Wolverine Pitchers Fan 31 in Opening-Day Wins over Kansas City, Illinois State

Friday, February 11

Tampa, Fla.

10:00 AM

Michigan

1-0

Kansas City

0-1

Michigan

Kansas City

Alex Storako (Michigan Photography)

Wolverine Pitchers Fan 31 in Opening-Day Wins over Kansas City, Illinois State

2/11/2022 4:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

By: Leah Howard

» No. 16 Michigan defeated Kansas City 6-0, and Illinois State 4-1, at the annual USF-Rawlings Invitational to kick off its 2022 season.
» Alex Storako fanned 18 against Illinois State, while Meghan Beaubien and Lauren Derkowski combined for 13 strikeouts against Kansas City; the trio allowed just one total run on seven hits.
» Kristina Burkhardt went 4-for-7 with two runs and three RBI in her Maize and Blue debut.

Site: Tampa, Fla. (USF Softball Stadium)
Event: USF-Rawlings Invitational (Day 1 of 3)
Scores: #16 Michigan 6, Kansas City 0; #16 Michigan 4, Illinois State 1
Records: U-M (2-0), UMKC (0-1), ISU (0-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 12 -- vs. No. 6 Florida (Tampa, Fla.), 1 p.m.

TAMPA, Fla. -- No. 16-ranked University of Michigan softball team showcased its commanding pitching staff, totaling 31 strikeouts and just one run and seven hits allowed, en route opening-day wins against Kansas City 6-0, and Illinois State 4-1, at the annual USF-Rawlings Invitational on Friday afternoon (Feb. 7) at USF Stadium.

Senior rigfht-handed pitcher Alex Storako (1-0) earned the complete-game victory in the second slate against ISU, striking out 18 -- the third-highest single-game total of her career -- while allowing one run on three hits and two walks. Graduate student Meghan Beaubien (1-0) fanned eight and gave up two hits through five shutout frames to earn the game-one win, while freshman RHP Lauren Derkowski added five more strikeouts and allowed two hits over the final two innings against Kansas City (0-1) in her collegiate debut.

Graduate student outfielder Kristina Burkhardt headlined the offense in her Michigan debut, going 4-for-7 on the day with two runs and three RBI. Junior first baseman Lauren Esman, like Burkhardt, posted three hits in the opener against the Kangaroos, while graduate student Taylor Bump knocked out a two-run homer in her first plate appearance of the season.

Michigan (2-0) built its lead early and gradually, plating runs in five of seven innings, against Kansas City. Burkhardt drove a first-pitch double to the center-field wall in her first at-bat as a Wolverine in the first inning, and Bump, who led U-M with 12 homers last season, followed with her two-run, opposite-field blast to right-center. Michigan added a run off a throwing error in the second before Burkhardt scored again in the third on senior catcher Hannah Carson's roped single through the right side.

Junior designated player Lexi Voss and Esman registered back-to-back doubles with two outs in the fifth -- it was Esman's third hit and second two-bagger of the contest -- then Burkhardt tallied her third hit with an RBI single up the middle in the sixth, plating freshman shortstop Ella McVey from second base to round out the Wolverines' scoring.

The Kangaroos' biggest threat came in the first inning after a one-out single and two stolen bases, but Bump laid out on soft blooper down the third-base line to leave the runner stranded at third. Kansas City did not advance a runner past second base for the remainder of the game.

U-M broke through in the third inning against Illinois State (0-2), manufacturing runs from freshman outfielder Ellie Sieler and McVey after both newcomers posted their first collegiate hits -- a leadoff single and a double, respectively -- and came around to score. Burkhardt earned the RBI on the latter with another single up the middle and picked up another RBI off an unassisted groundout in the fifth. Senior outfielder Lexie Blair scored just two pitches later in the fifth on a wild pitch in the dirt.

ISU scored its run after a walk and two singles in the fifth and used a pair of free bases to threaten with two on and no outs in the sixth before Storako retired three straight to get out of the jam.

The Wolverine ace struck out four in the seventh after a passed ball allowed the leadoff to reach. Her 18 strikeouts against the Redbirds trailed only efforts of 19 and 22 last season -- the latter being U-M's single-game program record. Storako owns three of the top five strikeout performances in Michigan softball history.

The Wolverines will continue play at the USF-Rawlings Invitational with a pair of games Saturday (Feb. 12), taking on No. 6 Florida at 1 p.m. before facing host USF at 3:30 p.m. at USF Softball Stadium.