The Michigan softball team took a short break from pummeling Big Ten schools to play its second Mid-American Conference opponent of the year yesterday.

But the result was still the same, as the Wolverines beat Central Michigan 8-0.

One thing was noticeably different for Michigan, as freshman pitcher Stephanie Speierman took the mound in her first career start. The righty gave up no runs and allowed just one hit through five innings.

“I was very excited,” Speierman said after the game. “I was a little nervous the first inning, and then I sort of settled in. Then it was playing softball.”

The lone hit was a disputed grounder to the third baseline in the fifth inning. Senior third baseman Maggie Viefhaus made a diving catch to corral the ball but couldn’t get it to first base in time.

Michigan coach Carol Hutchins came out to discuss whether or not the ball had rolled foul or not. The tough call notwithstanding, Hutchins remained impressed with the young pitcher’s one-hitter performance.

“I wanted to see what she could do when the game was more meaningful, as opposed to coming in a mop-up type of inning when we’ve been ahead,” Hutchins said. “I was really pleased with her. I thought she was composed, she made her pitches and she did a really nice job.”

The defense behind her was excellent also, as Speierman struck out just three batters, allowing the Chippewas (17-3) to put plenty of balls into play. The defense did not commit an error.

“The whole team in general was doing a great job, which I really appreciated,” Speierman said. “Knowing that the defense is behind me definitely makes it easier.”

The defensive performance was even more impressive considering sophomore shortstop Stephanie Kirkpatrick has missed the last six games due to injury. This has forced Hutchins to rotate the defense with senior Molly Bausher moving from centerfield to fill Kirkpatrick’s position in the infield.

“This seems to have happened almost every year,” Bausher said. “Somebody has gone down and somebody has to fill in — and that somebody usually is me. Yeah, it’s tough to deal with, but having to deal with it in previous years has kind of given me an understanding and (made me) comfortable with the situation.”

Bausher also got it done at the plate, capping off a six-run fifth inning with a two-run RBI double to centerfield, effectively ending the game due to softball’s eight-run mercy rule.

It was the fourth game in a row Michigan (7-0 Big Ten, 31-5 overall) has ended the game in the fifth inning and the seventh time in the last nine games.

Junior first baseman Dorian Shaw was the other major contributor in the fifth, nailing a home run into the Alumni Field scoreboard with two teammates on base. The homer was her 14th of the season, which leads the team and ties her career high from last year.

But outside of that, the offense — or at least the hitting — was nonexistent. Still, Wolverine batters reached base on nine walks, despite having just four hits on the day.

The only one of those hits that came before the fifth inning was sophomore Amanda Chidester’s in the first. Central Michigan’s pitcher loaded the bases with three-straight walks, giving Chidester the opportunity to drive in two runs on a single.

Michigan has now won 10 straight and 23 of the last 24.

“Our team is very competitive and we're explosive and it is hard to keep us down,” Hutchins said. “They have a lot of confidence in their game right now.”