Big Innings Propel Michigan to Sweep at Penn State

Wednesday, April 1

State College, Pa.

3:00 PM

Michigan

23-9, 1-2

Penn State

9-17, 0-5

Michigan

Penn State

4/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion Field)
Scores: #10 Michigan 9, Penn State 1; #10 Michigan 11, Penn State 3
Records: U-M (24-9, 2-2 Big Ten), PSU (9-18, 0-6 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 4 -- vs. Purdue (Wilpon Softball Complex), 2 p.m.

Boxscores:Game 1|Game 2

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan softball team used several big innings to highlight a pair of lopsided victories against Penn State, earning a 9-1, 11-3 doubleheader sweep on Wednesday afternoon (April 1) at Nittany Lion Field. With the wins, the Wolverines evened their Big Ten Conference record at 2-2.

Michigan commanded the twinbill from the plate, posting back-to-back double-digit hit totals with 11 extra-base hits. Junior third baseman Maggie Viefhaus(Eureka, Mo./Eureka HS), junior catcher Roya St. Clair(Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) and junior rightfielder Angela Findlay(Lockport, Ill./East HS) all registered four base knocks on the day to pace U-M's offensive efforts. Viefhaus boasted five runs batted in -- all coming in the second slate -- while freshman leftfielder Bree Evans(Bloomington, Calif./Rialto HS) and senior shortstop Teddi Ewing(Olathe, Kan./East HS) tallied three RBI apiece.

Junior pitcher Nikki Nemitz(St. Clair Shores, Calif./Regina HS) tossed the bulk of the doubleheader, striking out 18 Nittany Lion batters while allowing three hits, a walk and one unearned run through 13 innings pitched. The Wolverine junior claimed both victories, upping her season record to 15-5.

Michigan matched a season-high 13 hits in the opening contest, including four in its six-run fourth inning. The Wolverines carried a narrow one-run edgeinto the frame after scoring on a fielding error in the previous inning but wasted little time adding to their advantage to put the game out of reach. With one down and nobody on, St. Clair got a hold of the second pitch she saw and soared it over the fence in left centerfield for her fourth homer of the season and one of three for U-M on the day. Ewing accepted a full-count walk in the next at bat and quickly advanced herself into scoring position with back-to-back stolen bases -- the latter coming as part of a double steal with freshman second baseman Stephanie Kirkpatrick(Plainfield, Ill./Central HS).

Evans brought them both home when she smacked a triple -- the first of her collegiate career -- to the base of the fence in left centerfield. When the relay throw to third went errant into the PSU dugout, Evans was awarded home herself, clearing the bases and padding Michigan's lead to five runs, 5-0. Findlay and freshman utility player Amanda Chidester(Allen Park, Mich./Cabrini HS) recorded back-to-back singles to quickly put runners back on base for Michigan, and, after both runners advanced on a wild pitch, Nemitz capped the inning's scoring with a sacrifice fly to rightfield in the next at bat.

Penn State scored an unearned run in the home half of the inning to spoil Nemitz's shutout bid. Nittany Lion centerfielder Sam Hovanec reach on a throwing error before coming home when Desi Giordano doubled to rightfield -- the first of two hits allowed by Nemitz in the contest.

The Wolverines kept pace, however, scoring single runs in the fifth and seventh innings to gain their final eight-run cushion. U-M strung together three base hits to push its run across in the former inning with Evans picking up the RBI on a single up the middle, while classmate Kirkpatrick drove in the seventh-inning tally, leading off the frame with a liner over the leftfield fence for her first collegiate home run.

Michigan kicked off the second game with five quick runs in the opening inning and, after PSU narrowed the gap with three run of their own in the home half of the first, surged ahead with three tallies apiece in the fourth and the seventh. The Wolverines took advantage of a series of Penn State miscues to net the only lead they needed as the Nittany Lions issued three walks against the first four batters before a bases-loaded passed ball brought home Findlay for the game's first tally. PSU loaded the bases again on a hit batsman, and Viefhaus and Ewing made them pay with back-to-back extra-base hits; Veifhaus smacked a two-RBI double up the middle while Ewing cleared the bases with a triple to the wall in centerfield.

Michigan used another pair of consecutive extra-bases hits to claim its runs in the fourth as Nemitz and St. Clair recorded back-to-back doubles, while Viefhaus launched a three-run shot over the fence in right centerfield -- just missing the PSU scoreboard -- to cap the contest's scoring in the seventh.

The Wolverines will return home for a two-game weekend series against Purdue at the Wilpon Softball Complex. U-M will play at 2 p.m. on Saturday (April 4) and 1 p.m. on Sunday (April 5), and both games will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.

Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423