Michigan
26-13
Maryland
22-18
Wolverines Use Offensive Onslaught to Beat Terrapins in Weekend Rubber Match
4/16/2022 3:32:00 PM | Softball
» No. 22 Michigan scored early with three runs in the first and added five more across the last three innings to earn a 9-2 win in the series rubber match at Maryland.
» Hannah Carson posted three hits and two runs batted in, while Kristina Burkhardt and Taylor Bump tallied two hits and two RBI apiece; U-M boasted 14 hits -- its most in 24 games.
» Meghan Beaubien went the distance to earn her second weekend win, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan softball team took advantage of frequent and timely hitting to cruise to a 9-2 rubber-match win over Maryland on Saturday afternoon (April 16) at Maryland Softball Stadium. It was the second straight Big Ten Conference series win for the Wolverines, who bounced back with back-to-back wins after dropping the weekend opener.
Michigan scored three runs in the first inning and never let up, adding insurance in the second, fifth, sixth and seventh. U-M's 14 hits were its most in 24 games. Senior catcher Hannah Carson led the way with three hits -- tying her career best -- and two runs batted in, while graduate student outfielder Kristina Burkhardt and fifth-year senior third baseman Taylor Bump posted two hits and two RBI apiece.
After winning in relief yesterday, graduate student LHP Meghan Beaubien (6-4) went the distance in the finale with two runs allowed on just four hits and a walk. She struck out seven Terrapin batters, including four looking, to secure her second straight win.
Bump broke open the scoring in the first with a two-run double to the right-center gap and, after advancing to third on a bunt single, came home herself when the Maryland catcher needlessly overthrew second base following a two-out walk. Carson used a double to left-center to tack on another run in the second.
Maryland got on the board with a run in the fourth inning on a pair of singles -- its first of the game -- but Michigan got it back and then some in its next turn in the top of the fifth. Freshman outfielder Ellie Sieler punched an RBI single to center and scored as part of Burkhardt's two-run triple off the centerfield fence -- her fifth three-bagger of the season.
The Wolverines added two more runs on a sacrifice fly in the sixth and a Carson RBI single in the seventh, while Maryland scored on a one-out solo home run in the sixth. Beaubien answered the Terp homer with back-to-back punchouts to end the sixth and stymie any chance of a Maryland comeback. An inning later, she ended the contest the same way.
Michigan (26-13, 6-6 Big Ten) will conclude its annual home-and-home series at Michigan State on Tuesday (April 19) at Secchia Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. The game is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start on Big Ten Network.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Beaubien, Meghan (7-4)
L: Ellefson, Haley (3-2)
Batting:
2B: Carson, Hannah 1 ; Bump, Taylor 2 ; Widra, Annabelle 1
3B: Burkhardt, Kristina 1
RBI: Burkhardt, Kristina 2 ; Carson, Hannah 2 ; Bump, Taylor 2 ; Widra, Annabelle 1 ; Sieler, Ellie 1
SF: Widra, Annabelle 1 ; Blair, Lexie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Burkhardt, Kristina 1 ; Livingston, Melina 1 ; Carson, Hannah 1 ; Bump, Taylor 1 ; Rodriguez, Kaylee America 1 ; Widra, Annabelle 1 ; Sieler, Ellie 1 ; McVey, Ella 1 ; LeClair, Audrey 1
SB: LeClair, Audrey 1
HBP: Livingston, Melina 2
Batting:
HR: McFarland, Jaeda 1
RBI: McFarland, Jaeda 1 ; Okada, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McFarland, Jaeda 1 ; Davis, Kamryn 1
SB: Davis, Kamryn 2 ; Butler, Ruby 1
HBP: Goff, Kiley 1
