Freshman Delaney Nabs Victory Over Eastern Michigan

Wednesday, May 3

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

35-13

Eastern Michigan

23-25

Eastern Michigan

Michigan

5/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In its last regular-season home game of the 2006 season the University of Michigan softball team garnered a 4-2 victory over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night (May 3) at Alumni Field.

With her sixth start and ninth appearance of the 2006 season, freshman Stacy Delaney (Freeland, Mich./Freeland) started off with a bang, sitting down three straight EMU batters in the first inning to keep the Eagles scoreless. Senior Tiffany Haas (North Tustin, Calif./Foothill) led off the Wolverines, lacing a single to rightfield to give Michigan the first hit of the ballgame. After allowing a hit, Eastern Michigan pitcher Nikki Denman walked three U-M batters and Haas made her way to home plate for a 1-0 lead.

The Maize and Blue struck again in the bottom of the second. With two outs, Haas singled through the right side followed by a Rebekah Milian (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) dribbler past short and third. Senior Becky Marx (St. Joseph, Mich./Lakeshore) followed with a long ball over the fence in right-center for a 4-0 Michigan lead.

Both teams were scoreless in the third and fourth inning with Delaney collecting her seventh strikeout on the night. In the top of the fourth, the Michigan defense gave leeway to the Eagles as a result of a throwing and fielding error to put two EMU runners in scoring position, but Delaney fought her way out of the inning to maintain the shutout.

The scoreless fifth inning featured Delaney garnering her career-high 10th strikeout for the Wolverines. However, Eastern Michigan notched its first hit on a Stephanie Sabo single to rightfield. EMU's Ashley Strauss advanced Sabo on a bunt but the EMU bats were no match for the Wolverine gloves as they escaped the inning yet again to hold off the Eagles.

Eastern Michigan finally struck in the top of the sixth inning with a shot to rightfield from shortstop Lauren Clark, maring it a 4-1 game. After EMU's Denman singled to catcher Tiffany Worthy (Yorba Linda, Calif./Lutheran), Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague) went to the mound for relief. With one out, Eagle rightfielder Lindsay Schmid scored Heather Giroux on a sacrifice RBI to cut the Michigan lead to two runs, 4-2, but Wilson garnered her first strikeout of the game to end the EMU rally.

In the final frame, the Wolverines closed out the Eagles with Wilson forcing a popup and striking out two EMU batters to give U-M its 35th regular-season win.

Michigan travels to Michigan State this weekend for the final two games of the Big Ten season. Both weekend games are slated for 1 p.m. and will be televised on Comcast Local.

N O T E S

Seniors Stephanie Bercaw, Tiffany Haas, Grace Leutele, Becky Marx and Jennie Ritter appeared in their final regular-season home game at Alumni Field.

The victory marks number 975 of head coach Carol Hutchins' career. Of those wins, Hutchins has won 952 games at the helm for the Wolverines.

Freshman Stacy Delaney struck out a career-high 10 batters. Her previous high was eight strikeouts against Georgia (Feb. 27).

Junior Lorilyn Wilson came in from the bullpen and earned her first save since March 20, 2005, against Arizona. The save was the third of her career.

Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423