Three Homers, Three-Pitcher One-Hitter Down Falcons

Wednesday, March 30

Bowling Green, Ohio

2:00 PM

Michigan

32-1

Bowling Green

10-17

Michigan

Bowling Green State

3/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan softball team made it 32 straight this afternoon (Wednesday, March 30) with a workmanlike effort in a 6-0 win at Bowling Green. Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) went 3-4 with her fifth home run the season while extending her career-best hitting streak to 15 games. Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) and Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) added home runs, while Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney HS) chipped in with three hits.

Michigan coach Carol Hutchins used all three of her regular pitchers for a combined one-hitter in the Wolverines' final tune-up before opening both the home season and the Big Ten Conference schedule on Friday (April 1, 4 p.m.) vs. No. 24 Iowa.

Motycka started and tossed three scoreless innings. After two innings of middle relief earned Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) the win, Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) looked ready for the Big Ten battles, striking out six of the seven hitters she faced in the sixth and seventh innings for the save.

The Michigan bats actually did not awaken until the seventh, when the Wolverines broke open a 3-0 game with three more runs on five of their 12 hits. Haas drilled a one-out home run over the fence in leftfield, and then after two were out Merchant doubled on a rope up the gap in right-center and Findlay followed with a mammoth shot to left-center.

Bowling Green starter Liz Vrabel scattered seven Michigan hits over the first six innings with the Wolverines scoring single runs in the first, third and sixth innings.

Merchant opened the scoring with her 11th home run of the season and her fourth in the last five games when she went deep to centerfield in the first. The Michigan all-time home run leader added a sacrifice fly in the third, and Becky Marx (St. Joseph, Mich./Stevensville-Lakeshore HS) drove in a run in the sixth with only the second Wolverine triple of the season.

Motycka allowed a two-out single in the first, but that would be it off the Falcon bats. BGSU did put a runner on in the fifth via a walk from Wilson, but she was quickly erased on a highlight reel 4-6-3 double play by Michigan's keystone combination of Haas and Merchant.

N O T E S

Tiffany Haas' three-hit performance is her team-best15th multi-hit game of the season.

Jessica Merchant drove in two runs to give her eight multi-RBI games this season, which matches Grace Leutele for the team lead.

Jennie Ritter's six strikeouts give her 471 for her career and move her into sole possession of third place on the all-time Wolverine list behind former All-Americans Marissa Young (927) and Sara Griffin (602).

Jessica Merchant's double during the three-run seventh was the 40th of her career and moved her into a sixth-place tie on the Michigan career list with Tracy Carr (1993-96)

Jessica Merchant's home run in the first inning gave Michigan a run on the board in the first frame for the 18th time this season.

The Wolverines have now hit at least one home run in 30 of 33 games this season, and their new season total of 47 surpasses last season's total of 45. The school record of 50 was set in 2003.

Michigan matched a season best today with three home runs. It was the third time this season Michigan turned the hat trick and the 14th time the Wolverines have drilled multiple home runs.

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Carol Hutchins
On the game overall ... "I liked the composure and demeanor of our pitching staff. It's not easy knowing you are only going to throw so many innings, but they handled themselves well. I especially pleased with the way Jennie Ritter went about her business today. I thought our at-bats improved as the game went along, but some of that credit goes to Bowling Green's pitcher. She's a good pitcher and beat us down here two years ago."

On the effort from Nicole Motycka ... "We are just trying to get her going again on the mound because we will definitely need her at some point this season. The biggest thing she needs is a shot of confidence."

Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423