Wilson, Findlay Push Wolverines Past Southern Ililnois

Saturday, February 26

Columbus, Ga.

12:30 PM

Michigan

11-1

Southern Illinois

5-8

Michigan

Southern Illinois

Wilson, Findlay Push Wolverines Past Southern Ililnois

2/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan softball team extended its win streak to 11 games with a 3-0 win over Southern Illinois on Saturday (Feb. 26) to finish NFCA Leadoff Classic pool play with a 3-0 record. The victory gave Michigan a spot in the Gold Bracket playoffs, in which they will face a second straight Missouri Valley Conference member, Creighton, in the quarterfinal round at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Michigan (11-1) took advantage of a masterful outing by pitcher Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS), who held Southern Illinois (5-8) to just three hits, struck out nine without a walk, and did not allow a runner past second base. Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) had one of Michigan's five hits and drove in two of the Wolverines' three runs by smacking her team-high fifth home run of the season.

Michigan went hitless for the first three innings of the game, but Wilson shut down Southern Illinois when the Salukis put one runner on in both the second and third innings. After a Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) groundout to start the fourth, Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) reached on an infield hit to give Michigan its first hit of the game. Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) was hit by pitch, and following a Findlay fielder's choice, Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney HS) roped a two-out single to bring home Merchant and give Michigan the 1-0 lead.

It looked like Michigan would add to its lead as Rebekah Milian (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) bunted her way on and stole second with just one out in the fifth. However, Michigan's next two batters were retired and the threat was extinguished. Wilson had perhaps her best inning in the fifth as she earned all of the outs herself. She led off the inning with a strikeout, earned the second out by forcing a tapper back to the box, then finished off the inning with another of her nine K's.

Merchant opened up the sixth inning for Michigan with a single to reach base for the second time in as many plate appearances. Findlay followed her one-out single with a two-run shot to left-center to give the Wolverines a 3-0 lead as Merchant scored her second run of the day.

Wilson allowed just one runner in each of the last two innings to finish off her three-hit shutout and improve to her record to 3-0 this season and 11-0 in two years as a Wolverine.

Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423