place. The sixth inning of the Stan-
ford game, the first game in the LSU
Invitational in Baton Rouge, La., pro-
vided a potential answer. After a strong
start with a tied score of 1-1, sophomore
left-hander Meghan Beaubien stepped
in to relieve freshman right-hander
Alex Storako in the circle. Beaubien let
up four runs before Hutchins pulled
her from the lineup mid-inning.
“You want to go into that situation with
a clear head and just telling yourself to
throw your game and that it’s going to
work out,” Beaubien said. “What you
don’t want to do is try too hard to get
out of a situation or to get the results

you wanted, and that’s what I was
doing. I was trying too hard to get the
results I wanted, and that leads to bad
pitches.”
Like Beaubien, several players have
found that after one discouragement, it
becomes harder to avoid result-orient-
ed play — trying to force an outcome
and forgetting to play freely. And when
one player falls into that mentality, it
can affect the entire team.
But in the same way that panic spreads
quickly, so too does a revived team
atmosphere.
“It’s a contagious effect,” Hutchins said.
“When a couple of us (hit well), we’ve
opened up. We did it against Arizona
State. …When we’ve scored runs, it’s
because we’ve only had to get a couple
things going and then everybody takes
the pressure off themselves.”
The Wolverines understand why they
can beat No. 2 UCLA
and almost defeat No. 9
Louisiana State yet lose
to unranked Louisville,
North Carolina and
the Cardinal. They’ve
encountered mental
setbacks, and they now
have the chance to
change their mental-
ity at home, proving
resilience in the face
of a rocky start. With
comfortable winning records in the
scorebooks the past 14 years, this is the
first time in a long time Michigan has
needed that spark. And the Wolverines
have the chance to create that hungry
mentality for themselves.
A major turning point in finding that
rhythm also occurred in Baton Rouge,
just four games after the loss to Stan-
ford. Playing a tough Tigers team with
a home-field advantage, Michigan held
strong defensively, eventually losing
2-1, but playing with a passion and ease
they lacked in previous contests.
“They’ve learned it at LSU, and they
didn’t get the win, but they played
to win it, and we played like that in
California every game,” Hutchins said.
“The jungle tiger doesn’t go in there
and wonder or worry or hope he gets
his prey. He goes in there to get it, or
else he’s not going to eat.”
Two weeks ago, the program stood
at a crux: carry on the success of the
program or drop the ball, sliding into
the team’s first losing season since
recordkeeping began 14 years ago. Ten
games later, the Wolverines remain on
that precarious edge.
Michigan managed to claw its way
back to a winning record. But to really
cement themselves as the team that
continued the success of a legendary
program in the face of adversity, Team
42 can’t just be “a little bit of up.” The
team needs sustained ferocity, and the
players know that.
And with the Wolverines returning to
Ann Arbor this weekend, it’s time to
see if they can survive in the jungle.

LILY FRIEDMAN
Daily Sports Writer

throw, I know she’ll be able to get it.
She’ll be able to block it. I know she
can throw runners out. She’s tough.
She gives you a lot of confidence
because she just has a presence. She’s
very good at understanding my head
knowing the right thing to say to get
me back in the mindset to do what I
need to do.”
One of the most important elements of
Alexander’s legacy will be leaving the
team in the capable hands of another
catcher. That role will likely be filled
by freshman catcher Hannah Carson.
The two have already worked together
in preparation of Carson eventually
taking the reins. Although she hasn’t
gotten many innings yet, Carson is
next in line, now preparing for Alex-
ander to pass the torch. When Carson
is playing, Alexander is always nearby,
giving critiques on form, demon-
strating a play or offering a word of
encouragement.
Her advice to Carson has been clear:
Be vocal; be confident; be the leader
the team needs you to be.
With softball legends like Tera Blanco,
Megan Betsa and Kelly Christner
to look up to, Alexander had many
mentors to choose from as an under-
classman.
“Every person that’s older than you or
every person here, tries to make the
people around them better,” Alex-
ander said. “I took something from
almost every single person that I got
the chance to play with.
“To be able to see what they did for me
— what worked and what didn’t — and
now I can use that for the underclass-
men.”
One lesson Alexander has impart-
ed, not just on Carson but all of the
underclassmen, is the importance of
commitment.
“All years, they preach here that you’re

a leader and you can be on the field,”
Alexander said. “No matter how old
you are, you can still have a say and
that’s what’s going to make everybody
else better. I really took pride in, no
matter whether I was in the dugout or
on the field or how old I was, I could
be valuable to my teammates. That’s
how we’re going to succeed: if every-
body puts in that much effort.”
With these types of sentiments,
Alexander strives to emulate the same
team culture that Seegert experienced
in her time at Michigan, a collective
atmosphere upheld by team traditions
like a “no phone” rule or writing in the
dirt before each game.
It is this culture that has lead the
Wolverines to 20 Big Ten Conference
Championships, 18 All-American
players and one NCAA World Series
victory — a level of play Alexander
would love to see again from her team.
As the season gets into full swing
and Michigan bounces between hard
losses and easy wins, Alexander is not
satisfied — she rarely has been.
In her freshman year of high school,
Alexander could have been satisfied
sticking to second base on Saline’s
junior varsity team.
When she got to Michigan four years
ago, she could have accepted that she’d
get little playing time as a walk-on.
As errors plummeted and her batting
average soared, she could have been
happy with her role as starting catcher,
content in being remembered — just
like her high school coach — as one of
the strongest catchers in Michigan’s
history. But instead, she’s gone above
and beyond, serving the team as a
leader and mentor, on and off the field.
Regardless of the number of runs
she’s scored or runners she’s thrown
out, Katie Alexander’s legacy will be
defined by one thing: her drive.

The jungle
tiger doesn’t
go in there and
wonder

5A