8 — Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

When it comes to versatility, 
Natalia Rodriguez is in a class of 
her own.
Now in her second season as the 
Michigan softball team’s starting 
shortstop, the sophomore can do 
it all. She’s a switch-hitter at the 
plate, speed demon on the base 
paths and defensive stalwart in the 
field.
But 
above 
all, 
Rodriguez 
provides 
consistency. 
She 
appeared in 55 of last season’s 59 
contests and has started all 39 of 
the Wolverines’ games so far this 
year.
Rodriguez’s defensive prowess 
played a major role in 2018’s 
seamless 
shortstop 
transition. 
After Michigan bid farewell to 
Abby Ramirez — a two-time All-
Big Ten shortstop who graduated 
in 2017 — Rodriguez held her own 
on defense as a freshman. Her .944 
fielding percentage was only a 
slight drop-off from Ramirez’s .953 
clip in 2017.
At the plate, Rodriguez has 
taken a massive leap forward. After 
posting a .250 batting average last 
season — the worst among the 
Wolverines’ starters — Rodriguez 
spent much of the offseason in the 
batting cage. Now, as one of the 

country’s only true switch-hitters, 
she poses a threat regardless of the 
situation. Her ability to bunt from 
both sides of the plate, slap-hit 
from the left side and swing away 
from the right side makes her the 
Big Ten’s jack of all trades.
Through 87 at-bats this season, 
the 
results 
have 
spoken 
for 
themselves. With the home stretch 
of Michigan’s conference slate on 
the horizon, Rodriguez’s batting 
average is sitting at .310.
Naturally, Rodriguez’s batting 
average boost has given her more 
opportunity to wreak havoc on the 
base paths. After swiping 10 bases 
on 12 tries last season, Rodriguez 
has successfully stolen seven bags 
on eight attempts so far this season. 
Her speed gives opposing pitchers 
one more thing to worry about, 
which opens up opportunities for 
other Wolverines to find success at 
the plate.
“(Rodriguez stealing a base) 
manufactures 
a 
run,” 
said 
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. 
“You’ve got to find a way to 
manufacture runs, and one of 
those is to steal their bases. It puts 
us in position, and it is a difference 
maker.”
The synergy of Rodriguez’s 
improvement at the plate and elite 
speed puts Hutchins in a dilemma. 
With the team’s leadoff through 

cleanup hitters all batting above 
.340 with at least 20 RBI, it doesn’t 
make sense to insert Rodriguez’s 
skillset into the heart of the order. 
So instead, she bats last.
The only qualm about hitting 
ninth is the fact that it takes the bat 
out of Rodriguez’s hands at times. 
Heading into the second half 
of April, Rodriguez already has 
upwards of 30 fewer at-bats than 
some of her teammates.
But 
for 
Hutchins, 
strategy 
outweighs total plate appearances.
“It’s really important to have 
that nine hitter be your secondary 
leadoff,” Hutchins said. “It puts 
base runners on — someone 
with great speed — for the top of 
your order. (Rodriguez) has been 
outstanding in that category, and 
we need her to keep it up.”
Added junior right fielder Haley 
Hoogenraad: “(Rodriguez) is a 
huge turnover for the start of the 
lineup. She’s basically like another 
number one hitter. She bats at 
the top of the order but turns the 
order over a lot by getting on base 
a lot somehow. That’s so important 
in the bottom of the order, just 
finding a way to get bases. Bases 
are how you win games.”
With Rodriguez holding down 
the fort in the ninth spot, the 
Wolverines set the top of their 
order up for success.

Alexander, Hoogenraad snap slumps

Katie Alexander and Haley 
Hoogenraad are no strangers to 
going the extra mile.
With their struggles mounting 
during the No. 21 Michigan 
softball team’s first month of 
Big Ten competition, the senior 
catcher and junior right fielder 
have spent even more time in the 
batting cage before practice.
Going into the weekend series 
against Ohio State, the two 
returning starters were able to use 
the Wolverines’ overall success 
at the plate to mask their own 
shortcomings.
Michigan 
swept 
Nebraska, 
Rutgers and Indiana en route to a 
9-0 record to begin Big Ten play. 
During this start, the Wolverines 
posted a batting average of .315 
and plated more than seven runs 
per game. But Hoogenraad and 
Alexander — the seventh and 
eighth batters in Michigan coach 
Carol Hutchins’ lineup — didn’t 
partake in the hit parade. The 
duo posted an average of just .220, 
while the first four hitters in the 
lineup combined for a .396 clip.
But in Columbus, Hoogenraad 
and Alexander flipped the switch.
With the scoreboard knotted 
up at one run apiece in the fourth 
inning of Friday’s series-opener, 
Hoogenraad stepped up to the 
plate while Alexander took warm-
up cuts in the on-deck circle. 
Junior outfielder Thais Gonzalez, 
who entered the game as a pinch 
runner, represented the go-ahead 
run at first base.
Four pitches into the at-bat, 
Hoogenraad put a swing on the 
fifth. She drove the ball down the 
right field line, and it tailed away 
from the diving Buckeye outfielder 
just enough to ricochet off her 
glove. As Hoogenraad pulled into 
third base with a triple, she took 
a moment to reflect on her first 
extra-base hit of the month.
“The best feeling is when you 
get to third base and look back 
into the dugout, and everyone 
in the dugout is really excited,” 

