'M' softball streak over at 33 games

The Michigan softball team had been knocking down its opponents like ducks in a shooting gallery.

One by one, their foes fell, unable to handle the Wolverines' brutal assault.

Yesterday though, Michigan misfired.

Central Michigan took down No. 6 Michigan in the first game of the doubleheader, 7-4. That loss broke Michigan's 33-game unbeaten streak.

Michigan then came back in the nightcap, defeating the Chippewas, 7-4. The Wolverines' record now stands at 38-6-1, and they remain undefeated at 10-0 in the Big Ten.

Michigan coach Carol Hutchins, although disappointed with the loss, expressed relief that the streak was over.

"The streak was not what it was all about," Hutchins said. "If you had told me when we were 5-5 that we were going to be 37-5 - I don't think so."

The Wolverines jumped on top in the first game, taking a 3-0 lead into the fifth inning behind left-fielder Catherine Davie's third inning solo homerun. The homerun was Davie's career-high sixth of the season.

Pitcher Kate Eiland couldn't hold the lead, as she gave up four runs in the top of the fifth before being relieved by Jamie Gillies. The Chippewas added three more runs off Gillies.

Central Michigan pounded out 13 hits en route to the victory.

Hutchins said that the Wolverines' pitchers, coming off a doubleheader against Penn State on Tuesday, were affected by fatigue.

"I don't think our pitching was very stellar today," Hutchins said. "They've got to suck it up when they pitch back to back days."

In contrast, Central Michigan's Tina Kinney proved to be a formidable foe on the mound.

Kinney struck out seven Michigan batters while pitching a complete game.

Hutchins gave the Chippewas plenty of credit for finally ending the unbeaten streak.

"Central is a quality team," Hutchins said. "They came in and beat us."

Any momentum the Chippewas gained in the first game was stopped by Marie Barda.

She came in to the game 2-0 against Central Michigan.

Barda scattered three runs over seven innings while picking up her 16th win against the Chippewas. More importantly, the complete game allowed Eiland and Gillies to rest.

Power pitchers, like Barda, are known to have trouble pitching on consecutive days.

"It didn't bother me that much," Barda said. "It's no big deal to me."

In the second inning, Michigan jumped on the board first to take a 1-0 lead.

Third baseman Pam Kosanke singled to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a throwing error. Tammy Mika drove her in on a double.

Central Michigan responded with two runs in the top of the fourth.

In the bottom of that inning, rightfielder Melissa Taylor was called safe at second on a stolen base attempt - only to have the homeplate umpire overrule the decision.

A visibly angry Hutchins exchanged words with the homeplate umpire.

But instead of continuing her arguing - and risking a possible early exit to the showers - Hutchins used that call to rally her team.

"We didn't have a lot of emotion until I got angry about the call on Taylor," Hutchins said. "We were just standing around watching the game so I told them to get fired up and they did."

Michigan iced the game with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, and another two runs in the sixth.

With the streak behind them, Michigan is looking toward this weekend where they can add on to their current win streak - one game.

Northwestern is playing the role of the duck next, but any Michigan opponent should be careful.

I

04-15-99