For the first time in her short collegiate career, freshman shortstop Sierra Romero looked, well, like a freshman.

And for the Michigan softball team, that wasn't a good thing.

Romero is the only freshman represented in the USA Softball’s Top-10 finalists for the 2013 Collegiate Player of the Year, and — despite teammate sophomore pitcher Haylie Wagner’s preseason nomination — the only Big Ten player still in the mix.

But in her first postseason appearance at the Big Ten tournament in Lincoln, Neb. this weekend, Romero was not the hero for the No. 6 Michigan softball team (20-2 Big Ten, 45-9 overall). What’s more, the Big Ten Freshman and Player of the Year, the current single-season record holder for home runs in a Michigan uniform, wasn’t a factor.

And it started with a defensive miss.

Though her defensive game has vastly improved this season, according to Michigan coach Carol Hutchins (Romero committed 10 errors in her first 10 games, and just 10 through her final 40), the freshman was unable to turn a nifty, Derek Jeter-type stop and throw across her body to first base in the top of the second inning against Ohio State into an out.

A team-leading 66 hits paired with 42 walks earned the freshman a 27-game hitting streak that stretched through the majority of conference play. Romero finished with a .543 on-base percentage while slugging just three points below .900 on the season. In addition to raw talent, Romero has been pegged as the catalyst for a Michigan offense that averages 7.47 runs per game — the second highest scoring offense in the nation.

“She has made our entire lineup better, just by her presence,” Hutchins said.

But thereafter, Romero went 0-4 in four plate appearances with a strikeout and two pop-outs. She did not draw a walk. She failed to reach base.

With one run out and a runner on in the top of the seventh inning, Romero double-clutched a ground ball — looking to get the double play — that allowed the batter to reach base safely and led to the Buckeye’s first run of the game. The combination of sophomore right-hander Sara Driesenga and Wagner bailed the Wolverines out of a two-out, two-runners-on situation to preserve the 3-2 win.

This time, Romero was bailed out by her teammates’ experience.

The Wolverines’ first run was knocked in by a single from senior co-captain outfielder Nicole Sappingfield, before Romero ended the inning with a pop out. In the bottom of the fifth inning, following a ground-out from Romero and a double from junior first baseman Caitlin Blanchard, senior second baseman Ashley Lane bounced a ball off the right-field foul pole for a two-run home run.

But on Saturday, a case of the rookie nerves looked more like a curse.

Two weeks prior, Romero completed her first hitless series of her career, when she went 0-for-6 in the Wolverines’ first series loss to Nebraska on the road. Back in Bowlin Stadium, Romero was again without a hit in nine at-bats, including three strikeouts, completing an 0-for-15 performance in Lincoln.

With frustration ensuing in the fifth inning, Hutchins called on freshman outfielder Kelsey Susalla and senior co-captain Jaclyn Crummey to push Michigan’s first run across. With runners on first and third and just one out, Romero stepped to the plate, overdue for a hit. But the result was nothing more than a pop-out.

One final time in the seventh inning — the Wolverines’ last chance at a comeback — the stage was set. But it was too big for the freshman.

Romero stepped to the plate with two runners on and one out, with Michigan down by six runs and down to its final three outs.

One final time, she popped out to shortstop for the infield fly-rule out.

In her few pressure situations this season, Romero choked. She swung too big and jumped on early pitches. And in the field, Romero was looking to end the game, to be the hero on the field she couldn’t be in the batter’s box. Still, Romero’s presence alone can often be enough.

It’s no secret, this Michigan team needs Romero if it wants to make another run at a national title. Despite what the numbers say, she’s just a freshman, a lesson she learned at an inconvenient time.

And maybe that's a good thing for the rest of the season.