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Softball ousted in Series

Griffin walks 15 as World Series struggles continue

OKLAHOMA CITY - Michigan softball fans know it. The opposition knows it. Even she knows it.

During the regular season, there was a feeling that any game Sara Griffin pitched would be a victory.

Barring a loss to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament, Griffin had been automatic all year. Coming into this weekend's College World Series, Griffin boasted a 34-1 record with an 0.86 earned run average.

With her nearly flawless record, it seemed as if she could break - or at least tie - her Michigan single-season victory record of 36 which she set in 1996.

The 1996 record still stands.

MARGARET MYERS/Daily Michigan pitcher Sara Griffin's specialty has been pitching out of jams. But 15 walks in three games in the College World Series created jams a little too tough to pitch out of, and Griffin lost two of three.

Instead, this past weekend saw Griffin triple her season loss total, as she was the losing pitcher in Friday's 8-0 merciless loss to Fresno State and Saturday's 3-1 tournament-ending loss to Oklahoma State. Only a 7-2 victory over Texas in Thursday's first-round contest kept the weekend from being a total disaster for Griffin and the Wolverines.

The main difference between Griffin's World Series performance and her performance throughout the rest of the season was her control. Griffin never found her groove, walking 15 batters in three games, an average of five per game. In Saturday's loss to the Cowboys, Griffin walked seven batters, prompting Michigan coach Carol Hutchins to confront her in the pitching circle in the third inning.

"I really didn't think I was struggling. I felt good out there," Griffin said. "It's just hard to explain right now."

While Griffin's pitching style often sees her battle back from tough situations, this weekend the walks caused situations that were tougher than any she had faced all year.

"I think Sara is a better pitcher than that," Hutchins said.

With 106 career wins and just 19 losses, Griffin has proven her mettle as a pitcher. But in the three World Series she participated in, Griffin has a 1-5 record and an ERA well above 3, a far cry from her career regular-season ERA of 1.10.

Griffin's only win came in the Texas rout, but she was also far from sharp in that game, either, giving up four walks and battling out of numerous jams.

Battling out of jams is Griffin's speciality, but there is much less room for error during the championship weekend.

"I don't really think the batters are more ferocious," Griffin said after the Fresno State loss.

Ferocious or not, Griffin has only had one victory in World Series competition compared to five losses, indicating that a different pitching style may be more effective when the pressure is on.

"We faced a high-pressure situation and we didn't deliver," Griffin said.

During the regular season, Griffin has delivered efficiently the past four years.

But in the post season, the deliveries haven't arrived on time.

05-26-98