Michigan
16-4, 0
Ohio State
13-10, 0
Eight-Run Seventh Puts Exclamation Point on Series Win at Ohio State
4/11/2021 4:39:00 PM | Softball
» No. 23 Michigan plated eight runs in the top of the seventh to close out an 11-0 win in the series finale at rival Ohio State.
» Lou Allan and Taylor Bump knocked out fifth-inning home runs, while Kaylee Rodriguez headlined the seventh with a three-run shot for her first collegiate homer.
» Alex Storako struck out 10 and allowed five hits and one walk en route to the complete-game shutout.
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Buckeye Field)
Score: #23 Michigan 11, Ohio State 0
Records: U-M (16-4, 16-4 B1G), OSU (13-10, 13-10 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, April 14 -- vs. Michigan State (Wilpon Complex), 5 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan softball team came back with a vengeance after Saturday's doubleheader split, using three home runs to earn an 11-0 rout in the series final at rival Ohio State on Sunday (April 11) at Buckeye Field.
U-M followed a similar script as Friday's series opener, exploding for eight runs in the top of the seventh inning en route to their highest run (11) and hit (15) totals of the season. Senior Lou Allan, senior Taylor Bump and freshman Kaylee Rodriguez all boasted home runs, while four different Wolverines tallied multiple hits, including junior Lexie Blair, who went 2-for-3 to extend her hit streak to 20 straight games.
Junior right-handed pitcher Alex Storako (10-2) struck out 10 Buckeyes -- her eighth game of the season with double-digit strikeouts -- while allowing five hits and one walk. It was her fourth complete-game shutout this spring.
Michigan (16-4, 16-4 Big Ten) scored one in the first inning and two in the fifth before breaking it wide open with the seventh-inning eight spot. Allan and Bump registered solo home runs in the fifth. Allan sent a no-doubter leadoff shot over the wall in left-center for her third home run in as many days, and Bump topped it three batters later, crushing a blast over the left-field wall and high off the brick building beyond it -- nearly to the roof. It was Allan's fourth long ball of the season and Bump's first.
Michigan went for the cycle in the seventh inning. Sophomore Sierra Kersten drove in two with a double to the base of the wall in right-center. Senior Natalia Rodriguez raised it with a two-run triple -- her second three-bagger of the season -- off the center-field wall two batters later, and, after an Ohio State (13-10, 13-10 Big Ten) pitching change, Kaylee Rodriguez went yard for three runs, sending a no-doubt shot to right-field for her first collegiate home run in her second collegiate at-bat.
Michigan will kick off the home portion of its 2021 season with a rescheduled midweek slate against in-state rival Michigan State this Wednesday (April 14). The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field, and will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Storako, Alex (10-2)
L: Smith, Allison (7-7)
Batting:
2B: Blair, Lexie 1 ; Kersten, Sierra 1
3B: Rodriguez, Natalia 1
HR: Allan, Lou 1 ; Rodriguez, Kaylee America 1 ; Bump, Taylor 1
RBI: Rodriguez, Natalia 2 ; Carson, Hannah 1 ; Allan, Lou 1 ; Rodriguez, Kaylee America 3 ; Bump, Taylor 1 ; Kersten, Sierra 2
SH: Rodriguez, Natalia 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Blair, Lexie 2 ; Rodriguez, Natalia 1 ; Carson, Hannah 1 ; Allan, Lou 1 ; Voss, Lexi 1 ; Rodriguez, Kaylee America 2 ; Bump, Taylor 2 ; Kersten, Sierra 1
HBP: Blair, Lexie 1
Base Running:
SB: Cortelletti, Tegan 1 ; Rodriguez, Mariah 1
