Wolverines Use Extra-Base Hits, Hot Start to Clinch Series at Indiana

Saturday, March 30

Bloomington, Ind.

2:00 PM

Michigan

23-11, 0

Indiana

23-11, 0

Michigan

Indiana

Ella Stephenson (Michigan Photography)

Wolverines Use Extra-Base Hits, Hot Start to Clinch Series at Indiana

3/30/2024 6:52:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan scored five runs over the opening three innings en route to a 7-1 series-clinching win at Indiana.
» Maddie Erickson and Keke Tholl homered and combined for five hits and four RBI, while Ella Stephenson tallied two doubles and three RBI.
» Erin Hoehn allowed just one run on four hits -- three in the fourth inning -- and struck out seven in her return to her home state.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The University of Michigan softball team built up an early lead and took advantage of extra-base hits in a 7-1 series-clinching win at Indiana on Saturday afternoon (March 30) at the Hoosiers' Andy Mohr Field. U-M has won nine games in a row and clinched its second straight Big Ten series.

Six of the Wolverines' nine hits came with extra bases. Sophomore third baseman Maddie Erickson stayed hot, going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in the first inning. Senior first baseman Keke Tholl also homered as part of a two-hit, two-RBI game, while freshman outfielder Ella Stephenson posted two doubles and three RBI. Erickson and Tholl have both homered in each of the last four games.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Erin Hoehn (11-3) struck out seven Hoosiers and allowed just one run on four hits and three walks in her return to her home state. She stranded eight on the day, including leaving the bases loaded in the fifth inning.

Michigan scored five runs over the first three innings. Erickson put the Wolverines on top quickly with her two-run homer to left-center field in just the third at-bat of the game -- her team-best eighth home run of the season.

Stephenson drove in all of U-M's runs in the second and third innings. Freshman outfielder Jenissa Conway led off the former with a triple off the fence in right-center field, and Stephenson plated her with a double to left-center just three pitches later. She again scored Conway, along with sophomore pinch runner Madi Ramey, with a two-out double over the Hoosier center fielder's head in the third.

Indiana broke up Hoehn's no-hitter with a one-out solo home run in the fourth inning, then used hits in the next two at-bats to put runners on the corners. Hoehn earned a big swinging strikeout and forced a popout to short to get out of the jam. IU posted three of its four hits in the fourth.

U-M got the run back with Tholl's solo homer down the left-field line in the sixth -- her seventh this season -- and the Wolverine captain drove in another on a double to right field in the seventh.

The Wolverines (23-11) will wrap their weekend series at Indiana with a 1 p.m. slate Sunday (March 31) at Andy Mohr Field. The game will be streamed live on B1G+.