U-M Continues March Win Streak at Speedline Invitational

Friday, March 5

Tampa, Fla.

11:00 AM

Michigan

10-5

Mississippi State

11-6

Mississippi State

Michigan

U-M Continues March Win Streak at Speedline Invitational

3/5/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Amy Carlton

Site: Tampa, Fla.
Event: Speedline Invitational
Results: #14 Michigan 9, Mississippi State 3; #14 Michigan 5, Florida State 0
Records: U-M (11-5)
Next U-M Games: Saturday, March 6 -- vs. Hofstra (10 a.m.), Championship Playoffs (5 p.m., TBA) at Speedline Invitational (Tampa, Fla.)

TAMPA, Fla. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan softball team kept its March win streak going with two second-day wins at Friday's (March 5) Speedline Invitational pool-play competition. The Wolverines, 11-5 and winners of their last six games, powered past Mississippi State University, 9-3, and Florida State University, 5-0.

After a slow start vs. Mississippi State in the opener, Michigan got its offense rolling, piling up nine hits against MSU. The Wolverines were held hitless until the fourth inning and trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the fifth. In the fifth, Michigan took the lead for good, scoring three runs as Rebecca Tune (Aloha, Ore./Jesuit HS), Traci Conrad (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way HS) and Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Mater Dei HS) crossed the plate.

Michigan sealed the win in the sixth with five runs, including four courtesy of a career-first grand slam home run by left fielder Catherine Davie (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS). Starter Marie Barda (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South HS) won her third straight game (3-1).

Junior pitcher Jamie Gillies (Saugus, Calif./Saugus HS) threw her second straight shutout win (2-2) with the 5-0 complete-game victory vs. Florida State. Gillies got solid help from her defense with the Wolverines playing errorless defense. On the offensive side, Michigan outhit Florida State 9-6, with Conrad and Davie each recording a double and second baseman Kollen a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate.

Michigan completes pool play with a 10 a.m. Saturday game vs. Hofstra. Championship bracket play begins at 5 p.m. Saturday and continues into Sunday.

Maize 'n Blue Diamond Gems

• Catherine Davie may have ended her streak of doubles, but she kept alive an extra-base hitting streak with her career-first grand slam in the sixth inning vs. Mississippi State. Davie has five straight games with an extra-base hit and an extra-base hit in eight of her last 10 games.

• Traci Conrad moved to the No. 1 spot on the Michigan career hits list during the Mississippi State win, bypassing 1998 graduate Sara Griffin's 275-hit total.