Postgame Quotes: #3 Michigan 5, #5 Alabama 0
5/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 29, 2015
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Michigan Head Coach Carol Hutchins
Opening statement ... "I think it's a great effort by my team. I was really proud of them tonight. I thought we came out and played our kind of softball and stayed to our moment. And that's a great Alabama team. And to shut them down it's a great credit to Megan Betsa's performance and some of the great defense that we played. And really it was just one inning at a time. And that's the way we play softball. It's, I think, why we have done what we've done all year. We told our kids tonight just come out and do what we do. And our kids were -- they gave us their best effort and that's all we ever ask."
On the Wolverines' adjustments at the plate ... "I thought (Alexis) Osorio pitched very well. And she was definitely getting us at the top of the zone. And we got a little better when we saw more pitches. And I thought we got to her a little bit later in the game there. But it's the first game, and I thought our kids weren't as one-pitch focused at the plate as I've seen them. But she's a good pitcher. And this is the World Series. So it's going to be tough. All the pitching is going to be tough."
On Lauren Sweet ... "Sweet has just been a fantastic player for this team and a team player her entire career. And she's having her best season as a senior. And you love to see that. And it's what we need. We need your seniors to be the leaders out there. And she's just been fantastic all year long. And we just want her to keep playing as long as possible."
U-M Senior Lauren Sweet
On her fourth-inning grand slam ... "The at-bat before that I obviously struck out on a rise ball, and I swung at a bunch of rise balls. My adjustment was to go up there and use my timing swing and just really see a lot of pitches. Even though I got down in the count I was able to come back and really see the ball and really see it down, so my game plan worked out."
U-M Sophomore Kelly Christner
On hitting a home run in her first WCWS at-bat ... "Obviously the nerves were a little high. Everyone was trying to calm me down before the game. I think I just went out there, first at-bat and realized that it was just like any game we played the entire year. So I just focusing on seeing the ball down, like Lauren (Sweet) was saying, and it was nice to get that early lead there."
U-M Sophomore RHP Megan Betsa
On her WCWS debut ... "My biggest thing was getting past the first inning, I knew I would have jitters and nerves. I knew if I could get past the first inning then I would be fine. After that I was just focused on throwing 85 percent and making my ball move."
On her relationship with her battery-mate Lauren Sweet ... "It's obviously very important. But I think something that's really important is how well Sweet knows me. So when my ball is not moving as much, she comes out and she's, like, hey just spin it. That's all you need to do. Your spin is good enough. Or if I'm moving, my pace is too quick, she comes out and tells me just to breathe. So I think the way that she's developed, like, to know me really well is a big aspect in this season where we are right now."
On her improvements since facing Alabama in March ... "I think I've grown a lot since the beginning of the season. And I've developed a few other pitches that helped me out tonight. But I didn't really receive anything, like news for the hitters or anything like that. So I think we were just really focused on the batter who was up at the time and just attacking them getting ahead in the count."
U-M Junior Sierra Romero
On the Wolverines' home-run hitting ... "All year we focused on seeing the ball and trusting our swings and our preparation. We've also realized that the second we start doubting ourselves is when we start to struggle. But hitting is contagious on this team. Once one of us goes we all go. If we trust what we do, then there's no stopping us."
On being held at third late before Sweet's home run ... "We know Hutch likes to hold us late sometimes, so we kind of try to take a sneak peek up before we decide if we're going to go home. I just happened to look up as she was falling over on top of me at the same time. I just hurried up and planted my foot and tried to get back."
