It's the civil war of Michigan softball: Michigan versus Michigan State.
The two Big Ten rivals will battle for state bragging rights at 1 p.m. today at Alumni Field.
The matchup is typically a David vs. Goliath fight - Michigan, winner of four of the past five conference titles, against Michigan State, which typically dwells in the lower tier of the Big Ten standings.
But the Spartans have something else in mind for this year's game. Michigan State enters the contest holding second place in the conference - above the Wolverines.
"It's a big rivalry, just like it is in all sports," Michigan pitcher Kelly Holmes said. "But this year, it's even bigger, because of how tight the (Big Ten) race is right now. Usually we're in first place, and they're vying for a tournament spot."
But this game transcends standings and statistics. It is not about who is on top of the Big Ten when the game is over. It's about winning.
Because sitting in the other dugout is not some stranger who is only seen on the playing field. It's a friend.
"My best friend is on the (Michigan State) team," Holmes said. "Everyone on our team has friends on their team. It makes it exciting, because we've played with some of the players."
But not all Wolverines see the game as any different from any other game.
Melissa Gentile, Michigan's third baseman, is only a freshman. She has only played in one Michigan-Michigan State game before - the 5-0 whipping the Wolverines gave the Spartans on March 9 in the semifinal game of the Speedline Invitational.
Gentile doesn't know State's players off the field. She grew up in O'Fallon, Mo., a long way from any part of Michigan.
And she sees this as just another game.
"I hear all this stuff about the big Michigan State rivalry and how we need to beat our in-state rival, but to me, Michigan State is just another Minnesota," Gentile said.
But Holmes sees a lot more than Minnesota - the team Michigan swept this past weekend - in the green-clad squad from East Lansing. She sees a team that, although finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten her freshman year, took one game from the Wolverines. She sees a team tired of playing second-fiddle to Michigan. She sees a team that is always pumped up to play against the Wolverines.
"Everyone gets fired up for the game," Holmes said. "They all come out pretty excited, because they know it's a big rivalry and bragging rights within the state" are at stake.
The two teams did meet once earlier this season, and the Wolverines beat the Spartans soundly, 5-0.
But the circumstances were different.
It was not a conference game, and it was not played in East Lansing or Ann Arbor. It was played in Tampa, Fla., in the semifinals of the Speedline Invitational.
"When we played them in Florida, it was in a tournament," Holmes said. "Those games are always very important, but there's always a fun atmosphere to them."
There was another major difference in that game. The Wolverines were playing with All-American pitcher Sara Griffin.
Griffin, who is sidelined with a broken arm, not only pitched a complete-game shutout against the Spartans but helped her own cause with a two-run single in the first inning.
Today, it will be Holmes who will bear the brunt of the pitching duties. The senior has performed masterfully since Griffin's injury, keeping the Wolverines in the Big Ten race. She picked up all three wins against Minnesota and hasn't lost since April 6, the date of the first game after Griffin's injury.
Michigan will face Indiana for three games at home this weekend, concluding a 12-game homestand. There will be a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a single game the same time Sunday.
Michigan will then hit the road for its final Big Ten series of the season, at Ohio State on May 3-4.
The Wolverines will likely have to win all eight of their remaining conference games to have a shot at the Big Ten regular season title.
Iowa, which is undefeated in conference play, has the inside track.
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Sophomore Tammy Mika was out at second base on this play, but the Wolverines had more success than she did - they swept a three-game series with Minnesota over the weekend.