Hutchins Collects 700th Win in U-M Sweep of Oakland

Tuesday, April 3

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

15-11-1

Oakland

6-15

Oakland

Michigan

4/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Chicago, Ill. (Wish Field)
Results: #10 DePaul 4, Michigan 2; #10 DePaul 5, Michigan 2
Records: U-M (12-11-1), DePaul (21-7-1)
Next U-M Games: Saturday, March 31 -- at Illinois (Urbana, Ill.), 2 p.m. CST

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team ran its win streak to four games by sweeping its doubleheader tilt with Oakland on Tuesday (April 3) at Alumni Field. The Wolverines' victories -- 7-0 in game one and 2-1 in game two -- gave head coach Carol Hutchins her 699th and 700th career wins. Hutchins, in her 18th season of coaching collegiate softball, now has a career mark of 700-303-4, including a mark of 677-292-4 in 17 seasons at Michigan.

Both Michigan victories were paced by dominant performances on the mound, with senior Marie Barda (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale HS) throwing a four-hit shutout that included seven strikeouts and one walk in the first game and Marissa Young (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS) finishing with nine strikeouts and three walks in her one-hit gem in the nightcap.

The Wolverines scored all the runs they would need in the second inning of game one. With one out, Melinda Moulden (LaCrescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley HS) reached on an error and advanced to second on a single from Rebecca Tune (Aloha, Ore./Jesuit HS). Both runners then moved up one base following a passed ball. Moulden was driven in by an RBI single off the bat of Young.

After a walk to catcher Kim Bugel (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest HS) loaded the bases, sophomore outfielder Meghan Doe (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino HS) earned an infield single that scored Tune. Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) followed with an RBI groundout to second base for the Wolverines' third run of the inning. After Melissa Taylor (Petersburg, Mich./Summerfield HS) registered Michigan's second infield single of the inning, plating Bugel, the Maize and Blue had a four-run fourth inning.

Michigan also scored a pair of runs off Oakland in the fourth after a two-out error by the Grizzlies' shortstop kept the Michigan inning alive. Kollen drove in her second run of the game with an RBI single in the fifth to cap the scoring as the Wolverines cruised to a 7-0 win.

The second game was much more tightly contested as Oakland actually jumped out to 1-0 lead after scoring in the top of the first on a two-out single from pitcher Jaymie Voss. That was the last hit Oakland would record, however, as Young settled down to allow only two walks the rest of the way.

With Taylor on second base and one out, a shot back at the pitcher by Stefanie Volpe (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth-Salem HS) turned into a fielder's choice after Oakland was unsuccessful trying to get Taylor at third. That decision proved costly as Monica Schock (Rialto, Calif./Eisenhower HS) came through with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, tying the game at one. Moulden nearly untied the contest with the next at bat, but a line shot headed for left-center was plucked out of the air by the shortstop.

Once again Kollen and Taylor set the table for the Wolverines' run in the fifth. A walk to Kollen and single by Taylor, who was 3-3 in game two and 5-6 for the doubleheader, put runners on first and second with nobody down. It appeared, however, that Oakland might get out of the fifth unscathed after Volpe was got looking and Schock flew out the center. But Moulden, who nearly drove in a run with a line drive two innings earlier, got her revenge with a big two-out single to right-center that scored Kollen with the winning run.

The Wolverines stranded the bases loaded in the sixth, but insurance runs were not needed as Young set down the last 11 Oakland hitters in a row to seal the win.

Michigan heads back to the road tomorrow for one-game trip to Bowling Green at 3 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ohio, before returning home for four Big Ten games this weekend at Alumni Field. Michigan faces Purdue in a doubleheader on Friday (April 6, 2 p.m.) and then plays Indiana in single games on Saturday (April 7, 2 p.m.) and Sunday (April 8, 1 p.m.).

Diamond Gems

Marie Barda has now thrown three straight compete-game shutout wins in her last three starts. Since allowing one run in the fifth inning of relief appearance vs. DePaul on March 30, Barda has thrown 15 consecutive scoreless innings.

Michigan's current four-game win streak is its longest of the season.

Sophomore Melinda Moulden extended her current team-best hitting streak to seven games by going 1-2 in the first game and 1-3 in game two.

Marissa Young's complete-game one-hitter was the second of her career. Young threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout vs. Penn State (5/13/2000) at the Big Ten Tournament a year ago. Young threw her only no-hitter in a 1-0 win over South Florida last season (2/29/2000).

Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423