U-M Held to One Hit, Eliminated from WCWS by Huskers

Saturday, May 25

Oklahoma City, Okla.

3:30 PM CT

Michigan

50-11

Nebraska

50-13

Nebraska

Michigan

5/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

Site: Oklahoma City, Okla. (Hall of Fame Stadium)
Event: NCAA Women's College World Series (Game 8)
Result: #7 Nebraska 1, #11 Michigan 0
Records: U-M (50-11); Nebraska (49-13)
Next U-M Game: Season completed

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- The 11th-ranked University of Michigan softball team was eliminated from the 2002 Women's College World Series this afternoon (Saturday, May 25) after dropping a tough 1-0 decision to No. 7 Nebraska at Hall of Fame Stadium. Despite another great effort from starter Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney HS), the freshman had her 17-game win streak snapped as the Wolverines managed just one hit against the Cornhuskers. Junior utility player Melinda Moulden (LaCrescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley HS) collected her first career WCWS hit.

Making her first career WCWS appearance in the circle, Motycka received great defensive support right off the bat in the first inning. Wolverine catcher Monica Schock (Rialto, Calif./Eisenhower HS) erased a leadoff single by Cornhusker centerfielder Kim Ogee by gunning her down at second on a steal attempt. That play became even bigger when Nebraska's No. 2 hitter, Lisa Wangler, sent a double over the head of Moulden in leftfield. Shortstop Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) then took care of fellow freshman Motycka with consecutive plays deep in the hole to get the Wolverines out of the first inning without any damage.

Motycka returned the favor to Merchant in the third after the shortstop's error led to a Cornhusker runner standing 60 feet from home plate with two outs, but Motycka struck out Wangler to keep the game scoreless through three innings. Offensively, the Wolverines could only muster a two-out single in the second by Moulden through the first three frames as Nebraska starter Leigh Ann Walker registered six strikeouts.

Both pitchers settled in as the game wore on along with a growing sense that one run might be the difference. Unfortunately for the Maize and Blue, it was Nebraska that broke through with that run in the fifth. A one-out double by Leigh Suhr was followed by a single up the middle off the bat of Cindy Roethemeyer that scored Suhr from second. Merchant ranged far to her left to knock down the single but was unable to cut down Suhr at the plate. Schock then gunned down Roethemeyer trying to advance to second, but the damage had been done.

Michigan (50-11) did have a golden opportunity in the sixth after Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) and Meghan Doe (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino HS) both reached on Nebraska errors to lead off the inning, prompting Nebraska coach Rhonda Revelle to go to Peaches James out of the bullpen. James responded by striking out Stefanie Volpe (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth-Salem HS) and Schock, and then getting Marissa Young (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS) to ground out to second base, ending the threat.

The Wolverines would get one final shot in the seventh after Merchant reached with one out on another Cornhusker error, their fourth of the game. Lisa Mack (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) sacrificed pinch runner Michelle Teschler (Casco, Mich./Richmond HS) to second, placing the tying run in scoring position for the second straight inning. Michigan coach Carol Hutchins called Courtney Betley (Corona, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) off the bench to hit for Mary Conner (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS). However, Betley popped out to shortstop, leaving the Wolverines one run shy for the second straight WCWS game.

N O T E S

• The run allowed in the fifth inning snapped Nicole Motycka's string of 28.1 consecutive scoreless innings. It was the first run she gave up since the seventh inning of a 6-3 win over Eastern Michigan on May 2.

• Michigan's two losses in the WCWS marked the first time this season the Wolverines dropped consecutive games.

Q U O T E S

U-M Head Coach Carol Hutchins
On the game overall ... "This is a great Michigan team and I know they expected to come out here and win, but they are truly a great team. I would like to have seen us more aggressive with the bats today. We were behind in the count too often, but you also have to credit the pitching. I thought we came out here and played well enough to win with our pitching and defense, unfortunately we struggled with the bats."

On the performance of Nicole Motycka ... "I thought Nicole did another great job. She did everything we could have asked of her. She did the same things she has done all year and proved that she can pitch at any level. She gave us a great chance to win today and that is all I could ask of her."

U-M Senior Second Baseman Kelsey Kollen
On Michigan's struggles at the plate ... "It could be any number of things, but one of them is that we might have been thinking too much at the plate. I think we were up there guessing instead of just seeing the ball, so we were caught off balance."

U-M Freshman Pitcher Nicole Motycka
On her first WCWS appearance ... "I was nervous at first, but after that I just did what I always do which was get keep the ball down and let my defense do the rest. I definitely think this whole experience was good for me and the younger players on our roster. Even though we lost twice, they were both games we could have won and we know that we can play with anybody."