In the Michigan softball team’s wins over Nebraska on Friday and Saturday, the Wolverines left a combined 23 runners on base. Despite scoring a combined 10 runs, they squandered opportunities to score runs. 

And in the first two innings of Sunday’s game, it was the same story. Although the struggles didn’t sink Michigan in the first two games, it appeared to be coming back to bite the Wolverines in the series finale. After knocking on the door but failing to score in the game’s early innings, their offense exploded. 

Michigan (33-14 overall, 14-3 Big Ten) finally capitalized on its top of the order reaching base to score nine runs in the third and fourth innings. That offensive outburst propelled the Wolverines to a dominant 11-3 run-rule win over Nebraska (25-19, 8-6) for the series sweep. 

In each of the first two innings, the Wolverines were unable to take advantage of two batters reaching base. Junior left fielder Ellie Sieler and sophomore second baseman Indiana Langford recorded back-to-back singles to start the game, but the Cornhuskers proceeded to retire the next three Wolverine hitters, mitigating their threat to score. 

And it was the same story for the Wolverines in the second. They drew two consecutive one-out walks, putting runners on first and second base for junior shortstop Ella McVey. She floundered, grounding into a double play and thwarting Michigan’s opportunity to jump out to an early lead. 

But after those early struggles, the Wolverines turned it on.

In the third inning, the Wolverines’ offense finally cashed in after Sieler and Langford again got things started. This time around, sophomore third baseman Maddie Erickson ripped a line drive up the middle to bring Sieler home for Michigan’s first run of the afternoon. Freshman right fielder Ella Stephenson kept the Wolverines offense going, sending a fly ball off the center-field wall to score two more for Michigan. 

“When you get those first few runners on, it gives confidence to the people behind you to keep swinging and doing their thing,” Sieler said.

And that was just the start for the Wolverines in the frame, as their confidence continued to grow. They capitalized on the Cornhuskers’ miscues to continue generating their own offense. After Stephenson’s triple, Nebraska first baseman Bella Bacon booted a ground ball, letting Stephenson score from third to put Michigan up 4-0. Freshman center fielder Jenissa Conway proceeded to steal second base and advance to third on a groundout. 

Then, Cornhuskers’ right-hander Kaylin Kinney handed the Wolverines another golden opportunity, which they once again took advantage of. An errant pitch from Kinney reached the backstop, allowing Conway to score easily. Just like that, Michigan led 5-0 — a lead that’s nearly insurmountable when junior right-hander Lauren Derkowski is in the circle for the Wolverines.

“We did a great job of squaring balls up, taking walks and getting free bases,” Michigan coach Bonnie Tholl said. “That combination created high scores for us.”

In addition to Michigan’s stellar day at the plate, Derkowski recaptured her groove in the circle after a shaky past few starts. She limited Nebraska to just six hits and two walks on the day. And with the cushion the Wolverines’ bats provided, Derkowski didn’t even need her best stuff.

In the fourth inning, Michigan acquired even more insurance runs for Derkowski. Sieler and Langford once again got the Wolverines’ offense going, starting the inning off with back-to-back walks. And once again, Erickson and Stephenson capitalized, with a double and a triple, respectively. Conway followed that with a sacrifice fly, giving Michigan a 9-2 lead that was too much for Nebraska to overcome. As Tholl preaches, the Wolverines “passed the bat” with each hitter finding a way to get on base and keep their offense rolling. 

“I was just trying to go in the box today and be nice and loose and get the job done,” Stephenson said. “I wasn’t trying to do too much.”

And Stephenson struck again in the sixth inning. After senior first baseman Keke Tholl walked, Stephenson recorded her fourth and fifth RBIs of the day with a two-run home run to center field, punctuating Michigan’s offensive explosion and sealing its 11-3 run-rule win. 

Michigan’s bats didn’t seem on course for that dominant of a performance in the first two innings, as it faltered after Sieler and Langford set the table. But the Wolverines’ offense proceeded to explode, passing the bat and capitalizing on baserunners in scoring position to blow the Cornhuskers away.