Michigan
28-3, 3-0
Purdue
23-9, 2-1
Michigan Posts Pair of Shutouts Over Purdue
3/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Varsity Softball Complex)
Score: #6 Michigan 8, Purdue 0 (5 inn.); #6 Michigan 3, Purdue 0
Records: U-M (29-3, 4-0 Big Ten), Purdue (23-10, 2-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, April 1 -- at Western Michigan (Kalamazoo, Mich.), 4 p.m.
Game 1 Boxscore | Game 2 Boxscore
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Headlined by a commanding performance from the pitching circle, the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan softball team earned a pair of shutout victories on back-to-back one hitters from sophomore Nikki Nemitz(St. Clair Shores, Mich./Regina HS) and freshman Jordan Taylor(Valencia, Calif./Valencia HS) in a 8-0, 3-0 doubleheader sweep of Purdue on Sunday (March 30) at the Varsity Softball Complex. U-M has claimed shutout decisions in five of its last seven games.
Nemitz put two on base after a first-inning walk and hit batsman but responded by setting down 11 straight Boilermaker hitters, striking out seven through five innings pitched. Nemitz allowed Purdue's only hit of the opening contest -- a single to rightfield -- in the final frame before promptly retiring the last two batters.
Taylor's only hit allowed was a leadoff double in the sixth as she struck out three and extended her shutout streak to 25.1 consecutive innings. The base hit and subsequent hit batsman, however, resulted in a U-M pitching change as Nemitz entered the game and tossed two perfect frames, drawing a double play in the first at-bat before retiring four in a row for her sixth save of the season.
Sophomore rightfielder Angela Findlay(Lockport, Ill./East HS) registered her best offensive performance of the season to lead the Wolverines from the plate, batting a perfect and career-best 4-for-4 -- with three runs batted in -- in the first game before adding another base hit in the second. Junior shortstop Teddi Ewing(Olathe, Kan./East HS) went 4-for-5 on the day with two RBI and a sacrifice hit, while senior second baseman Samantha Findlay(Lockport, Ill./East HS) batted 3-for-5 with a home run and three runs scored in the second contest. Her fifth-inning solo shot earned Findlay a share of Michigan's school record for career RBI with 184 -- tied with three-time All-American Sara Griffin (1995-98).
Nemitz (13-1) dominated game one with her second one-hit effort of the season. Adding her two innings of relief in the second slate, she extended her own scoreless streak to 10.1 innings. Purdue pitcher Suzie Rzegocki kept the Wolverines off the board for one inning, retiring four of the first five batters faced, but Michigan found its swing in the second and scored runs in each of the remaining four frames to bring an early end to the contest.
The Wolvernes earned two runs a piece in the second and third frames on a pair of two-RBI singles from Ewing and freshman first baseman Dorian Shaw(Burke, Va./Robinson SS), respectively. U-M put two aboard early in the second on back-to-back singles and, after a wild pitch moved both runners in scoring position, Ewing knocked a base hit back up the middle to bring them both home and up her season-RBI total to 15 -- just six shy of her career best in the category. Shaw's hit came under similar circumstances. Michigan led off the third with back-to-back singles from the Findlay sisters and, after Purdue earned outs in the subsequent two at-bats, Shaw found the gap on the left side to score both U-M baserunners.
Michigan added four more runs in the final two innings to gain the necessary eight-run cushion and claim its sixth run-rule victory of the season. After three straight singles led off and loaded the bases early in the fourth frame, Angela Findlay brought them all home with one hit, ripping a three-RBI double to deep left centerfield. Purdue swapped pitchers between the fourth and fifth frames, but the change did little to stop Michigan's momentum as U-M used a pair of hits and a pair of walks to claim its final run.
In game two, Taylor (16-2) picked up her fourth straight win with the five-inning effort. Supporting the stifling performance from the circle, the Wolverines collected nine hits and scored a run a piece in the third, fifth and seventh frames to cruise to the sweep. Nemitz drove in two of the U-M tallies on two-out, base-hit singles to rightfield, while Samantha Findlay's home run -- her second of the weekend and 11th of the season -- came with one out in the fifth and landed beyond the fence in rightfield.
The Wolverines will head to Kalamazoo, Mich., on Tuesday (April 1) for a non-conference, mid-week slate against intrastate rival Western Michigan. The game is slated for a 4 p.m. start at Fran Ebert Field.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nemitz, Nikki (13-1)
L: Rzegocki, S. (9-4)
Batting:
2B: Findlay, Angela 1
RBI: Findlay, Angela 3 ; Findlay, Samantha 1 ; Shaw, Dorian 2 ; Ewing, Teddi 2
SH: Bausher, Molly 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Bausher, Molly 1 ; Giampaolo, Alessandra 1 ; Findlay, Angela 1 ; Viefhaus, Maggie 1 ; Weatherdon, Michelle 1 ; Larsen, Kristin 1 ; Ewing, Teddi 2
Batting:
SH: Curtis, C. 1 ; Trauger, C. 1
Base Running:
HBP: Haupert, K. 1
