Postgame Quotes: #4 Michigan 11, Indiana 2 (5 inn.)
4/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 17, 2015
Michigan Head Coach Carol Hutchins
On what gave Indiana the early lead ... "We gave them a couple of bases, more than anything. The error was actually was a goofy spin and spun away from [Sierra] Romero. When you give bases, you can't complain when they score. The game didn't have the best flow all night. Megan [Betsa] didn't have her best game, but she had to work through it. She had to work through it all night."
On Megan Betsa's pitching performance ... "It's one of the things she's worked on all year, not letting distractions get to her. Last year she wasn't very good at it and I think having a year of experience and maturity has helped her get better at it. It's the difference maker for a kid to whether or not they let things they can't control bother them or just move on."
On Betsa's development ... "She's evolving. Part of learning how to play at this level is learning how to play at this level: the game within the game. She had a lot of strikeouts last year, but not nearly as much composure that she has this year. She's been much more composed in tight situations. When she got into trouble there I said, 'Well, you're getting yourself in this jam, now you've got to get yourself out.' I'm not thrilled with it, but the fact that she was able to get herself out of it, for the most part, I needed to let her work through it."
On why the team is hitting so well with the bases loaded ... "I think hitting is contagious. Once we start hitting, they all believe we can hit. I just like them to focus on every pitch the same, whether bases are loaded or nobody on. You want them to take the same approach every time."
On turning Abby Ramirez into the team's slapper ... "I didn't change her, she had both when she came to us. She came to us as a slapper. That's actually what caught my eye when we recruited her. I watched her play and she was always on base and made tons of things happen on the left side. I didn't know she was a righty until we started to recruit her. Her freshman year we decided she wasn't very consistent with either, so we had to pick one and stick with it. She hit a grand slam this fall right handed. She's so good from the left side and the only slapper in our lineup. We like to have a slapper in the lineup."
U-M Sophomore RHP Megan Betsa
On her improvement from last year ... "I think I'm just mixing up my speed more, using other pitches, using my curve, my change more effectively to keep the batters off balance."
On what she did to calm yourself after four walks ... "I just took a few deep breaths and knew that my teammates had my back and just kept attacking the zone, getting ahead of the hitters."
U-M Freshman Designated Player Aiden Falk
On becoming a more consistent hitter ... "I'm just having fun with it and taking it one pitch at a time, like Coach tells us to do. Just really clearing my head and taking it as it comes."
On hitting well with the bases loaded ... "I try not to think about it. If I think about it, it just doesn't end up well. I didn't even know the bases were loaded when I stepped up."
