When Michigan sophomore Tiffany Haas crossed home plate in the
top of the eighth inning of Saturday’s game against Eastern
Kentucky, the No. 12 Michigan softball team proved that when the
pressure is on, it knows how to get it done.
Michigan (21-6) had a successful weekend, going 4-0 in the
Louisville Invitational.
Continuing with its offensive struggles, Michigan managed to
sneak by Eastern Kentucky (3-2) with a last-minute offensive spark
on Saturday.
Tied 2-2 going into extra innings, Haas scored from third on a
fielder’s choice. Sophomore pitcher Jennie Ritter sealed the
deal for the Wolverines with a game-ending strikeout to complete
the 3-2 victory. Ritter proved to be Michigan’s steadiest
hurler throughout the weekend and tallied 13 strikeouts in the
contest against Eastern Kentucky.
Though the Wolverines continued to struggle offensively, Haas
put on a one-woman show by scoring all three of Michigan’s
runs and going 2-for-4 with a single and a double. Haas, who is the
current Big Ten Player of the Week, also went 3-for-4 with an RBI
in Michigan’s 5-1 victory over Toledo on Friday. Haas has hit
safely in 10 out of Michigan’s last 12 games and leads the
team in batting average.
Yesterday, Michigan defeated Louisville 4-2 after a three-run
offensive surge in the fourth inning, marked by senior Monica
Schock’s pinch-hit RBI double that tied the game at two. Haas
went 2-for-4 with a run scored, and junior Jessica Merchant
contributed two hits including her team-leading 25th RBI of the
season.
The Wolverines shutout St. Louis (3-0) on Saturday after a
one-hitter by freshman Lorilyn Wilson. The freshman hurler had
quite a day, striking out a career-best 12 batters and extending
her streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 27.2. Wilson has yet
to give up a run as a Wolverine.
Michigan has relied on its defensive success all season, and
this weekend was no different. The Wolverines did not commit a
single error this weekend, and have gone five games without a
defensive blunder.
After playing 27 away games, Michigan will take on Bowling Green
in a double-header — its first home action of the season at
Alumni Field on Wednesday.
— Jamie Josephson