Michigan Defeats Temple and Florida; Win Streak at 20

Saturday, March 5

Tampa, Fla.

9:00 AM

Michigan

19-1

Temple

4-9

Temple

Michigan

Michigan Defeats Temple and Florida; Win Streak at 20

3/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Tampa, Fla. (USF Softball Stadium)
Event: USF Louisville Slugger Tournament
Scores: #7 Michigan 4, Temple 0; #7 Michigan 6, #16 Florida 2
Records: U-M (20-1), Florida (14-6)
Next U-M Game: Sunday, March 6 -- vs. Pittsburgh at USF Louisville Slugger Tournament (Tampa, Fla.), 9 a.m.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The seventh-ranked University of Michigan softball team ran its win streak to 20 games today (Saturday, March 5) with wins over Temple and No. 16 Florida at the Louisville Slugger Tournament hosted by South Florida. The Wolverines rode a pair of dominant efforts from their starters today as Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) delivered a 10-strikeout, complete-game effort in the 4-0 shutout of Temple and Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) matched her career best with 15 strikeouts in the 6-2 win over the 16th-ranked Gators.

Michigan's 20-game win streak is the second-longest in school history, behind only a 22-game run in 1993. The Wolverines also posted 19-game streaks in 1995 and 2004.

Wilson was the story in game one, setting down the first 13 Temple hitters in order, including seven on strikes. Combined with Ritter's five-inning no-hitter yesterday vs. South Florida and the last 1.2 innings of the 2-1 win over Chattanooga, Michigan pitchers went 11.0 innings without allowing a hit before the Owls scratched out one with one out in the fifth vs. Wilson.

Wilson was working with a four-run lead thanks to top four hitters in the Wolverine lineup. Cleanup hitter Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) connected for her team-best seventh home run of the season with a solo shot in the second. Then in the third, Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) hit a one-out double and Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) singled to extend her career-best hit streak to a Michigan season-best nine games. With the table set, Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) added to her Michigan record-setting home run total with a three-run shot.

Wilson quickly ended any thoughts of a Temple rally in fifth with a ground ball to third base and strikeout. All Temple managed the rest of the way was a walk in the sixth as Wilson ran her record to 7-0.

Ritter struck out two in the first and dominated the Gator lineup throughout. The Wolverines also used five Florida errors, including two miscues in the second frame as Michigan jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Grace Leutele (Sierra Vista, Ariz./Buena HS) led off with a single and scored on a run-scoring single from Michelle Teschler (Casco, Mich./Richmond HS) after a sacrifice and Florida's first error of the inning. Teschler eventually scored to make it 2-0 when Giampaolo reached on an error by the pitcher.

Michigan did load the bases in the third but could not expand the lead. Meanwhile, Ritter appeared she would not need any more than a two-run cushion as she struck out the side in the second and third and K'd the leadoff hitter in the fourth. Florida did finally break through with a double and single to start the sixth and pull within one. The potential tying run actually reached third with two outs, but a lineout to Merchant at short kept the slight Michigan lead.

Michigan ended all doubts with a four-run sixth thanks to a key two-out, two-run single by Findlay and sloppy play from the Gators. Haas and Giampaolo delivered back-to-back singles with one out and moved up to scoring position with two out when Findlay provided the timely hit. An error and a couple wild pitches led to two more Michigan runs.

Ritter did surrender a solo home run in the seventh, but she struck out two more to match her career best with 15.

N O T E S

Jennie Ritter's 15-strikeout performance matched the career-best performance she gave at Eastern Michigan on April 14, 2004. Only a 16-strikeout performance from Marissa Young vs. Canisius (5/16/02) and a 17-strikeout effort from Michelle Bolster (3/25/88) have surpassed Ritter in Michigan history.

Lorilyn Wilson is now 15-0 lifetime at Michigan and has three complete-game shutouts this season.

Tiffany Haas went 2-3 in the win over Temple for her team-leading 12th multi-hit game this season.

Michigan is now 3-0 this season vs. Florida and 5-1 vs. ranked teams.

Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423