The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, April 17, 2019 — 7A
Big game woes
T
he Michigan baseball
team is 24-11 overall
and stands third in the
Big Ten. The
Wolverines
have scored
100 more
runs than
their oppo-
nents, only
one regular
starter has an
on-base per-
centage less
than .300 and
the team has
38 total home runs.
They’ve won five games by
double digits,
16 by four or
more runs and
have a defense
that shuts down
opposing hitters.
That is, if they’re
playing lesser
teams. Teams
like Michigan
State, Bing-
hamton or West
Michigan.
The Wolverines have a .800
winning percentage against
opponents with a losing record
and have committed just 15
errors in the 20 games, coolly
putting teams away.
Michigan has rock solid lead-
ership and a great communal
effort, obvious even from a press
box a hundred feet away.
“This is some of the best
leadership and team chemistry
that I’ve seen in the program
in the six and a half years I’ve
been here,” Michigan coach Erik
Bakich said at the beginning of
the year.
Added senior infielder Blake
Nelson after a home opener
win: “It starts with our team.
We’re all bought in for the win.
Whether that’s warming up with
the outfielders, doing the chart
or playing in the game. It doesn’t
really matter, we all know our
roles and we’re all ready to come
in when our number is called.”
But then they play good
teams. They still have a winning
record against those at or above
.500, winning eight of 14, mostly
thanks to a 5-0 record against
teams with a dead even record.
Their impressively clean
defense, though, falls apart —
doubling its rate of errors from
.75 errors per game to 1.5.
Michigan’s 100-run advantage
over its opponents? It shrinks all
the way to one.
“We were shaky at times
defensively,” Bakich said after
a deflating weekend against the
Buckeyes. “We didn’t get the
clutch hits when we needed to
and a rivalry series is very emo-
tional. It has all the characteris-
tics, the look and feel, of big-time
baseball whether your opponent
is ranked or not.”
Big time
baseball hasn’t
been kind to
the Wolverines.
Like they did in
Columbus when
they went 1-2,
Michigan folded
in Los Angeles
and Lubbock. It
was unable to
compete with
the spotlight on them.
Bakich, though, has always
been big on growth.
“What I’d like us to do better
is continue to trend upwards
when we have setbacks like
this, to use it as growth and fuel
to better our performance in
the future,” Bakich said after
Ohio State. “If we’re going to
be the team that I think we’re
going to be, then we’re going to
have to play well when it means
the most and a rivalry series is
one of those weekends when it
means the most.”
When will that growth come?
The losses to Ohio State came
a month after losing four out of
five in California and two weeks
after being swept by Texas
Tech. At what point, if ever,
will the Wolverines’ experience
settle their nerves in big series’?
In time, we’ll learn. Four
of Michigan’s final five series
are against teams with a .500
record or better, with its final
two series against the teams
ahead of the Wolverines in the
Big Ten standings.
As they enter the final month
of the regular season, Michi-
gan needs to limit its mistakes
in the face of tough competi-
tion — its pitchers can’t miss,
its defenders can’t make costly
mistakes and its offense needs
to be consistent. That is, if they
want to reach their lofty aspira-
tions in the playoffs.
Schwartz can be reached via
email at kentsch@umich.edu or
on Twitter @nottherealkent
KENT
SCHWARTZ
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Michigan coach Erik Bakich noted that his team needs to step up its game.
Alex StoraKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKo
Freshman right-hander fans 15 in career day, leading Michigan past Michigan State in East Lansing, 12-1
EAST LANSING — Looking to
avenge last year’s first round loss
in the Big Ten tournament, the
Michigan softball team traveled to
East Lansing and was greeted by an
even mix of green and white as well
as maize and blue. The Wolverines
ensured they dazzled the strong
visiting crowd, nearly securing a
run-rule victory and winning 12-1.
Early on, though, it seemed tough
to predict such an outcome.
After
a
lackluster
offensive
showing in the top of the first by
Michigan, sophomore left-hander
Meghan Beaubien stepped into
the circle looking to rebound from
Saturday’s extra-inning loss against
Ohio State.
But Beaubien did the exact
opposite — she gave up three hits
and a walk to her first four batters.
And that was plenty enough for
Wolverines’ coach Carol Hutchins
to visit the pitcher. Rather than
having a few words with Beaubien
and leaving her in, Hutchins pulled
the trigger and substituted Beaubien
out for freshman right-hander Alex
Storako. Storako, even when facing
a bases-loaded situation, wasn’t
fazed and dished out two strikeouts
and a scoreless inning.
“Just like we’ve been focusing on
all year, just the one-pitch focus, I
think that really got me through (the
jam),” Storako said. “Just clearing
my head and having no thoughts
during (it).”
That was about the only difficulty
Michigan faced the entire evening.
Trailing 1-0, the Wolverines
began to string together hit after
hit, starting with the bottom of the
lineup — exactly what Hutchins
asked for after the Indiana series.
