Derkowski Earns 500th Strikeout, Wolverines Split Games at USF Invitational

Saturday, February 8

Tampa, Fla.

10:00 AM

Michigan

2-1

Illinois State

1-4

Michigan

Illinois State

Lauren Derkowski (Michigan Photography)

Derkowski Earns 500th Strikeout, Wolverines Split Games at USF Invitational

2/8/2025 6:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan earned a 4-0 win over Illinois State before falling to No. 3 Florida 13-1 in five innings on day two at the USF-Rawlings Invitational.
» Lauren Derkowski posted 10 strikeouts in a two-hit shutout against ISU; it was her second straight complete-game shutout and upped her career strikeout tally past 500.
» Lauren Putz and Lilly Vallimont recorded homers against Illinois State; Jenissa Conway scored a run in each game.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The University of Michigan softball team split games for the second straight day at the USF-Rawlings Invitational, shutting out Illinois State 4-0 before falling to No. 3-ranked Florida 13-1 in five innings, on Saturday (Feb. 8) at USF Softball Stadium.

Senior right-handed pitcher Lauren Derkowski (2-0) tossed her second straight complete-game shutout in the morning slate against ISU, allowing just two hits -- both in the third inning -- and no walks with 10 strikeouts. She retired 13 straight Redbird batters to close out the game and reached 500 career strikeouts with a swing-and-miss for the third out of the fifth inning.

Michigan scored three of its four runs against the Redbirds with two outs, including its early tally in the top of the first inning. The Wolverines reached on a pair of free bases before sophomore outfielder Ella Stephenson drove a first-pitch single up the middle to plate sophomore outfielder Jenissa Conway from second base.

Freshman first baseman Lauren Putz led off the third inning with her first collegiate homer -- and Michigan's first of the season -- with a no-doubter deep to right field, and with two outs later in the inning, U-M added another score on senior second baseman Ella McVey's looped RBI single to left field. Junior/sophomore catcher Lilly Vallimont raced around third and just beat the tag at home for her first of two runs in the game.

The Redbirds put up their biggest threat in the bottom half of the third with a leadoff bloop single to shallow left and extended the inning with a two-out single that appeared to hit the baserunner's foot in front of Putz at first base and put runners on the corners. Michigan requested a review of the play, but it was upheld. A flyout in the next at-bat ended the inning.

Vallimont tacked on one more run in the top of the seventh after a couple of quiet offensive innings for the Wolverines, driving a two-out solo shot deep to left field, and Derkowski closed things out quickly with a 10-pitch bottom half.

Michigan was largely doomed by the long ball against the Gators in the second slate with home runs accounting for nine of Florida's 13 runs.

The Gators used a two-run homer to right-center field to take an early lead in the first inning, but Michigan got a run back in the home half when Conway lined a single past the UF pitcher, advanced on junior third baseman Maddie Erickson's single to left field and kept going when the left fielder bobbled the ball. It was Erickson's second run scored on the day and third of the weekend.

Florida posted a leadoff solo home run as part of a three-run second inning and belted out a two-run homer in the third -- both to center field -- pushing the game into run-rule territory with a six-run fifth inning. The Gators singled and drew four walks to load the bases, scoring on a wild pitch and RBI walk before knocking a grand slam deep over the left-field fence.

Five different Wolverine pitchers saw time in the circle. Sophomore Erin Hoehn (0-2) started and took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits and a walk through 1.1 innings pitched.

Michigan (2-2) will close out its opening weekend at the USF-Rawlings Invitational on Sunday (Feb. 9) with a 9:30 a.m. matchup against George Southern at USF Softball Stadium.