Northwestern
28-21
University of Michigan
50-6
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Betsa, Megan (26-4)
L: Wood, Kristen (16-10)
Batting:
2B: Lawrence, Sierra 1 ; Susalla, Kelsey 1
3B: Christner, Kelly 1
HR: Romero, Sierra 1 ; Blanco, Tera 1
RBI: Lawrence, Sierra 1 ; Romero, Sierra 2 ; Christner, Kelly 3 ; Sweet, Lauren 1 ; Blanco, Tera 2
SH: Ramirez, Abby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lawrence, Sierra 2 ; Romero, Sierra 2 ; Susalla, Kelsey 1 ; Falk, Aidan 1 ; Blanco, Tera 1 ; Sbonek, Mary 1 ; Ramirez, Abby 1
SB: Susalla, Kelsey 1
CS: Christner, Kelly 1 ; Wald, Nikki 1
HBP: Lawrence, Sierra 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Third-Ranked Michigan Eliminates Northwestern, 9-0 (5)
5/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Northwestern battled third-ranked and top-seeded Michigan pitch-for-pitch through the early stages of a Big Ten Tournament semifinal Saturday at Buckeye Field, but the Wolverines broke through for a couple of big innings to eliminate the Wildcats, 9-0 (5).
Northwestern enters Sunday's NCAA Selection special at 9 p.m. CT on ESPNU with a 28-21 overall record and the nation's second-ranked nonconference strength of schedule. Michigan (50-6) runs its current winning streak to 19 games while advancing to Saturday night's Big Ten Tournament championship game.
Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Megan Betsa started for Michigan in this game opposite of Northwestern's Kristen Wood (Trevor, Wis./Wilmot Union), who chucked a three-hit shutout Friday against Purdue in the quarterfinal.
While Betsa earned her first eight outs of the game via strikeout, Wood kept pace admirably. She fanned the first two Wolverines she saw, including sending two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Sierra Romero back to the dugout via a strikeout for just the seventh time this season, in a hitless first two innings of work.
The potent Michigan offense got on the scoreboard in its second trip through the order, using the hefty breeze blowing out to center to get an RBI double and a two-run home run as part of a four-run third. Amy Letourneau (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), who recorded the first hit of the game for either team with two outs in the second inning, entered the circle in relief in the bottom of the fourth. Michigan loaded the bases on a couple of singles and a hit batter before a bases-clearing triple broke the game open, 7-0.
In the top of the fifth, senior Julia Kuhn (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) and Letourneau both smashed line drives into the outfield, but Kuhn's was directly at the right fielder while Letourneau's had a tracking device destined for the left fielder.
Michigan tacked on a final two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to end the contest early, 9-0.
Wood (16-10) took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Letourneau threw one-plus innings of relief, giving up five runs on five hits and three walks.
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