Bercaw's Blast Ends Marathon; Michigan Sweeps CMU

Tuesday, April 18

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

27-11

Central Michigan

13-20

Central Michigan

Michigan

4/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Alumni Field)
Scores: #12 Michigan 4, Central Michigan 0; #12 Michigan 3, Central Michigan 1 (18 innings)
Records: U-M (28-11), CMU (13-21)
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 21 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 6 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan softball team defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas, 3-1, after an 18-inning, four hour and 17-minute effort in the second game of the doubleheader Tuesday (April 18) at Alumni Field. The Wolverines also took the first game in much quicker fashion, winning 4-0 in an hour and 34 minutes.

In the first game of the twinbill, senior pitcher Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) got her 15th win of the season to help propel the Maize and Blue over the Chippewas.

Through five innings of play, the Wolverines held the Chippewas scoreless with Ritter striking out nine Central Michigan batters, including two in the first frame. U-M opened the scoring with a pair of two-out hits in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic) tripled down the leftfield line and was driven in by a single from Rebekah Milian (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc), giving Michigan a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the fifth, Ritter walked Kim Cozat to give Central Michigan a chance to catch up to the Wolverines. Chippewa leftfielder Karen Hohs reached on a throwing error by Grace Leutele (Sierra Vista, Ariz./Buena) to advance Cozat to third base, but the Wolverines fought their way out of the inning to end the scare.

The Maize and Blue put on a hitting display in the sixth inning as Tiffany Haas (North Tustin, Calif./Foothill) jump-started the Michigan sticks with a double to third base. Haas set the table for Michigan's leading long-ball hitter, Becky Marx (St. Joseph, Mich./Lakeshore), who didn't disappoint as she cracked the ball to left-center to score Haas and up the Michigan lead to 2-0. Leutele reached on an error by Chippewa third baseman Amy Hudson and advanced Marx to third. Giampaolo ripped her second hit of the game on a shot to the leftfield fence to score Marx and Leutele for a four-run lead.

Ritter sealed the deal for the Wolverines, striking out another three Chippewa batters to give her 14 strikeouts and reward Michigan with the first game of the doubleheader.

The second game featured three scoreless innings as both teams scattered a hit apiece and the pitchers battled on the rubber. In the top of the fourth inning, Chippewa third baseman Hudson singled up the middle to give Central Michigan a chance to strike first, but junior Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague) and the Michigan defense worked their way out of the inning, forcing a strikeout and groundout to keep the contest scoreless.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, the Wolverines had a chance to tally some runs as Giampaolo got on base after being hit by a pitch. Marx singled through the left side and sophomore Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) walked to bring up senior Tiffany Worthy (Yorba Linda, Calif./Lutheran), but she struck out looking and the game remained tied, 0-0.

Heading into extra innings, Central Michigan leftfielder Brittany Decker looped a single to leftfield. Michigan then decided to intentionally walk the Chippewas' Hudson. CMU rightfielder Jacque Benedict reached first base on a walk to load the bases for the Chippewas, but Wilson sat down Christan Dhondt to save the Wolverines and send them to retrieve their aluminum.

Central Michigan finally struck at the Wolverines in the top of the ninth inning. Chippewa shortstop Stephanie Crews ripped one through the middle and CMU's designated player Hansen walked. Brittany Decker singled up the middle to score CMU's only run of the ballgame and give the Chippewas a 1-0 lead over the Wolverines.

The Wolverines answered in the bottom of the inning as Giampaolo started off the Wolverines with a one-out single to leftfield. Senior Stephanie Bercaw (Wooster, Ohio/Hillsdale) laced a shot to the shortstop and reached first on a fielder's choice. The Chippewas decided to walk Findlay to bring up Worthy. Worthy retaliated from her previous bases-loaded strikeout in the fifth inning as she put U-M back in the game with a two-out single to rightfield to score Bercaw and tie the game at 1-1.

After CMU's Hudson singled to rightfield in the 10th inning, Ritter replaced Wilson in the circle. Ritter worked her magic and put a hold on the Chippewa sticks, striking out two and giving Michigan another chance at the bats. Michigan came up empty-handed in the bottom of the 10th and headed into the game's 11th inning of play.

Ritter took care of business in the top of the 11th frame, sitting down three straight Chippewa batters to garner her 1,000th career strikeout and shut off Central Michigan's offense yet again. Ritter continued her pitching madness, collecting 18 strikeouts in the second game to surpass her single-game strikeout mark (17) that she previously set against Eastern Michigan on March 24, 2006.

Six scoreless innings came and went with both teams unable to break out of the stalemate. Finally in the bottom of the 18th inning, Bercaw launched a shot over the leftfield fence to give the Wolverines a 3-1 victory over the Chippewas.

Michigan travels to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to take on Big Ten rival Ohio State. Friday's game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., while Saturday's game will start at 1 p.m.

Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423