On Friday night, for the first time since losing the NCAA Super Regional contest against Tennessee last May, the Michigan softball team took the field at the Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex in Ann Arbor.

And this time around, the Wolverines walked away from Alumni Field with their heads held a bit higher, as they downed Michigan State in the exhibition matchup, 7-6.

With the relaxed nature of fall softball, the two teams squared off in a nine-inning affair (compared to the regulation seven innings), and both used pinch-hitters freely to get the bench players some time on the diamond.

Sophomore pitcher Stephanie Speierman started on the mound for Michigan, and she appeared to be in mid-spring form. The right-hander tossed three innings of no-hit ball, striking out three and walking none. She allowed just one base runner on a fielding error from junior third baseman Amanda Chidester.

Speierman’s relief — junior transfer Hilary Payne — looked rusty, as she surrendered all six Spartan runs on seven hits and two walks over her six and a third innings of work. She also gave up a pair of long balls.

Some of the other rookies shined, most notably Nicole Sappingfield, a freshman leftfielder from California. Sappingfield had some big cleats to fill on Friday, as she batted in the three-hole in place of last year’s senior All-American Maggie Viefhaus (they also share the same #15 jersey).

Sappingfield collected a pair of base hits, scored a run and drove in what wound up being a crucial insurance run.

“(It was) really cool batting in the three-hole,” Sappingfield said. “In Traverse City, I hit second, and she moved me down to third for this game. And it gave me a lot of confidence in a way because I got the chance to hit away this time instead of slapping or bunting, which is really cool.”

The veterans in the lineup didn’t skip a beat either.

Junior outfielder Bree Evans, who took over centerfield duties with the departure of Molly Bausher, was superb from the leadoff spot all night. She went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and three runs.

Chidester and senior first baseman Dorian Shaw cemented the middle of the order from the four and five spots, respectively. Chidester had a couple of base knocks and drove in the first three Wolverine runs of the game. Following Chidester’s two-run single in the third, Shaw smashed a three-run homer over the centerfield fence.

“They have got to put numbers up for us, and you can put that in bold because the freshmen are going to be all over the map,” Hutchins said. “It can be a burden, they can get outside themselves, but they have to learn how to handle the pressure of it and help because they are going to be the key of our success."

In the sixth inning, after Payne surrendered a solo shot to pull the Spartans within one run, senior All-American hurler Jordan Taylor took the mound to silence Michigan State. She tossed 2.1 innings, giving up just three hits and striking out seven.

Taylor ended the game emphatically — she struck out the three, four and five Spartan batters to close out the win for the Wolverines.