Milian, Findlay Spark Offense as U-M Sweeps Purdue

Saturday, April 21

West Lafayette, Ind.

Noon

Michigan

35-8, 6-2

Purdue

26-29-1, 4-7

Purdue

Michigan

4/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan softball team carried momentum from its comeback victory a day earlier to claim a 7-3 victory against Purdue on Saturday (April 21) at the Varsity Softball Complex. The Wolverines' bats exploded for 14 hits, including eight in the opening two frames, en route to the series sweep.

U-M struck early, scoring two runs apiece in the first and second innings, and after Purdue had cut the lead to a single run, the Wolverines posted a three-run sixth to stay in control. U-M's 14 hits marked its second-greatest offensive production of the season and the most in a regulation seven-inning game. Senior Rebekah Milian (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) and junior Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) set the pace with three hits each and a combined five runs batted in.

Freshman pitcher Nikki Nemitz (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Regina HS) earned the victory, allowing four hits -- of which all but one came in the sixth inning -- and striking out seven through 5.1 innings. Senior Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) entered in relief with two on and one out in the sixth and minimized the damage, striking out two while giving up a single hit en route to her fifth career save.

With Milian on base in the first after a single through the left-side gap, Findlay took the first pitch she saw deep over the fence in leftfield to register her fifth home run in nine games. Milian and Findlay found similar success in their next turns at the plate, driving in what would prove to be the game-winning tallies with no outs in the second inning. Freshman Maggie Viefhaus (Eureka, Mo./Eureka HS) led off the frame with a double to deep leftfield and quickly advanced to third on junior Alessandra Giampaolo's (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic) single to center. Milian, whose four-game hitting streak is two games shy of her career longest, ripped a hard single to leftfield to bring in Viefhaus, and Findlay followed with a base hit to the same location to score Giampaolo.

Purdue found its offense and the scoreboard in the middle frames, scoring on a leadoff, full-count home run in the fourth before adding a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning after scattering four hits across the field. All three runs were credited to Nemitz, who was pulled after the first run scored in the sixth, as the Boilermakers cut the U-M advantage to one.

Michigan, however, responded in the bottom half of the frame, manufacturing three runs on four hits, including RBI shots to centerfield by Milian and senior Tiffany Worthy (Yorba Linda, Calif./Lutheran HS). The Wolverines tallied a pair of outfield singles early in the inning to set up Milian's second multi-RBI effort of the season as the senior leftfielder dropped a hit into centerfield to score freshman Molly Bausher (Las Vegas, Nev./Spring Valley HS) from third base. After a fielder's choice and a walk to freshman Angela Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) loaded the bases, Worthy drove another deep shot to centerfield to bring home Milian and Samantha Findlay and wrap up the scoring.

The Wolverines will travel to Bloomington, Ind., to face Indiana tomorrow (Sunday, April 22) in a noon doubleheader at the IU Softball Field.

Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423