Tholl Blasts Record-Tying Three Homers, Wolverines Pound Spartans

Tuesday, April 9

East Lansing, Mich.

6:00 PM

Michigan

25-15, 7-3

Michigan State

13-23, 1-9

Michigan

Michigan State

Keke Tholl (Michigan Photography)

Tholl Blasts Record-Tying Three Homers, Wolverines Pound Spartans

4/9/2024 9:10:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan earned an 11-5 win in the first half of its home-and-home series with in-state rival Michigan State.
» Keke Tholl became the fifth Wolverine to record three homers in a game and the first since 2017; she went 3-for-4 with four RBI.
» Michigan tied its season high with 15 hits from eight different players; Ellie Sieler and Ella Stephenson also posted three hits apiece.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- University of Michigan softball senior first baseman Keke Tholl tied the program record with three home runs to lead the Wolverines to an 11-5 win in the first half of its annual home-and-home series with in-state rival Michigan State on Tuesday night (April 9) at Secchia Stadium.

Tholl posted home runs in the second, fifth and sixth innings to become the fifth player in program history to register three homers in a game and the first since Kelly Christner in 2017. It was her third career multi-homer effort, and she took the team lead with 10 on the season.

Junior outfielder Ellie Sieler also blasted a two-run shot as part of a 3-for-5, three-RBI day, while freshman outfielders Jenissa Conway and Ella Stephenson combined for five hits from back-to-back spots in the middle of the order; Stephenson posted three hits, including two doubles, and two RBI. In all, Michigan tied its season high with 15 total hits from eight different players.

Michigan broke through with four runs in the second inning on five hits, including four in a row -- three with extra bases -- to open the frame. Tholl pounded a leadoff solo homer to straightaway center field. Conway and Stephenson ripped back-to-back doubles down the lines, Conway banging a hard bouncer off and past the MSU first baseman and Stephenson driving in two runs with a knock to the base of the wall down the left-field line. Stephenson scored from second when Sieler legged out a two-out single to the left side of the infield.

The Spartans executed a double steal to score a run on the home half of the second after reaching on a walk and infield single.

The Wolverines' rookies teamed up, along with Sieler, to surge again in the fourth inning with three runs on four hits. Conway knocked a single into left-center, Stephenson aired her second double of the game over the Spartan center fielder's head, and freshman designated player Ava Costales plated a run with a sac fly to right. Sieler followed two batters later with a two-out, two-run shot over the right-field wall for her fourth homer of the season.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Erin Hoehn entered in the bottom of the fourth after MSU drew three straight walks to load the bases with no outs and got out of the jam with minimal damage, fanning two Spartans while allowing one run on a single to left-center. Sieler threw out a second Spartan going home on the play.

Michigan got the run back quickly in the fifth when Tholl golfed out her second leadoff homer to left-center. The Wolverines added another after in the fifth on a looped Sieler single into shallow left before, in her next turn at the plate, Tholl posted her third long ball with one out in the sixth, skying a two-run moonshot down the left-field line and just fair inside the top of the foul pole.

MSU used a two-run double to left and an RBI single up the middle to plate three runs in the bottom of the sixth to eliminate the run-rule margin. Graduate-student RHP Hannah George entered in the seventh and set down the final three Spartan batters in order.

Hoehn (12-4) earned the win in relief after junior RHP Lauren Derkowski did not pitch the minimum innings with the start. Hoehn struck out four Spartans and allowed three runs on six hits and a walk through three innings.

The Wolverines (25-14, 7-3 Big Ten) will kick off an eight-game homestand with a 6 p.m. slate against Central Michigan on Wednesday (April 9) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Alumni Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium. Tickets are available through the U-M Ticket Office.