During the Michigan softball team”s doubleheader against Northwestern Friday, the announcer reported scores from around the Big Ten. Usually, the crowd would cheer upon hearing that intrastate rival Michigan State had been shutout by Iowa 4-0, but the crowd groaned instead.
Parents and fans in the bleachers knew Michigan was sitting atop the Big Ten, and No. 15 Iowa was the only team that could threaten its position.
This past weekend, the Hawkeyes stripped away No. 21 Michigan”s place atop the conference standings, winning both games 1-0.
Iowa got off to a quick start in the first inning yesterday as Michigan firstbaseman Marissa Young mishandled Katy Jendrzejewski”s grounder, allowing Kristen Johnson to score the game”s only run.
Typically, energetic cheers ceaselessly come from the Michigan dugout. But the Wolverines were strikingly silent, until what looked like the play of the day in the bottom of the third inning.
Jendrzejewski slapped a grounder that made its way past both Young and Kelsey Kollen. Melissa Taylor picked the ball up from right field and threw it to third base, where Stefanie Volpe tagged Liz Dennis for the third out.
The team cheered, but Michigan coach Carol Hutchins was not pleased.
“It was a mistake it could have cost us big,” Hutchins said. “(Taylor) is our senior captain, and she should know that, around third base, you are conservative in that situation.”
For the first three innings, Hawkeye pitcher Sarah Thomson retired the side 1-2-3. But as soon as she allowed a single to Taylor, Kristi Hanks took her place.
Hanks “came in when (Michigan) had gotten their leadoff on, and we felt that they would start to make a few adjustments the second time through the lineup,” Iowa coach Gale Belvins said. “We felt that Hanks is harder to bunt off of.”
The first batter Hanks faced, Monica Schock, grounded to second. But the ball was picked up, thrown to first for the out and thrown to third to tag Taylor for the unlikely double play.
Michigan had an opportunity to tie in the final frame with two outs when Mary Connor was on second and Lisa Mack was on first. Chrissy Garza stepped up to bat but grounded out, ending the game.
Saturday”s contest against the Hawkeyes was also a 1-0 game. Young allowed the game-winning run on a two-out single by Iowa designated player Jessica Bashor.
Despite foreshadowing Michigan”s Hawkeye troubles on Friday, the crowd had something to cheer about as the Wolverines won both games against Northwestern 6-0 and 5-1.
The first match saw Melinda Moulden hit her sixth homerun of the season to give Michigan a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Then, in the bottom of the sixth, the Wolverines scored five more runs.
Michigan, in the second match, scored one run in the first inning, three in the fifth and a fifth in the seventh. It allowed Northwestern just one run in the sixth on a dropped pop fly to third base.
“In both games we had a big inning,” Hutchins said. “When you”re on defense you don”t want to give them a big inning.”
Hutchins” unused advice accounts for Michigan”s losses to Iowa words the Wolverines will have to take seriously if they hope to regain the Big Ten”s top spot in weeks to come.