Findlay Homers Twice as Wolverines Roll Past Ball State
4/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) drove two towering shots over the leftfield fence to account for five runs in the No. 9-ranked University of Michigan softball team's 6-1 decision over Ball State on Tuesday (April 10) in front of 365 fans at Alumni Field.
After two scoreless innings, Findlay sparked the Wolverine offense in the middle frames, clearing the bases in the third and fifth with home runs in consecutive at-bats. The performance earned the U-M junior a season-best five RBI and marked the fourth multi-home run effort of her collegiate career.
Ball State's lone run of the game also came on a home run, a solo shot in the sixth inning, and proved to be one of only two hits allowed by a combined U-M pitching performance. Senior starter Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) allowed no hits and fanned six through three innings, but freshman Nikki Nemitz (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Regina HS) claimed the victory -- improving her record to 13-3 -- with four strikeouts and two hits allowed through the final four frames.
After being held to just one hit through the opening two innings, the U-M bats lit up in the third, spurred by freshman Maggie Viefhaus (Eureka, Mo./Eureka HS), who led off with a blast that fell just short of the 222-foot marker in deep centerfield and resulted in the U-M rookie's third double of the season. Junior Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) advanced Viefhaus with a single through the right side and set up a two-on, two-out scenario for Findlay, who wasted no time before ripping one over the scoreboard and into the south wall of the Indoor Track Building.
The Wolverines took advantage of a Ball State miscue in the fourth to pad their lead as sophomore Teddi Ewing (Olathe, Kan./East HS), who had led the U-M rally after two quick outs with a ground-ball single up the middle, came home on a throwing error by the Cardinal leftfielder. Viefhuas, who reached first base on the error, earned the RBI on the play.
Senior Rebekah Milian (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS), who batted 2-for-4 against Ball State's complete-game pitcher -- her sister, Elizabeth Milian, initiated the fifth-inning offense for the Wolverines with a slap-hit single that found the gap between first and second base. Findlay, in the subsequent at-bat, hammered out her second home run of the contest, a deep ball to the pine trees beyond left center and capped the Maize and Blue's scoring for the contest.
Michigan will hit the road for pair of Big Ten Conference series next weekend. The Wolverines will play Iowa on Friday (April 13, 6 p.m. CDT) and Saturday (April 14, noon CDT) in Iowa City, Iowa, before wrapping up the weekend with a Sunday (April 15, noon CDT) doubleheader against Illinois in Champaign, Ill.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
After two scoreless innings, Findlay sparked the Wolverine offense in the middle frames, clearing the bases in the third and fifth with home runs in consecutive at-bats. The performance earned the U-M junior a season-best five RBI and marked the fourth multi-home run effort of her collegiate career.
Ball State's lone run of the game also came on a home run, a solo shot in the sixth inning, and proved to be one of only two hits allowed by a combined U-M pitching performance. Senior starter Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) allowed no hits and fanned six through three innings, but freshman Nikki Nemitz (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Regina HS) claimed the victory -- improving her record to 13-3 -- with four strikeouts and two hits allowed through the final four frames.
After being held to just one hit through the opening two innings, the U-M bats lit up in the third, spurred by freshman Maggie Viefhaus (Eureka, Mo./Eureka HS), who led off with a blast that fell just short of the 222-foot marker in deep centerfield and resulted in the U-M rookie's third double of the season. Junior Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) advanced Viefhaus with a single through the right side and set up a two-on, two-out scenario for Findlay, who wasted no time before ripping one over the scoreboard and into the south wall of the Indoor Track Building.
The Wolverines took advantage of a Ball State miscue in the fourth to pad their lead as sophomore Teddi Ewing (Olathe, Kan./East HS), who had led the U-M rally after two quick outs with a ground-ball single up the middle, came home on a throwing error by the Cardinal leftfielder. Viefhuas, who reached first base on the error, earned the RBI on the play.
Senior Rebekah Milian (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS), who batted 2-for-4 against Ball State's complete-game pitcher -- her sister, Elizabeth Milian, initiated the fifth-inning offense for the Wolverines with a slap-hit single that found the gap between first and second base. Findlay, in the subsequent at-bat, hammered out her second home run of the contest, a deep ball to the pine trees beyond left center and capped the Maize and Blue's scoring for the contest.
Michigan will hit the road for pair of Big Ten Conference series next weekend. The Wolverines will play Iowa on Friday (April 13, 6 p.m. CDT) and Saturday (April 14, noon CDT) in Iowa City, Iowa, before wrapping up the weekend with a Sunday (April 15, noon CDT) doubleheader against Illinois in Champaign, Ill.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nemitz, Nikki (13-3)
L: E. Milian (9-10)
Batting:
HR: K. Jeziorski 1
RBI: K. Jeziorski 1
Base Running:
RUNS: K. Jeziorski 1
HBP: A. Pennock 1

Batting:
2B: Viefhaus, Maggie 2
HR: Findlay, Samantha 2
RBI: Findlay, Samantha 5 ; Viefhaus, Maggie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Giampaolo, Alessandra 1 ; Milian, Rebekah 1 ; Findlay, Samantha 2 ; Ewing, Teddi 1 ; Viefhaus, Maggie 1
CS: Findlay, Angela 1
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