Conway, Derkowski Lead Wolverines Past Wisconsin in B1G Tourney Opener

Wednesday, May 7

West Lafayette, Ind.

4:30 PM

Michigan

35-19

Wisconsin

33-21

Wisconsin

Michigan

Lauren Derkowski (Dave Wegiel/Big Ten Conference)

Conway, Derkowski Lead Wolverines Past Wisconsin in B1G Tourney Opener

5/7/2025 8:38:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan opened Big Ten Tournament play with a 3-2 win over Wisconsin in the first round.
» Lauren Derkowski allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks and struck out six en route to her third straight complete-game win.
» Jenissa Conway drove in two of U-M's three runs; she and Ellie Sieler posted solo home runs.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The University of Michigan softball team scored early and added insurance late to earn a 3-2 win over Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament on Wednesday (May 7) at Purdue's Bittinger Stadium.

The Wolverines (35-19) will next face No. 1 seed Oregon in the quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday (May 8) at Bittinger Stadium. It will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.

Senior right-handed pitcher Lauren Derkowski (15-12) earned her third straight complete-game win from the circle, striking out six Badgers while allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks. Wisconsin left seven batters on base in the game; Derkowski used strikeouts to strand two apiece in the first, fourth and fifth innings.

Michigan lined into an unlucky double play to end an early threat in the first but responded with runs in each of the next two innings. Senior left fielder Ellie Sieler belted a solo shot to right field -- her fourth homer of the season -- to put U-M on the board in the second, while sophomore center fielder Jenissa Conway sliced an RBI double down the left-field line and to the wall with one out in the third.

Wisconsin used a one-out solo homer to cut its deficit in half in the top of the fifth, then threatened with two in scoring position with two outs on a double to left-center and an intentional walk. Derkowski got out of the jam and stranded two for the second straight inning with a swinging strikeout.

The Wolverines got the run back in the home half of the inning to reestablish their two-run lead. Junior second baseman Indiana Langford reached on a chop single, inducing a UW pitching change, but she was caught stealing at second for the second out of the frame. Conway responded on the pitch, bombing it deep to center field for her team-best 17th home run of the season.

Wisconsin narrowed the final score with a two-out solo homer to right in the top of the seventh, but Derkowski forced a groundout to shortstop just two pitches later to close out the game.