Pitching Duo Blanks No. 4 Oregon in B1G Tourney Quarterfinals

Thursday, May 8

West Lafayette, Ind.

4:30 PM

Michigan

36-19

Oregon

47-7

Michigan

Oregon

(Dave Wegiel/Big Ten Conference)

Pitching Duo Blanks No. 4 Oregon in B1G Tourney Quarterfinals

5/8/2025 9:01:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan avenged its regular-season sweep with a 5-0 win over No. 4 Oregon in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
» Lauren Derkowski and Erin Hoehn combined to allow just five hits and two walks with four strikeouts; Hoehn earned the win in relief to improve to 17-6 on the season.
» Maddie Erickson went 2-for-3 with two RBI, including the first and game-winning RBI in the second inning.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Senior right-handed pitcher Lauren Derkowski and sophomore RHP Erin Hoehn split innings and combined for the shutout as the No. 8-seeded University of Michigan softball team blanked No. 4 Oregon 5-0 in the Big Ten Conference Tournament quarterfinals to avenge a regular-season road sweep on Thursday evening (May 8) at Purdue's Bittinger Stadium.

The Wolverines (36-19) will play in the second semifinal on Friday (May 9) against No. 12-seeded Purdue. The game is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Bittinger Stadium and will air live on Big Ten Network.

Hoehn (17-6) earned the victory in relief, allowing just two hits and a walk over the final four innings after entering with one runner on and no outs in the fourth inning. Derkowski similarly gave up three hits and a walk over three innings but did not pitch the minimum for the win. The duo combined for just four strikeouts but benefited from spectacular defensive play behind them.

Oregon entered the tournament ranked fourth nationally with a 7.98 runs-per-game average. It was its second shutout loss of the season.

Michigan outhit Oregon 11-5 and earned base knocks from six different players. Junior third baseman Maddie Erickson led U-M against her homestate team with two hits and two RBI, driving in the first and game-winning run in the second inning, while sophomore center fielder Jenissa Conway and sophomore right fielder Ella Stephenson posted two hits and one RBI apiece.

Erickson laced a two-out double to the right-center field gap to plate junior/sophomore catcher Lilly Vallimont, who also had two hits, from second base for the second-inning tally. Junior shortstop Avery Fantucci also doubled to lead off the third, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Conway singled to right-center.

Oregon brought in its ace, NCAA wins leader Lyndsey Grein, after the second Michigan run, but the move only temporarily stymied the Wolverines, who plated three more in the fifth on four hits and a walk. Junior second baseman Indiana Langford led off the inning with the walk, advanced on a single and scored on another when Stephenson sent a bouncer past Grein and up the middle. The Wolverines chased her from the circle with a third straight single to load the bases, then plated two more runs on a sacrifice fly and Erickson RBI single -- both to right field.

The Ducks' best scoring opportunity came in the third when they used two free passes and a stolen base to put two runners in scoring position but stranded both with a soft popout to short. Hoehn entered after a leadoff single in the fourth and needed just one pitch to get two outs when junior first baseman Madi Ramey snagged a liner then dove to tag the base and double off the Oregon runner.

Erickson dove for a popped bunt in foul territory for the first out in the sixth, Hoehn picked up a strikeout in each of the final two frames and went 1-2-3 in the seventh. Fantucci fielded the final two outs, a hotshot liner then a routine grounder to close out the game.