Moulden, Merchant Lead Wolverines to Rout of Gophers

Friday, April 12

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

30-7, 6-1

Minnesota

26-14, 3-4

Minnesota

Michigan

4/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It seemed that runs would be hard to come by in the 12th-ranked University of Michigan softball team's two-game series against Minnesota at Alumni Field as the top two rated Big Ten pitching staffs squared off. It was Michigan's offense, however, that stole the show by scoring a season-best 11 runs in just five innings as the Wolverines won 11-1 by virtue of the eight-run mercy rule in the series opener Friday (April 12).

Moulden

Junior Melinda Moulden (LaCrescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley HS), who hit her first career grand slam a 7-3 win at Central Michigan on Wednesday (April 10), went 3-3 for the second straight game and drove in three runs in the process. Freshman shortstop Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) got in the act as well, going 2-4 with four RBI, including a three-run shot over the fence in right-center to stake Michigan to a 5-0 lead in the first inning.

Minnesota (26-14, 3-4 Big Ten) entered the contest having given up just seven runs in the first two innings all season before the Wolverines (30-7, 6-1 Big Ten) struck for five in the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) chased a pitch in the dirt for strike three but beat the throw to first to get things started. Michigan earned everything it got from there on out as junior centerfielder Meghan Doe (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino HS) beat out an infield single and Stefanie Volpe (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth-Salem HS) punched a single to leftfield to load the bases with nobody out.

Minnesota appeared as though it might get out of the inning with minimal damage after a force out at home and an RBI groundout at first by Young put runners on second and third with two outs and just one Michigan run across. That's when the Moulden-Merchant combo took over, with Moulden delivering a run-scoring single to left to put runners on the corners for Merchant's blast to right-center, her third home run of the season.

Young ran into a little trouble in the top of the first with a one-out walk and hit batsman before getting a strikeout and foulout to third base, but the five-run outburst settled her down and she came back with a 1-2-3 second.

Michigan's momentum from the first carried over to the second with Courtney Betley (Corona, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) delivering a leadoff line-drive single to leftfield. Even a double-play lineout from Kollen in the next at-bat could not slow Michigan down. Walks to Doe and Volpe ensued and led to an RBI single from cleanup hitter Monica Schock (Rialto, Calif./Eisenhower HS). Young stepped up and made things even easier on herself with a two-run double off the fence in right-center for an 8-0 Michigan lead. Moulden followed with her second RBI single in as many innings and Michigan led 9-0 after two innings.

The Golden Gophers collected their only hit and run of the game in the top of the third. A two-out single and stolen base by outfielder Tammi Hays put herself in scoring position and then a Michigan error brought her home. Wolverine catcher Schock tried to pick Hays off of second, but her throw went into centerfield where Doe's alert backup appeared to save Michigan from any damage. However, the errant throw rolled between her legs and went all the way to the fence, allowing Hays to score from second. That was it for Minnesota, however, as Young allowed just one baserunner over her final two innings of work.

Michigan added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth and it was that M&M combo of Moulden and Merchant again. Moulden drilled a shot that hit the top of the fence in left-center and bounced back into play for a run-scoring double, with Volpe scoring her third run of the game after leading off the inning with a single. Moulden scored on a single from Merchant for the final 11-1 tally.

Michigan returns to Alumni Field against Minnesota tomorrow (Saturday, April 13, 2 p.m.) and then closes out the weekend with a doubleheader against Wisconsin on Sunday (April 14, noon).

N O T E S

Michigan's 11 runs are a season best, bettering the previous mark of nine, which the Wolverines have scored on four occasions this season. Michigan's 11 runs are its most in a game since beating South Florida 12-7 on May 20, 2001, to earn a bid to the Women's College World Series.

Melinda Moulden has hit safely in six straight at-bats, going 3-3 with three RBI today after going 3-3 with six RBI in the second game of the doubleheader at Central Michigan on Wednesday (April 10). Moulden has also hit safely in eight of her last nine games.

Jessica Merchant's four RBI are a career best for the freshman shortstop.

Marissa Young's three-RBI day is her team-best eighth multiple-RBI game this season.

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Carol Hutchins
on the game overall ... "We were ready to play and that was the key. We were ready offensively from the start and put the things we worked on in practice this week to good use. We always want to have good pitch selection, but we have to maintain our aggressiveness at the plate. So much of this game is confidence and when we play with confidence we are a pretty good team."

On the revenge factor after Minnesota beat Michigan 7-0 earlier this season ... "I don't get into that too much. This is a big weekend for us against two very good teams in our conference, so that alone speaks of how important the game is. We play certain teams a few times throughout the year, so you can have any number of so-called revenge games. We just need to win softball games and that's what we did today."

Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423