Michigan
35-10, 12-3
Indiana
18-29, 1-14
Michigan Trounces Indiana Twice, Sits All Alone in First
4/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Scores: #14 Michigan 9, Indiana 1 (5 innings); #14 Michigan 9, Indiana 0 (5 innings)
Records: U-M (36-10, 13-3 Big Ten), Indiana (18-30, 1-15 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Tuesday, April 29 -- DH vs. Eastern Michigan (Alumni Field), 4 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team earned a pair of five-inning victories today (Sunday, April 27) in a doubleheader against Indiana. In game one, pitcher Marissa Young (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS) crafted a one-hitter to lead the Wolverines to a 9-1 victory, striking out 12 in five innings to earn her 18th win of the season. Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney HS) took her 15th win of the season in game two, giving up no hits and one walk in three shutout innings to help Michigan earn a 9-0 victory.
| | Merchant | | Motycka |
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Today's sweep coupled with Iowa's (13-4 Big Ten) doubleheader sweep over Illinois (11-5 Big Ten) in Iowa City, Iowa, moves the Wolverines (13-3 Big Ten) into sole possession of first place in the conference race heading into the final weekend. With Iowa's conference schedule concluded and Illinois facing a two-game set vs. Northwestern next Saturday and Sunday (May 3-4), Michigan only needs a split of its two-game home-and-home series vs. Michigan State next weekend to claim its ninth Big Ten regular-season title in the last 12 seasons.
Michigan broke out the bats in game one, accumulating 12 hits over four innings, highlighted by shortstop Merchant (2-3, HR, four RBI) and designated player Motycka (3-3, two runs scored) each hitting her first career triple to help the Wolverines to a win.
In the opening inning of game one, Indiana appeared to be on the mark as Valerie White led off with a home run down the rightfield line to put the Hoosiers ahead 1-0. But Young buckled down, forcing a comeback ground ball to the mound and back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
The Wolverines responded in the bottom of the inning with some clutch two-out hitting triggered by a line-drive double to the gap in left-center by Melinda Moulden (LaCrescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley HS). Catcher Monica Schock (Rialto, Calif./Eisenhower HS) found luck after a hard-hit ground ball up the middle deflected off the pitcher's glove into shallow rightfield for a single, scoring the runner and tying the game at one. The rally was capped off by Merchant, who belted a two-run home run over the fence in leftfield to put the Wolverines ahead 3-1.
Michigan added to its advantage in the second inning, leading off with a single to leftfield from Motycka and a sacrifice bunt by third baseman Grace Leutele (Sierra Vista, Ariz./Buena HS). A walk of rightfielder Courtney Betley (Corona, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) prompted a pitching change by Indiana head coach Sara Hayes to bring Heather Stilliams to the mound from rightfield.
A chopper up the middle from Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) just out of reach of the diving Hoosier second baseman moved Betley to third and scored Motycka to put the Wolverines ahead 4-1. After a steal by Haas, Meghan Doe (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino HS) walked to load the bases for Moulden, who hit a ground ball to the shortstop, resulting in an out at the plate. Schock also came up empty, caught looking at a called strike three to end the inning with Michigan up by three.
The Wolverine third inning was highlighted by a solo home run to left-center by Young to bump the score to a 5-1 Michigan lead. The game was broken wide open in the Michigan fourth inning, led off with Doe making her way to third via a single, a steal and a wild pitch. Schock walked to put Wolverines on first and third for Merchant, who belted her first career triple to centerfield, scoring both runners to raise the score to 7-1.
After a Wolverine strikeout, Motycka stroked a triple to right-center to put another run on the board for an 8-1 Michigan lead. The Wolverines rounded out their fourth-inning rally with a double to right-center by Leutele, scoring Motycka and ending the frame with a score of 9-1.
After giving up a solo home run to lead off the game, Young settled down into a groove to dominate the rest of the contest. She struck out 12 of 16 Indiana hitters faced, keeping the Hoosiers' scoring at bay as the Wolverines earned a 9-1 win after five innings due to the run rule.
