Forget records, statistics and standings. Winning in softball is all about getting hot. A team on a hot streak finds ways to win, no matter what the situation may be.
Behind the outstanding pitching of senior Sara Griffin, the Michigan softball team continues to find ways to win. The Wolverines' three victories over Ohio State this past weekend brought their conference record to a best-ever 8-0 and brought their current win streak to 11 games.
But the victories, while plentiful, have not come easy.
Michigan needed some late-game heroics and a little luck in all three contests against the Buckeyes. The Wolverines throughout yesterday's game and found themselves down 3-2, going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Three clutch hits from centerfielder Tammy Mika, shortstop Rebecca Tune and pinch hitter Kellyn Tate, along with a dangerous double steal, produced the victory for the Wolverines.
Still, without some help from the Buckeyes, the Wolverines' win streak would be over. With two outs in the sixth and down a run, the Wolverines attempted a double steal with Tune on first base and Mika on third. The Buckeyes had Tune dead at second base to end the inning but opted to throw home instead. Mika was called safe in a close play at the plate, tying the game and opening the door for the Wolverines.
"There is no question we got lucky on the double steal," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. "We debated calling that play, but we knew we couldn't just sit back and hit away. We had to make some things happen. Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. We'll take whatever we can get."
Lately it seems that everything is going Michigan's way. The Wolverines pulled out two victories on Saturday, again with timely hits in the late innings.
In the first game of the doubleheader, the two teams battled to a scoreless tie through five and a half innings. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, leftfielder Catherine Davie's double drove in all three runners to secure the victory.
"It's the mark of a good team to be able to win when you're not playing your best," Hutchins said. "Cathy Davie came up with a timely hit. We were forced into that position and we pulled it out."
The team continued its clutch hitting in the second game as catcher Melissa Gentile produced the game-winning run with an RBI single in the seventh.
The Wolverines manufactured more of the same in a doubleheader against Penn State on April 1. Tied at six in the first game, Pam Kosanke drove in two runs in the fifth when Penn State leftfielder Tanis Amberlang mishandled the ball. The Wolverines held on to win 10-7. The second game went to eight innings before Griffin broke a 5-5 tie with a single to left center.
It has been Griffin who has proven to be the backbone of the team recently, leading the Wolverines with both her pitching and hitting performances.
"She's a competitor," Hutchins said. "We know we can count on her."
04-06-98
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