Michigan, Ritter Have Win Streaks Halted by Penn State

Friday, April 22

Ann Arbor, Mich.

6:00 PM

Michigan

46-4, 11-2

Penn State

28-16, 6-5

Penn State

Michigan

Michigan, Ritter Have Win Streaks Halted by Penn State

4/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan softball team dropped a 2-1 loss to Penn State tonight (Friday, April 22) at Alumni Field. Michigan, which had its 11-game winning streak snapped, left nine runners on base and left at least one runner in scoring position in each of the final five innings. Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney) drove in Michigan's only run of the game and went 2-for-3 as the only Wolverine with a multi-hit effort.

Despite surrendering just three hits, hurler Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) dropped her first decision since the 2004 Women's College World Series to LSU (5/27/04). Ritter (22-1) cruised through the first two innings by fanning the first four batters she faced and struck out nine in the game.

The Nittany Lions struck first with one run in the top of the third. A fielding error by shortstop Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) allowed the first runner to reach base against Ritter. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second base, a two-out, RBI single produced the first run of the game. The Wolverines put their first runner on base in the bottom of the third when Stephanie Bercaw (Wooster, Ohio/Hillsdale HS) laid down a bunt for Michigan's first hit of the game. A sacrifice bunt moved her to second, but that was as far as she would go.

Ritter rebounded with a perfect fourth. The Wolverines began the bottom half of the fourth with back-to-back walks by Merchant and Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./Lockport East). In the subsequent at-bat, Motycka knocked in her 35th run of the season with a double to right that moved Findlay to third. Michigan could not capitalize on the second-and-third situation and the score remained tied at 1-1.

Michigan threatened in the bottom of half of the fifth and the sixth by putting two runners on in each inning. Unfortunately, the Wolverines could not capitalize and left runners on once again.

The lack of success with runners on would come back to haunt the Wolverines in the seventh as Ritter surrendered a solo home run to Penn State catcher Hollee Haines. Despite retiring the final two batters in the inning, the solo shot would prove to be the game winner as the Wolverines again could not take advantage after putting runners on first and second in bottom half of the seventh.

The Wolverines are back in action tomorrow (Saturday, April 23) at noon against Penn State at Alumni Field.

N O T E S

Seniors Nicole Motycka and Jessica Merchant, juniors Tiffany Haas and Grace Leutele, and freshmen Samantha Findlay and Alessandra Giampaolo have started all 50 games for the Wolverines this season.

Ritter's nine strikeouts give her seven or more strikeouts in five straight games and 22 of 28 games overall this season.

Nicole Motycka extended her current team-long hit streak to nine games with a fourth-inning RBI single. The nine-game hitting streak is also a season best.

Motycka registered her 16th multi-hit game of the season with a single and a double in three at-bats. She reached the 100 total base mark for the season with her sixth-inning single.

Stephanie Bercaw broke a three-game hitless streak with a third-inning bunt single.

Merchant's third-inning fielding error was the Wolverines first error in five games.

Michigan has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 straight games dating back to April 6, when Central Michigan scored three in a 7-3 Wolverine victory.

Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423