Hoogenraad said. “That is the 
best feeling, knowing you did it for 
everyone else.”
When Alexander made her way 
to the plate, she didn’t give the 
dugout much time to rest before 
the crack of her bat sent another 
wave of jubilation its way. Just 
two pitches after Hoogenraad’s 
triple, 
Alexander 
launched 
a 
no-doubt home run to deep right-
center field. This time, the entire 
Michigan dugout emptied as it 
celebrated the end of its captain’s 
coldspell.
Alexander’s 
next 
at-bat 
provided an equally exciting 
sequel. After working the count 
full, she fouled off a pair of payoff 
pitches before getting ahold of 
the third. When Alexander made 
contact on the sweet spot, she 
began her home run trot for the 
second time in as many plate 
appearances. The long ball gave 
the Wolverines a 6-3 advantage in 
the sixth frame.
An inning later, Hoogenraad 
made her way to the batter’s box 
with the bases loaded and two 
outs. She seized her chance to 
break the game open, belting a 
grand slam over the left-center 
field wall to give Michigan a 10-3 
lead.
“We really needed the (number) 
six through nine hitters to pick up 
their production, and they did an 
outstanding job,” Hutchins said. 
“… (Hoogenraad and Alexander) 
connected on pitches. That’s what 
we’re striving for, and it doesn’t 
happen every time.”
In the first game of Saturday’s 
doubleheader, the tandem led yet 
another comeback win.

After 
seeing 
Ohio 
State 
take 
freshman 
right-hander 
Alex Storako deep twice in the 
first inning, Hoogenraad and 
Alexander helped the Wolverines 
claw back in the second frame. 
Hoogenraad’s opposite-field RBI 
single cut the Buckeyes’ lead in 
half, and she made her way into 
scoring position with a stolen base 
just moments later.
In the ensuing at-bat, Alexander 
laced an RBI single through the 
left side to tie the game. When 
Hoogenraad scored on a sacrifice 
bunt later in the inning, Michigan 
took the lead for good. Alexander’s 
crucial hit clinched the series win 
and brought her batting average to 
.214 — its highest mark since Feb. 
22.
“No matter how (Alexander’s) 
season is going, she’s always in 
there working hard and going the 
extra mile to try to make herself 
better,” Hoogenraad said. “That 
just goes to show perseverance, 
even when things aren’t going 
your way, you’re always in there 
putting in more work and doing 
extra to try to make yourself better 
and that really is a true showing of 
perseverance.”
When 
the 
dust 
settled, 
Hoogenraad 
and 
Alexander 
tallied eight hits across 16 at-bats, 
10 RBI and five runs scored in the 
series.
If Hoogenraad and Alexander 
can permanently break their 
slumps, that extra mile in the 
batting cage could add coveted 
length to the lineup — a key 
ingredient in the Wolverines’ 
pursuit of their 11th Big Ten 
championship in 12 years.

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Sophomore shortstop Natalia Rodriguez has taken a massive leap forward at the plate this season.

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Junior right fielder Haley Hoogenraad hit a grand slam on Friday.

Pitching, defense lead to series loss

Friday night’s game hung in 
the balance. Buckeye catcher 
Dillon Dingler stepped to the 
plate with his team leading 2-1.
Dingler attempted a bunt that 
went straight back at junior left-
hander Tommy Henry. The ball 
slipped out of Henry’s hand, 
and his throw went wayward, 
allowing Dingler to advance all 
the way to second base.
After 
that 
inauspicious 
start to the fifth inning, Henry 
imploded. He proceeded to give 
up three runs on a sacrifice fly 
and three singles, as Ohio State 
eventually pulled away to a 
10-5 victory over the Michigan 
baseball team on its way to two 
wins out of three games.
“When you play good defense 
you minimize the opponent’s 
opportunities,” said Michigan 
coach Erik Bakich. “If you make 
that difficult play, that’s what 
I’m talking about. Being able to 
make the difficult play to take 
away the hits.
“Those difficult plays end up 
being a difference-maker in a 
team scoring zero or maybe only 
scoring one or two versus not 
making those plays and what 
could’ve been a one or two run 
inning turns into a three or a 
four or five or a six-run inning.”

