The way the Michigan and Indiana softball teams both attacked the pitching throughout Saturday’s doubleheader looked like a welterweight title fight.
As each team jabbed with the bat at the plate, the other stepped to counter with the glove. The resulting dance kept everyone on their toes.
The Wolverines (14-2 Big ten, 41-6 Overall) ultimately landed the punches that mattered and downed the Hoosiers in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader, 3-0 and 7-1, respectively, extending their lead in the Big Ten and earning their third in-conference series sweep.
Indiana (5-10, 14-31) came out swinging at nearly every pitch, but senior left-hander Haylie Wagner handled the Hoosier’s attack, allowing no runs and five hits while striking out five through seven innings pitched in game one.
“Any team can be a good hitting team, and they were really going after the first pitch strikes,” Wagner said. “They put up a good fight. I was just going out there to attack them.”
The first hit from either team that did any damage came when sophomore Abby Ramirez’s hit a stand-up double in the third inning of game one. Junior centerfielder Sierra Lawrence immediately followed with a double of her own, and a homer from junior second baseman Sierra Romero gave the Wolverines a three-run lead.
Michigan recorded nine hits in game one, but after the three-run third inning, the Wolverines failed to advance a batter past second base.
“I felt that we were swinging (too) big,” said Michigan coach Carol Hutchins. “I thought (Michigan) was seeing the ball well. They were just trying too hard to hit it — and trying harder doesn’t really work.”
Indiana’s defensive effort was backed up by starts from senior right-hander Lora Olson in Saturday’s first game, and senior right-hander Miranda Tamayo in the series finale. They each took losses, but prevented Michigan from doing catastrophic damage at the plate.
“It was a good game for us because it forced us to rely on our pitcher and I thought (Wagner) did a great job,” Hutchins said. “There are going to be games like that. We’re not always going to run-rule people.”
Lawrence put the Wolverines on the board early in game two of the doubleheader with a leadoff homer. Her 11th home run of the season gave sophomore right-hander Megan Betsa an immediate cushion to work with. Sophomore right fielder Kelly Christner had an RBI single in the third inning that extended the Wolverines’ lead to two before Indiana responded with a run of its own.
The Hoosiers were resilient throughout both games, coming within a few hits of erasing Michigan’s lead multiple times. Even with 14 strikeouts from Betsa and a fifth inning, three-run jack from junior left fielder Kelsey Susalla, Indiana had chances to cut deeply into a 5-1 Wolverine advantage in the sixth inning.
With runners on first and second and the tying run on-deck, Hoosier outfielder Brianna Meyer lined a shot into the gap in center field in her sixth inning at-bat. If the ball fell in, it would have scored at least one run, but Christner extinguished that hope with an acrobatic diving catch and throw to second base to turn the double play.
“Honestly, when it was hit, I didn’t think I had any chance of getting to it,” Christner said. “When I caught, it I kind of freaked out but I was like, ‘alright, I’ve got to finish the play.’ I jumped up and saw the girl was still running back to second, so I tried to get her out at second then too.”
Michigan erupted in celebration of Christner’s display of athleticism. And just when Indiana got its best chance to come back, it got it taken away.
In a weekend series condensed into a two days, the play encapsulated the sweep of the Hoosiers.
Just when Indiana thought they could sneak by the Wolverines, Christner delivered the knockout blow — squashing any chance of a comeback.