Michigan
34-6, 34-6
Rutgers
8-34, 8-34
Wolverine Offense Hot, Beaubien Perfect in Doubleheader Sweep of Rutgers
5/15/2021 7:00:00 PM | Softball
» No. 18 Michigan cruised to 13-0, 11-0 wins -- both in five innings -- to sweep a Saturday doubleheader and clinch the weekend series against Rutgers.
» The Wolverines combined to outscore the Scarlet Knights 24-0, including a season-high 13 runs in the first game, off 20 hits and 10 walks; Taylor Bump posted a triple, home run and five RBI in the opener.
» Meghan Beaubien tossed a five-inning perfect game in the second slate; she struck out two en route to her sixth collegiate no-hitter and second of the season.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Wipon Complex)
Scores: #18 Michigan 13, Rutgers 0 (5 inn.); #18 Michigan 11, Rutgers 0 (5 inn.)
Records: U-M (35-6, 35-6 B1G), RU (8-35, 8-35 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 16 -- vs. Rutgers (Wilpon Complex), Noon
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan softball team's bats came alive in dominant 13-0 and 11-0 doubleheader sweep -- both in five innings -- against Rutgers on Saturday afternoon (May 15) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field.
The Wolverines combined for 24 runs, including a season-high 13 in the day's opener, on 20 hits and 10 walks. Michigan (35-6, 35-6 Big Ten) boasted 10 extra-base knocks in the twinbill and tied a season best with three long balls in the first slate. Senior third baseman Taylor Bump tripled and homered in the first game en route to five runs batted in -- the most by a Wolverine player since 2019 -- while sophomore outfielder Lexi Voss and freshman catcher Keke Tholl tallied the first home runs of their collegiate careers.
Senior left-handed pitcher Meghan Beaubien (15-3) tossed a five-inning perfect game in the second slate, facing the minimum 15 batters and earning a pair of strikeouts. It was her first collegiate perfect game and sixth no-hitter -- and second this season. Junior right-hander Alex Storako (20-3) contributed to a one-hit shutout in the day's opener, fanning seven Rutgers (8-35, 8-35 Big Ten) batters while allowing three walks.
The Wolverine offense posted six runs in the first inning on six hits and a walk all before the first recorded out. U-M scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch before Bump went opposite field with a two-run triple to the right-field wall -- the first three-bagger of her career. Voss followed with a two-run single through the right side, her first of three RBI in the game.
Michigan put up another six spot in the third inning. Voss and Bump accounted for the bulk of the runs with home runs; Voss with a leadoff solo shot to left field, and Bump with a three-run bomb beyond the opponent's bullpen in left -- her team-best 10th homer of the season. Senior first baseman Lou Allan also drove in a pair with a scorched two-run single over third base and down the left-field line.
Tholl led off the fourth with her own solo home run, driving one over the wall in left-center and bouncing it onto the baseball field to interrupt pregame batting practice.
The Wolverines scored in every inning of the shortened second game, and junior catcher Hannah Carson accounted for the majority of U-M's early runs with two-run doubles in both the first and second frames. Allan and Bump also posted RBI hits in the second before junior outfielder Lexie Blair used a two-run double of her own to push the score margin into run-rule territory in the third. Sophomore designated player Lauren Esman completed the day's scoring with a two-run single in the fourth.
Michigan will wrap its weekend series -- and the regular season -- with a noon slate against Rutgers tomorrow (Sunday, May 16) at Alumni Field. The game will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Storako, Alex (20-3)
L: Jaden Vickers (0-4)
Batting:
2B: Jimenez, Julia 1
3B: Bump, Taylor 1
HR: Bump, Taylor 1 ; Voss, Lexi 1 ; Tholl, Keke 1
RBI: Allan, Lou 2 ; Bump, Taylor 5 ; Carson, Hannah 1 ; Voss, Lexi 3 ; Tholl, Keke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Blair, Lexie 1 ; Rodriguez, Natalia 2 ; Allan, Lou 2 ; Bump, Taylor 2 ; Carson, Hannah 1 ; Jimenez, Julia 1 ; Voss, Lexi 1 ; Esman, Lauren 1 ; Tholl, Keke 1 ; Hoogenraad, Haley 1
