Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Wolverines Use Big Innings, No-Hitter to Run-Rule Eagles
4/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wilpon Softball Complex)
Score: #8 Michigan 9, Eastern Michigan 0 (5 innings)
Records: U-M (30-9), EMU (15-23)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 18 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 5 p.m. CDT
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan softball team extended its winning streak to 10 consecutive games with a decisive 9-0, five-inning win over Washtenaw County foe Eastern Michigan on Wednesday evening (April 15) in front of 1,066 fans at the Wilpon Softball Complex, home of Alumni Field. The Wolverines used a pair of big innings, scoring five in the second and four in the third, to remain undefeated (7-0) at home this season.
Sophomore Jordan Taylor(Valencia, Calif./Valencia HS) and junior Nikki Nemitz(St. Clair Shores, Mich./Regina HS) were almost perfect in the five-inning effort except for a third-inning passed ball. The duo combined for nine strikeouts en route to U-M's third no-hitter and 12th shutout of the season. Taylor earned the win with the start, improving her season record to 12-4.
Six different hitters combined for the Wolverines' seven hits, while sophomore first baseman Dorian Shaw(Burke, Va./Robinson SS) posted the lone multi-hit performance with a 2-for-2 showing at the plate, including a towering three-run shot in the second. Junior rightfielder Angela Findlay(Lockport, Ill./East HS), junior centerfielder Molly Bausher(Las Vegas, Nev./Spring Valley HS) and sophomore pinch hitter Alycia Ryan(Morristown, N.J./Morristown HS) all registered a pair of runs batted in; Ryan collected the RBI on her first collegiate base hit.
With junior designated player Roya St. Clair(Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) and junior third baseman Maggie Viefhaus(Eureka, Mo./Eureka HS) on base after back-to-back walks to lead off the second frame, Shaw went long for her seventh home run of the season to give U-M an immediate three-run advantage. The Wolverine first baseman backed off on the first two pitches before making solid contact with the third, driving it -- into the wind -- over the scoreboard in leftfield.
With the bases cleared, the Wolverines went to small-ball tactics to pad their advantage, using a pair of base hits, a walk and a sac to push two more runs across. Senior shortstop Teddi Ewing(Olathe, Kan./Olathe HS) reached on an infield single to shortstop, narrowly beating out the throw to first base, while freshman second baseman Stephanie Kirkpatrick(Plainfield, Ill./Central HS) accepted a five-pitch walk to put two runners on. Freshman leftfielder Bree Evans(Bloomington, Calif./Rialto HS) moved both into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt before Findlay capitalized, taking the 2-2 pitch in the subsequent at bat and ripping it up the middle to secure her third multi-RBI effort in four games.
EMU put a runner on base in the top of the third as first baseman Kaylee Tolliver reached on a third-strike passed ball to lead off the inning. The Eagle baserunner advanced a base apiece in the next two at bats before rightfielder McKenna Russ knocked a deep fly ball into left, where Evans made a running, over-the-shoulder grab appear routine and end the threat.
The Wolverines used a series of EMU miscues to quickly load the bases in the home half of the inning, putting three on after a hit batsman and back-to-back walks. Bausher took the first pitch of the next at bat over the head of the Eagles' centerfielder for a two-RBI double -- her fourth two-bagger of the season -- and drive in a pair of runs, and after two outs, Ryan entered the game, worked her way back in the count and delivered a liner to shallow leftfield to score two more and provide her team the necessary run-rule cushion.
With the nine-run advantage on her side, Nemitz entered the game in the fourth frame and tossed back-to-back 1-2-3 innings, striking out a pair in each.
The Wolverines will kick off a four-game roadswing this weekend, heading to Champaign, Ill., for a two-game series vs. Illinois at Eichelberger Field. U-M will square off against the Illini at 5 p.m. CDT on Saturday (April 18) before wrapping the weekend at 2 p.m. CDT on Sunday (April 19).
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