In game two, neither team was able to get a runner past first base until the Michigan third inning, when the Wolverines sent 13 batters to the plate and scored nine runs. The inning began with a misjudged fly ball by the Hoosier leftfielder, allowing Motycka to reach second base. A double by Leutele put the first Michigan run across the plate, giving the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.
Runners were safe at first and second on a routine ground ball to the left side of the infield by Betley after a failed attempt to tag Leutele off the bag at second. Haas then put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over for Doe, who singled up the middle for her eighth RBI of the season and the second run of the inning for the Wolverines. A bloop single down the rightfield line by Moulden scored Betley, pushing the Michigan lead to 3-0. Schock worked a walk to load the bases, which prompted a pitching change by head coach Hayes, bringing in Katie Witham.
Witham walked Merchant to allow the fourth Wolverine run of the inning to cross the plate before Young singled in another run to make the score 5-0. Motycka came to the batter's box as the 10th hitter of the inning and hit a line drive to third, resulting in a force out at the plate. Leutele then hit a ground ball that went through the legs of the Indiana third baseman for the Hoosiers' second error of the inning, allowing pinch runner Stephanie Bercaw (Wooster, Ohio/Hillsdale HS) and Merchant to score and upping the Michigan lead to seven. A bloop single by Betley into centerfield scored Motycka and Leutele, finishing off the third inning with a score of 9-0 in favor of the Wolverines.
Motycka retired the Hoosiers in order in the bottom of the third with two strikeouts and a ground ball to third. Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) came on in relief in the fourth, giving up no runs on two hits with three strikeouts for the remainder of the contest. With no scoring for the rest of the afternoon, the game ended with the eight-run rule after the fifth inning.
Michigan's next outing will be a doubleheader Tuesday (April 29, 4 p.m.) against Eastern Michigan at Alumni Field. The Wolverines will attempt to clinch the Big Ten regular-season title when they return to conference action at Michigan State on Saturday (May 3, 1 p.m.) before hosting the Spartans on Sunday (May 4, 1 p.m.) in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Carol Hutchins
On the game overall ... "It is certainly nice to have a day when everything goes your way. It gives us a chance to get a lot of kids in the game, but I told them after the game, 'Don't expect things to always go your way.' We did hit the ball well today and it becomes contagious. (Jessica) Merchant has been coming on and (Nicole) Motycka made a lot of things happen this weekend with her bat."
N O T E S
Marissa Young's home run in game one is her 11th of the season, which matches the second-best single-season total in school history. Current Wolverine volunteer assistant coach Stefanie Volpe (1999-2002) hit 11 last season. The record holder is Melissa Gentile (1997-2000), who hit 13 in 1998. The home run is Young's 20th of her career, which moves her into a second-place tie on the Wolverine career list with Volpe.
Young's home run is the 20th of her career, which moves her into a second-place tie on the Wolverine career list with Volpe.
Michigan's two triples in game one matched its season total prior to today's games.
Nicole Motycka's four-game hit streak is a career best and the longest current streak by a Wolverine.
The Wolverines have now hit at least one double in 14 straight games.
Michigan's 18 runs today are its most scored in a doubleheader this season.
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Young, Marissa (18-1)
L: Witham (6-13)
Batting:
HR: White 1
RBI: White 1
Base Running:
RUNS: White 1
CS: White 1
Batting:
2B: Moulden, Melinda 1 ; Leutele, Grace 1
3B: Merchant, Jessica 1 ; Motycka, Nicole 1
HR: Merchant, Jessica 1 ; Young, Marissa 1
RBI: Haas, Tiffany 1 ; Schock, Monica 1 ; Merchant, Jessica 4 ; Young, Marissa 1 ; Motycka, Nicole 1 ; Leutele, Grace 1
SH: Leutele, Grace 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Doe, Meghan 1 ; Moulden, Melinda 1 ; Schock, Monica 2 ; Merchant, Jessica 2 ; Young, Marissa 1 ; Motycka, Nicole 2
SB: Haas, Tiffany 1 ; Doe, Meghan 1
