'M' softball, host and No. 1 seed, rst to be eliminated

There was no joy in Michigan - mighty Traci has struck out.

Out even before they could score a run, the top-seeded Wolverines were the first team eliminated from their own Regional with back-to-back losses this weekend to Florida Atlantic and Notre Dame.

Heads were hung after Saturday's 0-1 loss to the Fighting Irish as Michigan walked away from Alumni Field - not looking ahead to Oklahoma City as they had for the past four years, but reflecting on a season that ended rather abruptly.

The Wolverines looked as though they would score the first run of the game in the third inning when they placed runners at the corners with one out.

But instead of producing the clinch hitting that Michigan has relied on, the Wolverines registered two outs in a row and stranded both runners.

DHANI JONES/Daily Carol Hutchins consoles seniors Traci Conrad (22), Tammy Mika (right) and Catherine Davie (left) this past weekend. Notre Dame ended Michigan's season, 2-0, in the NCAA Regionals.

"That's why we're not in the championship," coach Carol Hutchins said. "Timely hitting is part of it and that is where we fell short."

Michigan fell short again an inning later. With one out, Pam Kosanke was walked and Melissa Gentile was hit by a pitch.

But it was the eagerness to score that first run that left Michigan scoreless for the inning.

Kosanke stole third and tried to run home after the third baseman missed the catch.

The go-ahead run was tagged out.

"I was telling her 'no, no, no,'" Hutchins said. "I was yelling loud, but it was really loud out there and she took off ... it could have hurt" our chance to win.

Unlike the Wolverines, Notre Dame took the fourth inning as an opportunity to score. Leftfielder Lizzy Lemire doubled to centerfield and was sent home by a single to leftfield by pitcher Jennifer Sharron.

"Lizzy's hit was a real boost for us," Notre Dame coach Liz Miller said. "We didn't hit well yesterday, but our bats started to come to life better and it gave us the confidence that we needed."

Myer's RBI would be the only one for the Irish. It would remain 1-0 going into the top of the seventh.

Michigan was faced with its final chance to stay alive in their regional as Rebecca Tune came up to bat. Tune had hit well in the first game against Florida Atlantic but had been struggling against Notre Dame. A foul pop-up along the first baseline would be the first out of the inning.

Then in what would be the last bat of her career, senior Tammy Mika stepped up to the plate already having a hit in the game. Mika would make her last at bat count singling to center field.

Next up was Melissa Taylor, who would bunt to send Mika to second base with two outs.

Finally it was senior Traci Conrad's chance to save her team. Conrad leads both the team and the Big Ten in career hits and runs, so hope was still high among the Wolverines.

"I thought we were going to do it," Mika said. "I think we all thought we could do it."

But Sharron was ready for the challenge.

Conrad had hit a curve ball earlier in the game, so the strategy was to catch her off guard with the change-up. And after Conrad swung and missed on the first one, the strategy was proving to work.

"If she was going to beat me, she was going to beat me with my better pitches." Sharron said.

And it was Sharron who was the eventual victor in that battle.

Just like what happened in Mudville some 100 years ago, the mighty Traci struck out thus ending the 1999 softball season with the team's second loss in the double-elimination tournament.

Michigan's first loss came at the hands of the Florida Atlantic. The Owls were successful in their first trip to the NCAA championships, defeating the Wolverines 2-0.

Florida Atlantic's Ninya Ybarra started things off in the third inning as she homered to left field, giving the Owls the early lead.

Errors in the infield brought in another run for the Owls, making the game 2-0 in the top of the third.

And Michigan would struggle the rest of the game. Florida Atlantic pitcher Nicole Myers would keep the Wolverines to only four hits and zero runs on the afternoon handing Michigan their first loss of the regional.

"I don't know how I was able to hold them off," Myers said. "Michigan has a very good hitting team. I knew I wouldn't have a lot of strikeouts so I was just hoping they would ground out or pop the ball up."

And they did. Keeping the joy out of Ann Arbor and the Michigan softball team out of Oklahoma.

05-24-99