Merchant's Trifecta Makes U-M Home Debut a Success

Thursday, March 25

Ann Arbor, Mich.

2:00 PM

Michigan

22-6

Bowling Green

10-12

Bowling Green

Michigan

3/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Alumni Field)
Scores: #11 Michigan 8, Bowling Green 0 (5 innings); #11 Michigan 9, Bowling Green 5
Records: U-M (23-6), BGSU (10-13)
Next U-M Game: Sunday, Mar. 28 -- DH vs. Valparaiso (Alumni Field), 1 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 11th-ranked University of Michigan softball team swept a doubleheader against Bowling Green Thursday afternoon (March 25) in the Wolverines' 2004 home opener at Alumni Field. U-M took the first contest via the run rule after outscoring Bowling Green 8-0 in five innings and capped off the afternoon with a 9-5 win in game two.

Jessica Merchant drove in four runs in the opener and five more in the second game.

Junior shortstop Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) put together a phenomenal performance for the twinbill, going 3-for-5 throughout the two games with three home runs, including a grand slam in the first contest. She upped her season home-run total to 11 while driving in nine of Michigan's 17 runs in the doubleheader.

Sophomore Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) pitched the shutout, allowing just one hit and one free pass along with six strikeouts. U-M used all seven frames to claim the second game as freshman hurler Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) went the distance for the Wolverines, allowing five runs, three earned, on nine hits along with eight strikeouts.

Senior Courtney Betley (Corona, Calif./Santa Ana Mater Dei) also had a good afternoon, going 3-for-5 for both contests with two RBI and two runs scored. Betley went a perfect 2-for-2 in the first game and then belted her first career home run with a long drive over the fence in left-center in game two.

The Wolverines set the tone early in game one, running away with 7-0 lead in the bottom of the second after an inning and a half of scoreless ball. Seven straight Wolverines reached base on five hits and one error to help three runners cross the plate for a 3-0 lead. Then with two out and the bases loaded, Merchant hammered her second grand slam of the season to give Michigan its 7-0 lead.

U-M tallied one more run in the bottom of the third on a single by senior centerfielder Meghan Doe (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino HS), but it was all pitching the rest of the way for the Maize and Blue. After some second-inning trouble when the Falcons had runners on first and second with nobody out, Ritter was able to coast the rest of the way. The sophomore held BGSU hitless for the remainder of the contest to complete the 8-0 victory for the Wolverines.

Michigan picked up where it left off in the second contest, putting up three in the first inning thanks to a continued good performance by Merchant, who belted a three-run homer in the first to give the Wolverines a 3-0 lead.

The Falcons crossed the plate for the first time of the afternoon in the third, but the Wolverines answered with some two-out stylings from the plate. After senior Jennifer Olds (North Palm Beach, Fla./Suncoast HS) belted a first-pitch single, Merchant's seemingly unstoppable swing drove a low liner over the fence in leftfield for her third home run of the afternoon and 11th of the season to extend Michigan's lead to four (5-1).

After Betley's home run in the fourth gave the Wolverines a 6-1 advantage, Bowling Green used back-to-back singles to lead off the fifth. It looked as though the Wolverines were going to get out of the inning with no damage after a fly to left and a groundout, but a hard grounder to the left side eluded the Michigan infield and the score was 6-2.

Michigan went back up five when senior catcher Monica Schock (Rialto, Calif./Eisenhower HS) stroked a two-out, run-scoring single through the middle of the infield to score Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) in the fifth. The Maize and Blue put together a two-run sixth to put the game away. A leadoff double down the rightfield line from senior Angie Churchill (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way HS) started the frame on a positive note for the Wolverines. Michigan's top of the order finished off the frame when Doe and Haas added RBI singles for a 9-2 lead.

Doe was eventually tagged out at home trying to score on a wild pitch, which would have ended game two after six innings. Bowling Green, however, saved one more at-bat and made the most of it. A leadoff home run over the fence in left got things going. Three straight singles along with a Michigan passed ball plated two more Falcons, but Wilson finally ended things with a comebacker to the circle for a 9-5 win.

Michigan's next opponent will be Valparaiso in a doubleheader Sunday (March 28) at Alumni Field. The twinbill will start at 1 p.m.

N O T E S

Michigan's win today was its first home-opening win in three years, having lost to Penn State and Illinois, respectively, in its last two home debuts.

Jessica Merchant's three home run day moved her into third place on the Michigan career list with 21. On the all-time Wolverine long ball list, she trails only leader Melissa Gentile (1997-2000) and former teammate Marissa Young (2000-03), who hit 28 and 22 career home runs, respectively.

Jessica Merchant now has 11 home runs this season and is just two shy of matching the U-M single-season mark, which is shared by Gentile (1998) and Young (2003). Merchant's two-home run effort in game two is her team-best third multiple-homer game this season.

From the leadoff spot, Meghan Doe was the only Wolverine with multiple hits in both games of the doubleheader, collecting two apiece in each game. Doe now leads the Wolverines with 11 multi-hit games this season.

Michigan has won 11 of its last 12.

Michigan's seven-run second inning in game one gave the Wolverines a 20-2 edge over their opponents in that inning this season.

Lorilyn Wilson's streak of innings pitched without allowing an earned run to begin her Michigan career stopped at 30.0 when Bowling Green pushed across a run with one out in the third.

Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423