Freshmen Shine in Wolverines' Midweek Win Against Oakland

Tuesday, April 22

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:30 PM

Michigan

32-15

Oakland

15-25

Oakland

Michigan

(Michigan Photography)

Freshmen Shine in Wolverines' Midweek Win Against Oakland

4/22/2025 7:53:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan scored multiple runs in the first two innings en route to a 6-1 decision in its final midweek and non-conference game against Oakland.
» Lauren Putz and Cece Thorington both tallied two hits and an RBI; Thorington posted her first collegiate homer in the second inning.
» Three different U-M pitchers combined for seven strikeouts and one run on four hits and two walks; Emerson Aiken earned her first collegiate win in relief.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- With freshmen accounting for half its hits, the University of Michigan softball team struck early and cruised to a 6-1 decision against Oakland in its final non-conference game on Thursday afternoon (April 22) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Carol Hutchins Stadium and Alumni Field.

Freshmen first baseman Lauren Putz and outfielder Cece Thorington posted two hits and an RBI apiece and combined for three runs, while eight different Wolverine players tallied at least one hit.

Michigan plated multiple runs in each of the first two innings to build its early lead. Junior second baseman Indiana Langford led off with a bunt single, stole second and scored when Putz smacked an RBI single up the middle. Sophomore right fielder Ella Stephenson drove a double to the right-field wall in the next at-bat to put two Wolverines in scoring position, and junior third baseman Maddie Erickson used a single to right center to score both.

Oakland got on the board with a two-out solo homer in the top of the second, but Michigan got the run back and more in the home half. Thorington clanged a line-drive solo homer off the fencing above the right-field wall for her first collegiate home run before sophomore center fielder Jenissa Conway pushed across another on a 4-3 groundout.

Conway also plated the Wolverines' final run of the game in the fourth, scoring Thorington from second base with a bouncing single through the right side. Conway has recorded RBI in five of the last six games.

Senior RHP Emerson Aiken (1-0) earned the win in relief -- the first of her collegiate career -- with three strikeouts and one hit and one walk allowed through two scoreless innings.

Freshman RHP Kat Meyers started and pitched the first three frames; she also earned three strikeouts and allowed one run on three hits and no walks, but did not reach the minimum innings for the decision. Sophomore RHP Reganne Bennett closed out the game with two strikeouts and a walk over two hitless innings.

Michigan (32-15) will host UCLA this weekend for its final home series of the season. The teams will square off at 6 p.m. on Saturday (April 26), 7 p.m. Sunday (April 27) and 1 p.m. on Monday (April 28) at Hutchins Stadium. It will be the first Michigan-UCLA matchup in Ann Arbor. Tickets are available through the U-M Ticket Office. Sunday's game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network, while the other two will be streamed on B1G+.