Beaubien 'Brilliant' for Wolverines in Historic, 12-Inning Shutout Win
5/18/2019 8:21:00 PM | Softball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- To say it was a classic postseason pitching duel somehow isn't enough.
What Michigan's Meghan Beaubien and James Madison's Megan Good did in the circle Saturday afternoon (May 18) at Alumni Field was nothing short of "brilliant," which was the word Wolverine head coach Carol Hutchins used to describe her hurler.
Beaubien became the first University of Michigan pitcher in history to throw as many as 12 innings in a complete-game shutout win, and has thrown 17 shutout innings in two wins to advance Michigan to Sunday's NCAA Regional championship game.
Good and Beaubien threw 348 pitches combined, but only the last one resulted in a runner crossing home plate.
Beaubien
Michigan junior third baseman Madison Uden went the other way, driving a pitch by Good into the gap, perfectly placed between the left and center fielders for the game-deciding single. It hit the green grass and Natalie Peters -- whose leadoff, opposite-field double was fair by a hair -- scampered home for the walk-off celebration.
The Wolverines (45-11), ranked No. 19 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, beat the No. 16 Dukes (48-8), 1-0, in 12 thrilling innings. Michigan will face the winner of Saturday night's game between James Madison and DePaul, at 2 p.m. Sunday in the first of possibly two games in the double-elimination event.
The Dukes had a 20-game win streak broken, and Michigan ran its win streak to 16 consecutive while making it 33 victories in its last 34 games.
It was truly one to savor for Hutchins, the winningest coach in college softball history. She was asked to put career victory No. 1,616 into perspective.
"Well," she began, "I'm just so proud of my kids. I mean, we had a lot of disappointing moments in how many innings? They didn't put their heads down. They might have for a second, but they had to stay tough, and what a tremendous game by both pitchers. I mean, we know how good Megan Good is and she's really good. Plus, Meghan Beaubien.
"The toughest thing in a game like this is staying in control of your emotions, and being in the hunt and believing, not getting down on yourself, not getting too emotional. The job they did was just fantastic, and we were fortunate to get out of there with that win. The game was going to come down to one hit, and we got ours first."
Uden's hit ended a string of frustration that was hard to believe. Michigan, beginning in the fifth inning, had gotten a runner to third base five times and a runner as far as second base twice over those eight innings, and stranded nine runners in scoring position before Uden's game-winner.
"They stayed with a certain pitching sequence and I was able to capitalize," said Uden. "I was just looking to hit the ball really hard, and that's what happened. I was just looking to hit the ball the opposite way and really hard, and honestly, I was hoping it was going to fall in there. There had been a lot of great plays this weekend ... It was unbelievable."
Peters
Peters, the only player on the Wolverines with two hits, got it going by slapping a screamer just over third base and racing to second.
"I just wanted to get on base for my team," said Peters, adding that she didn't immediately know it was fair. "I was hoping. I just kept running."
Lexie Blair struck out and Alex Sobczak flew out deep to center, allowing Peters to tag up and trot into third base before scoring the winning run.
"You can't describe it," Peters said of the celebration that ensued at home plate.
Beaubien threw 166 pitches -- including an economical 59 in the five extra frames -- while limiting an explosive team to five singles, two of which were of the infield variety. I asked her how much longer her left arm was after the game, and she played along, extending her arms above her head so the left one was a bit longer.
Hutchins said taking her out never crossed her mind.
"We were going to keep riding her until she showed us any reason that we shouldn't," said Hutchins.
When asked if Beaubien might start Sunday's championship game, Hutchins smiled and said that was "a dumb question." In other words, her ace is ready to go, with reliable freshman Alex Storako available if needed.
The Dukes brought some very hefty numbers into this tourney -- batting .348 and slugging .618 while combining for 95 homers -- but Beaubien (30-4) allowed only three runners to reach scoring position over 12 innings.
How did Hutchins describe the outing?
"Brilliant," she said. "I thought she was brilliant today. She brought her changeup back out, and even though it wasn't always necessarily a strike or work the way she wanted, she hung in there and kept throwing it. That was the difference maker."
Beaubien struck out 12 and at least three came on called or swinging changeups -- the pitch that kept the heavy-hitting Dukes off-balance just enough. She walked only two, and retired 11 consecutive batters after putting the game's leadoff hitter on first. Beaubien later set down 14 straight hitters.
"Again, it was my mentality," said Beaubien, who pitched five shutout innings in Friday's 8-0 win over Saint Francis. "I did a good job of sticking with what I threw and attacking hitters, and figuring out different ways to attack hitters. I saw the same hitters more often, and I think I was mentally in control of the game. I never got flustered, never got worried that they were going to score. I trusted myself and trusted my defense. I knew the offense would come through.
"You don't have to worry about your defense not making a play behind you. They gobble up everything and make plays that aren't routine. It's just trust. Everyone on this team trusts each other. I trust the defense. The defense trusts me. We trust the offense, and that's huge."
Hoogenraad
The game might have ended 1-0 in favor of the Dukes had Wolverine right fielder Haley Hoogenraad not made a diving catch of Logan Newton's hooking low liner near the line in the fourth inning. Odicci Alexander had walked with two outs and was off and running.
"I'm pretty sure that saved a run from scoring," said Hutchins. "Haley's a fantastic outfielder and we have a fantastic outfield. They are making great plays all over. It's going to come down to one run, one play, one pitch.
"You don't have to look at it as pressure. Just go for it, and she went for it."
Michigan kept the Dukes off the scoreboard, but couldn't alter the string of double-deck zeroes until the bottom of the 12th.
Good (19-6) allowed one run on seven hits with six walks and eight strikeouts with 182 pitches over 11.2 innings.
Meghan versus Megan was something to behold.
"Both teams were on their toes every play of the game," said Good, "but I just couldn't pull out a win today. I just kept telling myself to stay within myself, and not do anything too crazy and rely on my defense because I knew they had my back.
"(The scoreless game) helped me a little bit because you're staying focused the whole time. You want to do was well as the other team's doing."
Beaubien said, "Pitchers' duels, you know they're fun. It was a fun game. I think every moment of it was fun. I think I did and everyone else in our dugout did, the entire game believing we were winning it."
It was interesting that when James Madison beat Michigan, 3-0, in nine innings at the Arizona State Invitational on March 7, neither Beaubien nor Good pitched. Alexander was the winning pitcher over Storako in a game where both of them also went the distance.
This time, Beaubien bested Good in an instant classic.
"That was probably one of the best games I've ever been a part of," said Dukes coach Loren LaPorte, "but it just didn't go our way. This softball game was going to come down to that one big hit, and that's what it came down to.
"So, we just have to move on so we have another chance at them tomorrow."