Starting with junior third baseman
Madison Uden, who hit a double
to the centerfield wall, Michigan
found its first runs on a two-run
home run from senior catcher Katie
Alexander, giving the Wolverines a
2-1 lead.
Sophomore shortstop Natalia
Rodriguez
continued
her
consistency from the ninth spot in
the batting order, finding herself in
scoring position after a single and a
stolen base — her eighth of the year
— and coming home on a RBI double
from dependable senior second
baseman Faith Canfield.
But that was only the start of the
Wolverines’ onslaught.
After a RBI single in third inning
from senior first baseman Alex
Sobczak, Michigan exploded in the
top of the fourth inning.
With
each
playing
in
the
lineup seeing an at-bat during this
inning, the wheels came off for the
Spartans.
First, Canfield added another
RBI, this time on a triple. The
outfield pairing of senior Natalie
Peters and freshman Lexie Blair
combined for the next run as Peters,
who preceded Blair’s at-bat with a
single and a stolen base, came home
on a double from Blair down the left
field line.
A couple batters later, the
Wolverines found their next run
through a rather unconventional
method. Michigan State pitcher
McKenna Gregory, who had just
come into the game, walked Uden
home from third and Michigan
found itself leading 7-1. Junior Haley
Hoogenraad also got in on the party,
driving in another run off a Spartan
error at first base.
In the meantime, Storako was
having herself a career night.
Continuing her dominance from
the first inning, Storako pitched six
no-hit innings along with a career-
high 15 strikeouts.
“I didn’t know (I had a career-
high) until just now,” Storako said
when asked about her performance.
“Just not focusing on the results and
focusing on the process has really
helped not only me but the entire
team.”
After a couple quiet innings of
being one run away from winning
on a rule-run, Michigan made sure
it left Secchia Stadium with a bang
— literally.
Alexander drove a high-flying
home run to center, extending the
Wolverines lead to eight in the top
of the seventh. And with a surefire
victory in the bag, the freshman
pinch hitters kept the intensity
going.
With Hannah Carson on first
base after a full-count walk, Morgan
Overaitis made sure they both were
accounted for on the scoreboard as
she unleashed a long ball to center
field, capping off the ideal bounce-
back performance for Michigan.
AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Daily Sports Writer
EAST
LANSING
—
Alex
Storako finally demonstrated the
endurance that Michigan coach
Carol Hutchins has been looking
for all season.
The
freshman
right-hander
proved herself in Tuesday’s game
against
Michigan
State
when
sophomore left-hander Meghan
Beaubien struggled right off the
bat. Beaubien, typically the team’s
reliable ace, allowed three singles
followed by a walk to force a runner
home in the first inning, putting the
Wolverines at a one run early.
Storako — substituted in with
no outs and the bases still loaded —
took the opportunity in stride.
She ended the inning with a
flyout followed by two strikeouts,
rescuing Michigan from the jam
without sacrificing another run.
“Her team needed her to step
up and she did a fantastic job,”
Hutchins said. “She has that in her
and she hasn’t always shown it.
Tonight we needed it from her, and
she stepped it up and did what we
think she’s capable of — shutting
down an opponent.”
She registered a career high of
15 strikeouts and went six innings
before Michigan State registered a
hit against her.
She began to shake in the second
inning. While she struck out the
first batter she faced, Storako
walked the next. She repeated this
pattern with another strikeout and
walk, putting two Spartans on base.
With these two walks, it looked
like Storako might be suffering
from a challenge that’s plagued
her all season: late-game struggles.
Facing tough competition and
close games, recently Hutchins has
opted to pull Storako at the first
sign of trouble.
In
the
contest
against
Indiana
earlier
in
the
month,
Storako
was switched for
Beaubien
after
hitting a batter
with a pitch.
But
not
Tuesday.
Storako
remained
composed,
throwing a ball followed by three
pitches straight into the strike zone.
With a flyout, the inning ended
scoreless.
These struggles were entirely
absent in the following inning
when Storako retired three batters
with consecutive strikeouts, ending
the third almost as soon as it had
begun.
Storako’s performance began to
waver again in the fourth, starting
the inning with a leadoff walk.
Clawing her way back from behind
in the count, Storako struck out
the next two batters, though the
leadoff runner advanced on a wild
pitch. Another walk put runners on
first and second, but Storako wasn’t
fazed. She struck out the next
batter to end the inning, once again
leaving Michigan State without a
run.
She regained her rhythm in the
fifth inning. After the first batter
flied out, she struck out the next
two.
Storako’s
performance
only
improved as the innings went on. In
the final two innings, she registered
four more strikeouts and allowed
just two batters to reach base.
“She came in and got out of
that hairy first inning, then she
had some ups and downs — a few
walks in the middle there — but
she was able to bring herself back,”
Hutchins said.
This game is the first in over
a month in which Storako has
pitched seven full innings. Despite
not usually pitching into the fourth
and fifth innings,
Storako didn’t feel
physical or mental
fatigue.
“It’s
been
a
while since going
a long game like
that,”
Storako
said.
