Wildcats Use Sixth-Inning Homer to Force Weekend Split

Saturday, March 31

Evanston, Ill.

Noon CT

Michigan

26-6, 1-1

Northwestern

25-7, 1-1

Northwestern

Michigan

Wildcats Use Sixth-Inning Homer to Force Weekend Split

3/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Despite home runs by the Findlay sisters, the No. 10-ranked University of Michigan softball team dropped a tightly-contested slate against eighth-ranked Northwestern on Saturday (March 31), falling 4-3 after the Wildcats registered the game-winning, two-run shot in the sixth inning to force a weekend split.

Michigan (26-6, 1-1 Big Ten) led a majority of the game after taking a quick two-run advantage in the bottom of the first frame. NU (25-7, 1-1 Big Ten) creeped back into contention with back-to-back tallies in the third and fourth, but the Wolverines kept pace and responded in the subsequent inning to stay ahead on the scoreboard. The Wildcats' Jessica Miller, however, gave her team its first and final lead in the sixth, sending her third home run of the season over the leftfield fence to score the game-winning runs.

Splitting time again in the U-M pitching circle, senior Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) and freshman Nikki Nemitz (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Regina HS) combined for seven strikeouts but also allowed seven hits, including three for extra bases. Nemitz -- as she did in yesterday's contest -- took the decision, resulting in her third loss of the season.

Michigan struck early as junior Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) and freshman Angela Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS), with two outs and nobody on in the first inning, blasted back-to-back solo shots to opposite fields -- Sam to right field and Angela to left center.

The Wildcats made a quick pitching change in response and subsequently posted three shutout innings, battling back with two runs on their own in the middle frames -- both unearned. Darcy Sengewald scored in the third, moving around the bases after initially reaching on a pitcher's error, and Ashley Lafever knotted the score in the fourth after a passed ball advanced the NU pinch runner to third and a sacrifice fly brought her home.

Angela Findlay used a two-out single to earn her second RBI of the game in the fifth frame and pull the Wolverines back into the lead. With two Wolverines on base after walks to junior Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) and Samantha Findlay, the U-M freshman drove a hit a up the middle to bring Giampaolo in from second base.

Trailing on the scoreboard after Northwestern's sixth-inning shot, U-M suffered a quick 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the frame and loaded up the bases in the seventh on a leadoff single by freshman Maggie Viefhaus (Eureka, Mo./Eureka HS), a pair of walks and a Northwestern error. The Wolverines could not finish, evening their conference record to 1-1.

The Wolverines open their home schedule Tuesday (April 3) with a doubleheader against intrastate rival Western Michigan. The first game is slated for a 3 p.m. start at Alumni Field.

Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423