The Michigan softball team’s weekend series with No. 25 Iowa was a tale of two vastly different games. Both, however, had the same result – a Michigan win. The Wolverines brought in a 2-1 victory on Saturday and a 6-0 win Sunday.

The first game was a pitcher's duel in which the eighth-ranked Wolverines trailed 1-0 going into the fifth inning. After a double down the rightfield line from junior Maggie Viefhaus put runners in scoring position, sophomore Dorian Shaw's single over shortstop scored two runs and won the game for Michigan.

The second game was not as stressful for Wolverine fans, and Viefhaus was a major contributor once again.

With Michigan (14-2 Big Ten, 38-9 overall) leading 1-0 in the fourth, Viefhaus used a lengthy ten pitch at-bat to eventually hit a three-run shot over the centerfield wall off of the Hawkeyes' (9-7, 38-14) senior pitcher Brittany Weil. It was her eighth home run of the year.

“I wasn’t going to let her beat me,” Viefhaus said. “She kept throwing me the same pitch, up and out, so she came with the same pitch again, and I was expecting it so made I good contact.”

After hitting the home run, Viefhaus would later add a double and four RBI.

The four-run lead was more than enough for sophomore pitcher Jordan Taylor. After posting 13 strikeouts in her last outing against Indiana, she followed it up with a career-high 16 strikeouts Sunday. Taylor struck out six of the first nine batters she faced. In all, Taylor struck out every batter in the Iowa lineup at least once.

After struggling early in the year, Taylor's back-to-back good starts are an important statement that she's returning to All-American form.

“If anything has gotten better, seemingly her trust — her trust in herself, her trust in her pitch selection and she is staying in her moment a little bit better and she seems to be having a little more fun with the game,” said Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins.

Taylor held onto a no-hitter until the sixth inning. A bloop single was hit to shortstop Teddi Ewing, who lost the ball in the sun as it fell out of her glove. Much to the dismay of the Michigan crowd, it was ruled a hit.

Taylor helped Michigan go 11-0 at home on the year. But before the perfect home record is set in stone, the Wolverines have three games with perennial rivals Ohio State and Michigan State.

"Everybody's on the upswing," Taylor said. "And this is the point in the season where you want to be peaking."

Ohio State comes to Ann Arbor Wednesday in a two-game series that will essentially decide the Big Ten title. Both teams are 14-2 in conference with third place three games behind both teams.

"We're more focused on Michigan," said freshman Stephanie Kirkpatrick. "We're going to play Michigan ball. It doesn't matter who we're playing, they're just nine random girls."