“I
think
my
workouts
have been a lot of
conditioning. I’m
not really focused
on results, just the
process.”
This contest marked several
other firsts in Storako’s career,
including the first time she has
pitched six innings without a hit
and seven innings with just one hit.
Storako’s stamina would be a
huge asset to the Wolverines if it
were to continue into the rest of the
season. With 147 innings already
piled on Beaubien’s left arm,
having Storako as a reliable second
pitcher may be the difference
between success and failure in the
postseason.
Hutchins made it clear that
Storako
would
have
further
opportunities
to
show
this
persistence
after
Tuesday’s
performance.
“That is good for us to see,”
Hutchins
said.
“She
worked
through it and in the future we’ll
have more confidence to allow her
to work through it.”
Michigan went on to win, 12-1.
They have Storako’s newfound
endurance to thank.
LANE KIZZIAH
Daily Sports Writer
Hutchins’ history lesson: At
MSU, a reminder of progress
EAST LANSING — Each
year, the Michigan softball
team plays a road game at
Michigan State. And each year,
coach Carol Hutchins seizes
the opportunity to give her
team a history lesson.
At
Secchia
Stadium,
the
right field fence is draped in
a green 1976 AIAW National
Champions banner. The crown,
which came four years after
Congress passed Title IX of
the Education Amendments,
is the Spartans’ lone national
championship.
On a team that featured
talent from top to bottom,
senior pitcher Gloria Becksford
stood out. Becksford’s three
consecutive shutouts and 25
strikeouts propelled Michigan
State to the 1976 AIAW Softball
College
World
Series
title
that is commemorated on the
Spartans’ fence to this day.
That
season,
Becksford
took a certain Michigan State
freshman
under
her
wing.
Today, that freshman is the
NCAA’s winningest coach of
all-time.
On Tuesday night, Hutchins
made her 35th homecoming
as
the
Wolverines’
coach.
She tallied her 1,601st career
coaching victory — the most in
the history of the sport. No. 21
Michigan (30-11 overall, 12-1
Big Ten) throttled the Spartans
(15-25, 3-9), 12-1, behind senior
catcher
Katie
Alexander’s
two home runs and freshman
right-hander Alex Storako’s 15
strikeouts.
After taking care of business,
the Wolverines boarded their
bus
with
something
more
valuable than just a win. The
experience of competing on the
same field that Hutchins played
on — and often maintained
herself amid an underfunded
era of women’s athletics— gives
Michigan an annual reminder.
“She talks a lot about where
sports were during her time (at
Michigan State) and she teaches
us how far we’ve come,” said
senior second baseman Faith
Canfield. “She lets us know we
need to be thankful for where
we are now because when she
was here, it was not like that.
… She’s one of the core people
who have given us the platform
for where we are now. It’s
unbelievable and I’m thankful
for it.”
To Hutchins, it’s just one
component of a meaningful
college
experience.
The
philosophy
plays
an
instrumental
role
in
the
legend’s approach to coaching.
“I
had
a
great
college
experience,”
Hutchins
said.
“It’s one of the reason I stayed
in college athletics. When I
got college and then started
coaching, my mom said, ‘You
know, you’ve never left college.’
And I said, ‘Why would anybody
ever leave college?’ ”
Today,
Hutchins
strives
to offer her student-athletes
a
well-rounded
college
experience.
Her
program
goes far beyond the diamond.
Words
like
“relationships”
and “education” come up in
conversation before wins and
losses are even mentioned.
Her definition of greatness
— as with everything she does
— comes with its own unique
flair.
“I want my kids to experience
what it is to be great,” Hutchins
said. “We achieved greatness at
Michigan State when I played,
and greatness isn’t just defined
by a national championship.
Greatness is (defined by) great
friends, great teammates and
great work, and it’s a life lesson
to be a college athlete.”
After
three
and
a
half
decades of greatness in Ann
Arbor,
Canfield
sometimes
struggles to associate Hutchins
with her alma mater’s colors.
“It’s weird to see (the banner
in East Lansing), just seeing
how
passionate
(Hutchins)
is about Michigan,” Canfield
said. “It’s actually really weird
seeing it in green. She’s one of
the greatest to ever do it. All
of us have played for her, it’s
interesting to remember that
she actually played too.”
Forty-three
years
after
taking
home
the
national
championship, Hutchins uses
the banner as a benchmark.
But not a benchmark of time,
success or experience. Instead,
she smiles every time Michigan
launches a home run over the
wall it covers — the same one
she helped build.
Asked
about
the
banner
and its legacy after the game,
Storako flashed a smile.
“She told the hitters to hit
the ball there.”
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
We have a
lot of big...
opportunities
ahead.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Freshman right-hander Alex Storako racked up a career-high 15 strikeouts in her six shutout innings of work on Tuesday.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins uses the banner in the Michigan State outfield to
remind her team of the immense inequalities that used to plague female sports.
She came in
and got out of
that hairy first
inning...