Michigan Sweeps Showdown with Gophers, Stays in First

Sunday, April 13

Minneapolis, Minn.

Noon CT

Michigan

24-8, 6-1

Minnesota

29-12-1, 6-3

Michigan

Minnesota

Michigan Sweeps Showdown with Gophers, Stays in First

4/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Jane Sage Cowles Stadium)
Score: #13 Michigan 2, Minnesota 1; #13 Michigan 4, Minnesota 1
Records: U-M (25-8, 7-1 Big Ten), Minnesota (29-13-1, 6-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Game: Tuesday, April 15 -- DH vs. Eastern Michigan (Alumni Field), 5 p.m.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The 13th-ranked University of Michigan softball team remained in first place in the Big Ten after earning a doubleheader sweep over second-place Minnesota, 2-1 and 4-1) Sunday afternoon (April 13) at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. The sweep ran Michigan's win streak to nine straight overall and seven consecutive in Big Ten action after dropping its conference opener to Illinois on March 28. Michigan (25-8, 7-1 Big Ten) entered the day just one game ahead of Minnesota (29-13-1, 6-4 Big Ten) in the conference race.

It is beginning to sound like a broken record, but Marissa Young (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS) was the catalyst again for the Wolverines, tossing a three-hit, complete-game victory in the 2-1 Wolverine win in the opener and then accounting for all of the Michigan runs in the 4-1 win in game two with a first-inning grand slam. Fellow co-captain Meghan Doe (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino HS) continued to provide baserunners for the heart of the Michigan order, going 3-6 with a pair of runs scored over the two games. Melinda Moulden (LaCrescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley HS) provided just one hit on the day, but it was a huge one, delivering Michigan's only two runs of the opener with a sixth-inning dinger.

Minnesota starter Piper Marten entered this weekend's action No. 2 in the Big Ten in strikeouts and did not disappoint early in game one as she K'd the first four Wolverines she faced before her counterpart, Young, finally put a ball in play on a flyout to rightfield for the second out of the second frame. For her part, Young struck out three of the first six hitters she saw while facing the minimum through the first two innings. After the Wolverines went down in order again in the third, Minnesota put the first baserunner of the game on the basepaths when Marten scratched out an infield single with two out in the third. She advanced no further, however, after Young set down the next Gopher on strikes.

The Wolverine offense joined the contest in the fourth when junior centerfielder Doe executed a bunt single. Doe, however, was cut down at second on a forceout when Moulden attempted a sacrifice bunt. Minnesota finally put the first runner of the game in scoring position in its half of the fourth on a one-out single and sacrifice, but Young set Shelly Nichols down swinging to maintain a scoreless contest heading to the fifth.

The Wolverines finally put their first runner in scoring position in the top of the fifth when freshman Grace Leutele (Sierra Vista, Ariz./Buena HS) reached on an error and moved up to second. Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) then walked to put two runners on for the first time in the game, but Courtney Betley (Corona, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei HS) ground back to the pitcher to end the inning.

All of the scoring finally occurred in the sixth after Doe collected her second hit of the game on a shot back through the box and scored on Moulden's fifth home run of the season, which was a shot over the fence in leftfield. The Gophers' primary long-ball threat, Jordanne Nygren, answered with her 13th dinger of the campaign to lead off the sixth and cut the deficit in half. That was it, however, as Young closed the game the same way she opened it, setting down six straight with three strikeouts.

Game two was a different story with the Michigan hitters coming out of the gate quick and putting four up in the bottom of the first on Young's fourth career grand slam. Freshman second baseman Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS), who went 0-3 in game one with a pair of strikeouts, bounced back in game two to lead off the Wolverine first with a solid single. Doe followed with her third hit of the day and Moulden reached on an error to load the bases with nobody down. Minnesota kept the Wolverines at bay for one hitter when Monica Schock (Rialto, Calif./Eisenhower HS) forced Haas out at the plate on a groundball to the second baseman, but Young picked up the slack, drilling her team-leading ninth home run of the season down the leftfield line to clear the bases.

Sophomore Michigan starter Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney HS) took over from there, taking a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning. After breezing through the first two frames, Motycka ran into her first trouble in the third after a walk, sacrifice and infield single put runners on the corners with two out, but she forced Minnesota's No. 3 hitter, Hailee Nanchy, to ground back to the mound for the final out. The Nanchy groundout was the first of 10 straight Motycka would set down as she settled in for 1-2-3 innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames.

Meanwhile, Michigan did not manage much offensively after the first, putting runners in scoring position in the third and fourth but failing to cash in. Even so, the four runs seemed more than safe as Motycka strengthened in the later innings. All that changed in the seventh when Minnesota, which had been held to just one infield hit through the first six innings, came through with singles from three of its first four hitters of the inning to break through on the scoreboard with one run.

With the tying run now at the plate and runners on the corners with just one out, Michigan coach Carol Hutchins brought senior Liz Elsner (Plymouth, Mich./Canton HS) in to play first base so Young could warm up in the bullpen. As it turned out, Young's pitching was not needed in Hutchins' 802nd career victory because Motycka came up with a strikeout and groundball to third base for the final two outs and the 4-1 Michigan win.

The Wolverines now step out of conference action for a pair of midweek doubleheaders at Alumni Field. The first twinbill is Tuesday (April 15, 5 p.m.) vs. Eastern Michigan followed by another on Wednesday (April 16, 5 p.m.) vs. Akron. Michigan returns to Big Ten action on Friday (April 18, 3 p.m.) with the first of a two-game set at Ohio State.

N O T E S

Michigan's nine straight wins represent its second-longest win streak of the season. The Wolverines won 10 straight from March 1 (vs. North Carolina) through March 25 (vs. Bowling Green State #2). Michigan's last loss was a 4-0 decision to Illinois in the conference opener on March 28 at Alumni Field.

Marissa Young's four career grand slams is a Michigan record. Former Wolverine and current Michigan volunteer assistant coach Stefanie Volpe (1999-2002) is second with three.

Meghan Doe has hit safely in eight of her last nine games to up her average to a team-best .349.

Marissa Young's four RBI in game two and Melinda Moulden's pair in game one leave the seniors tied for eighth on the Michigan career RBI list with 123 apiece.

Michigan's 2-1 win in the opener ups its season mark to 8-3 in one-run games.

Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423