Wolverines Shake Off Slow Start in Rivalry Win at Michigan State

Wednesday, April 12

East Lansing, Mich.

5:00 PM

Michigan

20-15, 6-4

Michigan State

11-22, 1-9

Michigan

Michigan State

Ryleigh Carricaburu (Michigan Photography)

Wolverines Shake Off Slow Start in Rivalry Win at Michigan State

4/12/2023 8:32:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan scored multiple runs in the fourth and sixth innings to rally past Michigan State, 5-2, in the first half of its annual home-and-home series.
» Audrey LeClair posted three hits, while Ryleigh Carricaburu and Lexie Blair tallied two apiece; all three registered hits in U-M's three-run fourth inning to take the lead.
» Lauren Derkowski allowed two runs on five hits and three walks and posted four strikeouts.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team rallied from an initial deficit, plating multiple runs in the fourth and sixth innings to secure the first half of its annual home-and-home series against in-state rival Michigan State on Wednesday evening (April 12) at the Spartans' Secchia Stadium.

Michigan stranded several early, including bases loaded in both the second and third, before breaking through to take the lead with a three-run fourth inning.

Junior catcher Ryleigh Carricaburu banged a leadoff single off the MSU pitcher's glove and scored on the next pitch when senior third baseman Audrey LeClair lifted an RBI triple over the leftfielder's head. The throw beat LeClair to third base, but she avoided the tag to secure her first triple of the year then scored on an infield ball and subsequent throwing error. Graduate student outfielder Lexie Blair drove in the go-ahead run two batters later with an RBI single to shallow rightfield.

Carricaburu, LeClair and Blair combined for seven of Michigan's 10 hits in the game.

Graduate student outfielder Ellie Mataya stymied the MSU response in the home half of the fourth. After a walk and wild pitch put a Spartan in scoring position, Mataya laid out to make a diving catch in right centerfield before doubling off the runner at second to end the inning.

Michigan added some insurance with two runs in the sixth. Blair earned her second RBI of the game with a double to the left centerfield gap -- the 10th double of the season for the program's all-time leader in the category -- and scored on Keke Tholl's two-out RBI single to left.

The Spartans scored a run apiece in the second and third innings to build an early lead. U-M nearly worked itself out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the former, earning an out at the plate and popout to shortstop on back-to-back pitches, but MSU capitalized on a two-out fielding error off a slow roller back to the circle to push across the first run. Michigan State again took advantage of bases loaded in the third with an RBI on a fielder's choice to short.

Sophomore RHP Lauren Derkowski (13-7) settled in after but toughed through the complete-game win with just two runs allowed on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

The Wolverines (20-15, 6-4 Big Ten) will return to the road this weekend, heading to West Lafayette, Ind., for a three-game series against Purdue. U-M will play at 5 p.m. on Friday (April 14), 2 p.m. on Saturday (April 15) and 1 p.m. on Sunday (April 16) at Bittinger Stadium.