Wolverines Battle No. 7 UCLA to Extras, But Fall Short

Sunday, April 27

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

32-17, 9-9

UCLA

44-7, 15-3

UCLA

Michigan

Lilly Vallimont (Michigan Photography)

Wolverines Battle No. 7 UCLA to Extras, But Fall Short

4/27/2025 10:35:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan kept pace with No. 7 UCLA for the second straight game, falling 4-3 in eight innings.
» Ella Stephenson hit her eighth home run of the season to open the scoring.
» Erin Hoehn threw a career-long eight innings, allowing just three earned runs.
» Michigan turned an 8-6-4-2 double play and recorded several key defensive plays to stay close.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team kept pace against No. 7-ranked UCLA for the second consecutive night but came up just short in a 4-3, eight-inning defeat on Sunday (April 27) in front of 2,443 fans at the Wilpon Complex, home of Carol Hutchins Stadium and Alumni Field.

Michigan nearly escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, getting the second out at the plate -- with junior/sophomore catcher Lilly Vallimont making a split to apply the tag -- but UCLA pushed across the go-ahead run on the next pitch with a grounder deep into the 5-6 hole that senior shortstop Ella McVey fielded but could not get to second base in time.

The Wolverines used a hit-by-pitch and a walk to rally with two outs in the bottom of the inning but went down swinging for the final out.

The teams scored three runs apiece over the first two innings and then went scoreless for the next five.

Michigan struck first with two outs in the first inning, drawing a leadoff walk before sophomore right fielder Ella Stephenson parked a home run down the left-field line and off the foul pole for her eighth of the season. UCLA used a leadoff single, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases with no outs in the top of the second, pushing across runs with a sacrifice fly and a lined two-run single to center to take the lead.

Michigan answered in the home half after earning three straight free passes to load the bases with two outs. Sophomore centerfielder Jenissa Conway ripped a hard grounder at the Bruin first baseman that took a bad hop off her shoulder, allowing junior first baseman Madi Ramey -- who had sparked the rally with a hit-by-pitch -- to score the tying run from third base.

Sophomore Erin Hoehn settled in as the game progressed, at one point retiring eight batters in a row during the middle innings, highlighted by a nine-pitch, 1-2-3 fourth inning. After UCLA singled to open the sixth, Hoehn set down six straight batters to push the game into extra innings.

She was aided by several standout defensive plays. Michigan turned an 8-6-4-2 double play to escape a jam in the fifth. Conway caught a fly ball in center, tried for the out at second, and when the lead runner rounded third, junior second baseman Indiana Langford fired home, where Vallimont made a diving tag to end the inning. McVey added a web-gem play to strand a runner in the sixth, diving to keep the ball on the infield and throwing from her knees to first for the out.

Hoehn (16-4) threw all eight innings for the longest start of her collegiate career, allowing four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits and four walks with two strikeouts.

Michigan (32-17, 9-9 Big Ten) will wrap up the series and its home slate with a 1 p.m. game on Monday (April 28) at Hutchins Stadium. Tickets are available through the U-M Ticket Office, and the game will be streamed live on B1G+.