Solo Homers, Wilson One-Hitter Carry U-M Past Eagles

Friday, May 18

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

44-11

Eastern Michigan

27-21

Eastern Michigan

Michigan

5/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Three solo home runs backed the one-hit pitching of senior Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) as the No. 10-ranked University of Michigan softball team opened NCAA Regional play with a 3-0 shutout of Eastern Michigan on Friday (May 18) at Alumni Field. A large crowd of 1,729 was on hand for the matchup of Washtenaw County schools, with EMU making its first NCAA appearance and U-M its 16th.

The host Wolverines (44-11) will face Louisville at noon Saturday in the winners bracket final of the four-team, double-elimination regional, while Eastern Michigan (27-21) will play Oregon State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in an elimination game. Louisville defeated Oregon State 8-0 in five innings in Friday's first game.

Despite hitting the second batter of the game and making a throwing error in the third inning, Wilson (23-6) carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. After retiring the first two batters on a comebacker and a flyout to rightfield, Wilson ran the count to 0-2 before EMU rightfielder Jenny Scherer lofted a soft liner over shortstop to break up the no-hitter. Wilson fanned the next batter to end the game.

Michigan hit solo home runs in the second, third and fourth innings to account for all the scoring. In her first NCAA postseason at-bat, freshman third baseman Maggie Viefhaus (Pacific, Mo./Eureka HS) blasted a long home run over the stands in right -- a shot estimated at 240 feet -- to put the Wolverines on the board with one out in the second inning. It was Viefhaus' fourth homer of the season.

Eagles starting pitcher Michelle Lloyd (12-8) yielded another one-out home run in the third inning, when U-M junior centerfielder Alessandra Giampaolo's (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS) shot to right-center barely cleared the fence above the Wisconsin sign. Giampaolo's second round-tripper of the season seemed to start a rally, as senior leftfielder Rebekah Milian (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) walked and, after Aimee Woodrum replaced Lloyd in the pitching circle, junior first baseman Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) singled to put runners on first and second with one out. However, freshman rightfielder Angela Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) lined into a double play -- second to first -- to end the threat.

Wolverines senior catcher Tiffany Worthy (Yorba Linda, Calif./Lutheran HS) continued her hot hitting in NCAA tournament play with a leadoff homer in the fourth inning. Worthy's blast to leftfield was her fifth home run of the year and her fourth in her last five NCAA contests. She now has a six-game hitting streak in NCAA tournament action, including hits in U-M's last two regional contests and all three super regional games in 2006.

Eastern Michigan's only scoring threat came in the first inning. With one out, leftfielder Stephanie Sabo was hit by a pitch, and she moved to second on a grounder back to the circle, but Wilson fanned designated player Lindsay Schmid to end the threat.

Wilson, who was seeking her second career no-hitter, took care of the Eagles largely on her own, striking out nine without a walk and inducing six batters into 1-3 putouts. Had she completed the no-hitter, it would have given U-M a no-hitter in the regional opener for the second straight season. Jennie Ritter (2003-06) held Youngstown State without a hit in a 4-0 triumph in 2006.

Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423