YPSILANTI — With the bases loaded in the second inning,
Michigan softball senior Jennifer Olds would not let Eastern
Michigan off easy. Facing two outs early in the second game of
yesterday’s doubleheader in Ypsilanti, Olds drove a pitch to
deep right-center field.
Olds was tagged out trying to stretch her hit to a triple, but
not before three Wolverines crossed the plate to give No. 9
Michigan an early 4-0 lead.
Michigan’s defense took over after this offensive spark,
as the Wolverines went on to win 5-0. The Wolverines took the first
game of the doubleheader by the same 5-0 count, and Michigan used a
familiar formula of nearly-flawless defense and early run
production to extend its current winning streak to 18 games in the
second contest.
“I think some of the kids are pressing, and some of them
are playing with a lot of confidence,” Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins said. “I told them that going into the weekend, we
just want to work on getting better every day … just to
execute and stay sharp.”
The Wolverines wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in
the second game. After junior slugger Jessica Merchant was
intentionally walked, junior Nicole Motycka ripped an RBI single in
the first inning with the bases loaded. In the fifth inning,
Merchant got her revenge on a pitch she hit to deep right field,
which was good enough