Michigan
31-15, 11-8
Minnesota
22-22-1, 7-11
Long Balls Key Comeback Win Over Minnesota on Senior Day
5/1/2022 4:43:00 PM | Softball
» No. 23 Michigan plated four runs in the bottom of the fifth to rally to an 8-4 rubber-game win over Minnesota on Senior Day at Alumni Field.
» Lexie Blair, Keke Tholl and Kristina Burkhardt all knocked out home runs; Tholl and Lexi Voss combined for four hits and four RBI at the bottom of the lineup.
» RHP Alex Storako earned the win in relief, striking out four while allowing four runs on five hits and three walks, while LHP Meghan Beaubien reentered to earn the last two outs and the save.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan softball team knocked out three home runs to rally to an 8-4 Senior Day win in the series rubber game against Minnesota on Sunday afternoon (May 1) in front of 2,383 fans at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field.
Head coach Carol Hutchins, already the winningest coach in NCAA softball history, became the first to reach 1,700 wins with the victory; she improved to 1,700-548-5 over her 39 years as a collegiate coach.
Michigan led for nearly the entire game but was forced to rally after giving up three runs -- and a one-run lead -- in the top of the fifth. The Wolverines responded and then some in the home half of the frame. Junior designated player Lexi Voss used a looping RBI single to shallow centerfield to tie the game before sophomore catcher Keke Tholl bombed out a three-run blast to left-center to retake the lead for Michigan -- her fourth homer of the season.
Voss and Tholl paced Michigan from the bottom of the order, posting two hits apiece and combining for four RBI.
Graduate student Kristina Burkhardt added an insurance run for Michigan with a line-drive leadoff solo homer to right field in the fifth. It was the first home run of the season for Burkhardt, who ranks among the national leaders in both doubles and triples.
The Wolverines struck quickly in the contest, plating two in the first inning on graduate student second baseman Melina Livingston's two-out, two-run double to centerfield. Senior first baseman Lexie Blair tacked on another run with a solo home run to centerfield -- her third of the season -- in the third.
Minnesota got on the board with a fourth-inning sac fly and took a temporary lead with its home runs on back-to-back pitches in the fifth.
Michigan's veteran co-aces, senior RHP Alex Storako and graduate student Meghan Beaubien, teamed for the Senior Day victory. Storako (21-7) earned the win in relief, striking out four while allowing four runs on five hits and three walks. Beaubien, who started the game and came out after 1.1 innings, reentered to earn the final two outs of the contest and her second save of the season.
U-M (31-15, 11-8 Big Ten) will hit the road for its last regular-season series when it heads to Madison, Wisconsin, for a three-game weekend set against Wisconsin. The teams open play at 5 p.m. CDT on Friday (May 6), continue at 1 p.m. CDT Saturday (May 7) and wrap with a noon CDT slate on Sunday (May 8) at the Badgers' Goodman Diamond. All three games will be streamed on B1G+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Storako, Alex (21-7)
L: Autumn Pease (10-12)
S: Beaubien, Meghan (2)
Batting:
2B: Makenna Dowell 1 ; Kayla Chavez 1
HR: Chloe Evans 1 ; Natalie DenHartog 1
RBI: Chloe Evans 2 ; Natalie DenHartog 1 ; MacKenzie Denson 1
SF: MacKenzie Denson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lauren Espalin 1 ; Chloe Evans 1 ; Natalie DenHartog 1 ; Sydney Strelow 1
SB: Natalie DenHartog 1
Batting:
2B: Livingston, Melina 1 ; Voss, Lexi 1
HR: Burkhardt, Kristina 1 ; Blair, Lexie 1 ; Tholl, Keke 1
RBI: Burkhardt, Kristina 1 ; Blair, Lexie 1 ; Livingston, Melina 2 ; Voss, Lexi 1 ; Tholl, Keke 3
SH: McVey, Ella 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Burkhardt, Kristina 1 ; LeClair, Audrey 1 ; Blair, Lexie 1 ; Bump, Taylor 1 ; Kersten, Sierra 1 ; Sieler, Ellie 1 ; Voss, Lexi 1 ; Tholl, Keke 1
HBP: Sieler, Ellie 1