Henry didn’t just struggle on 
defense — he had difficulties 
on the mound, too. He gave up 
eight hits and seven earned 
runs in just four innings while 
striking out two. Henry didn’t 
get much help from his relief 
pitchers, either. Freshman left-
hander Walker Cleveland and 
sophomore right-hander Blake 
Beers combined to give up three 
additional runs in 2.2 innings of 
work.
“Pitching can 
go 
into 
little 
slumps, too, now 
just like hitters 
can,” 
Bakich 
said. 
“Tommy 
Henry has just 
had a little bit 
of a two-week 
slump here. We 
haven’t won on 
a Friday night 
in conference in a few weeks. 
He maybe hasn’t been quite as 
crisp or as sharp as he has been 
in the past. But, we all have full 
confidence in the pitcher that 
he is and the pitcher that he’s 
gonna be from here on out.”
Saturday 
afternoon, 
the 
Wolverines’ hurlers struggled 
in 
pivotal 
moments. 
Junior 
right-hander 
Karl 
Kauffman 
appeared to have better control 
on the mound, but his periods 
of solid pitching were mixed in 

with crucial mistakes. In the 
second inning, a two-run home 
run opened the scoring for the 
Buckeyes. In the third inning, 
Kauffman gave up a solo home 
run and later a three-run shot to 
blow the game open.
But 
Kauffman 
remained 
resilient. 
He 
posted 
nine 
strikeouts and after Ohio State’s 
big third inning, had consecutive 
1-2-3 
innings, 
allowing 
his 
offense 
to 
stage 
a 
mini-
comeback. 
But 
unfortunately 
for 
the 
Wolverines, 
the early deficit 
was too much 
to 
overcome 
in a 10-4 loss 
that 
clinched 
the 
weekend 
series 
for 
the 
Buckeyes.
“The thing Ohio State did is 
they hit mistakes,” Bakich said. 
“And we made some mistakes 
with some pitches, especially in 
some two strike counts where 
we were ahead and they hit some 
home runs and they got some big 
hits in those moments. So Karl 
actually had pretty good stuff, 
he just made some mistakes 
with some of his pitches and 
they got hit and we got down to 
the early deficit.”

MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Junior left-hander Tommy Henry gave up three runs in the fifth inning on Friday as Michigan lost, 10-5.

AVI RAJENDRA-NICOLUCCI
Daily Sports Writer

Pitching can 
go into little 
slumps, too, 
now.

Wolverines drop seventh-straight 
game, 17-7, against Nittany Lions

Despite 
reaching 
two 
milestones, there was little for 
the Michigan men’s lacrosse 
team to be excited about after 
the clock hit zero.
A 
matchup 
against 
the 
nation’s No. 1 team in Penn 
State 
(3-0 
Big 
Ten, 
10-1 
overall), proved to be too much 
for the Wolverines (0-3, 3-8), 
as they dropped their seventh 
game in a row in a 17-7 defeat.
While Michigan looked to 
be in control during the game’s 
opening minutes, the Nittany 
Lions struck first with a man-
up goal following a penalty 
on senior defenseman Nick 
DeCaprio. 
The 
Wolverines 
surrendered 
another 
goal 
from close range 30 seconds 
later, though they managed 
to slice the deficit in half on 
a transition goal from junior 
midfielder Avery Myers. Penn 
State barely flinched, finishing 
the quarter by scoring five 
consecutive goals, including 
four in the span of a minute 
and a half.

“We 
knew 
Penn 
State 
(would 
come) 
out 
firing,” 
said Michigan coach Kevin 
Conry. “They’ve pretty much 
outscored their opponents in 
the first quarter by a significant 
margin. …We knew we had to 
handle their pressure early and 
didn’t.”
While 
the 
Wolverines 
proved 
unable 
to 
handle 
Penn 
State’s 
pressure in the 
game’s opening 
frame, 
they 
strung together 
a 
run 
in 
the 
second quarter, 
outscoring 
the 
Nittany 
Lions, 
4-2, and heading into the 
locker room trailing just 9-5. 
Myers notched an assist and 
scored two goals in the period, 
including one with ten seconds 
remaining 
after 
DeCaprio 
found him following a steal. 
The steal was one of eight 
forced turnovers by DeCaprio, 
who set the program’s single-
game 
record 
for 
forced 

turnovers 
and 
enabled 
Michigan to earn a bevy of 
transition opportunities in the 
quarter.
“(He’s) great at pushing the 
tempo and getting upfield,” 
Myers said.
With 8:42 remaining in the 
third quarter, senior midfielder 
Decker Curran 
scored off a feed 
from freshman 
attacker Bryce 
Clay to register 
his 
100th 
career 
point, 
becoming 
just 
the 
fourth 
player 
in 
program 
history 
to 
accomplish 
the feat. Penn State quickly 
rebounded — finishing the 
game on a run that saw it score 
seven consecutive goals and 
dominate time of possession 
— 
overshadowing 
Curran’s 
accomplishment.
“I’m not thinking about the 
accomplishment,” Curran said. 
“I’m thinking about how we 
can win these next two games.”

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Junior midfielder Avery Myers picked up a goal in Michigan’s 17-7 loss to Penn State on Saturday afternoon.

TEDDY GUTKIN
Daily Sports Writer

(DeCaprio’s) 
great at pushing 
the tempo and 
getting upfield.

Rodriguez does it all for Michigan

