Derkowski Earns Second Straight No-No, Wolverines Claim Purdue Series

Saturday, April 15

West Lafayette, Ind.

2:00 PM

Michigan

21-16, 0

Purdue

19-23, 0

Michigan

Purdue

Lauren Derkowski (Michigan Photography)

Derkowski Earns Second Straight No-No, Wolverines Claim Purdue Series

4/15/2023 8:33:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan split its Saturday doubleheader against Purdue, falling 3-2 before bouncing back to clinch the series with a 5-0 win in the rubber match.
» Lauren Derkowski tossed her second straight no-hitter, striking out seven Boilermaker batters and facing just two more than the minimum with a pair of walks.
» Keke Tholl posted two hits and four RBI in the twinbill; Tholl and Audrey LeClair tallied fifth-inning triples in the second game.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Junior RHP Lauren Derkowski tossed her second no-hitter in as many days as the University of Michigan softball team split its Purdue doubleheader with a 5-0, rubber-match win on Saturday (April 15) at the Boilermakers' Bittinger Stadium. U-M dropped the first game of the twinbill, 3-2, but claimed its third straight Big Ten Conference series.

Derkowski (15-7) fanned seven Purdue batters, including two in the seventh inning and the final batter of the game, and faced two more than the minimum with walks in the second and seventh. Derkowski also hit a batter in the fourth, but Michigan promptly threw her out at second base. On the weekend, Derkowski struck out 21 batters through 14.2 hitless innings. The no-hitters were the first and second of her collegiate career.

Michigan took advantage of aggressive base running to break through in the third. Senior third baseman Audrey LeClair drew a leadoff walk, stole second, stole third and scored when the throw got away from the Purdue third baseman and rolled into the outfield.

After the Wolverines were twice thrown out at the plate in the fourth, they busted it open with a four-run fifth on three hits, including two triples, and an error. LeClair led off the inning with her second three-bagger in four games, airing a deep ball over the left fielder's head, then scored when sophomore shortstop Ella McVey looped an RBI single into shallow left in the next at-bat. Junior catcher Keke Tholl also went to left field with her triple, plating two runs when the Purdue left fielder dove for the ball and missed -- it was her first collegiate triple. Tholl, who posted four RBI on the day, scored on a two-out fielding error on the next pitch.

Michigan was doomed by free bases in game one, while its late rally one fell a run short. Purdue scored a run apiece in the second, third and fourth innings. The Boilermakers used a pair of two-out HBP and a bunt single to load the bases in the second before scoring the game's first run on a wild pitch in the dirt. They also pushed across runs on an RBI double and, after again loading the bases in the fourth, a sac fly to left field.

After failing to capitalize with two runners in scoring position in the fifth, the Wolverines broke through in the next inning on Tholl's two-run double. Sophomore outfielder Ellie Sieler and graduate student outfielder Ellie Mataya set it up with a pair of singles through the infield, and Tholl connected with the 1-1 pitch and laced it to the right center field gap. U-M earned a free pass on a HBP and advanced both runners on a groundout before another groundout ended the rally.

Junior RHP Jessica LeBeau (7-9) took the loss in the circle, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks. She struck out four through three innings. Sophomore RHP Emerson Aiken added two strikeouts and allowed three hits through 2.1 shutout innings.

The Wolverines (22-16, 8-5 Big Ten) will kick off a seven-game homestand with the second half of their annual home-and-home series against in-state rival Michigan State at 6 p.m. on Tuesday (April 18) at Alumni Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium. Tickets are available through the U-M Ticket Office, and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.