Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
'M' upset by Lady Vols in Super Regional
* Blue suffers two losses
to Tennessee in
Ann Arbor, fail to
advance to WCWS
By LUKE PASCH
Daily Sports Writer
With the bases loaded and two
outs in the top of the seventh inning
on Friday night, a record-setting
crowd of 2,479 at Alumni Field rose
to its feet.
Michigan softball senior catcher
Roya St. Clair stepped to the plate
against Tennessee's freshman pitch-
er Ivy Ren-
froe, who TENNESSEE 5
had tossed MICHIGAN 0
a complete-
game two- MICHIGAN 3
hitter on TENNESSEE 4
Thursday
night.
The Wolverines were down 4-3,
and a base hit would possibly give
them a lead heading into the bottom
of the seventh and forcing a game
three.
St. Clair made solid contact on
the 0-2 pitch, smashing a screaming
liner to the left side of the infield.
But Lady Vol shortstop Ashley
Andrews didn't need to move her
feet to make the grab.
The Wolverines' season was over,
and Tennessee promptly formed a
mosh-pit celebration in the infield.
The Lady Vols advanced to the eight-
team Women's College World Series
by winning the first two games in
the best-of-three series.
"You have to really tip your hat to
Tennessee," Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins said. "They came into our
house and took it in two. I thought
we battled, but unfortunately it
wasn't soon enough and it wasn't
quite enough."
Michigan came into Friday's
matchup forced to deal with a short-
handed lineup. In the fourth inning
0 of Thursday's game, junior first
baseman Dorian Shaw ripped a line
drive into her own dugout, frac-
turing the right arm of sophomore
leftfielder and leadoff hitter Bree
Evans.
Senior centerfielder Molly Baush-
0 er moved up to the leadoff spot Fri-
day, and a combination of freshman
utility player Amy Knapp and junior
outfielder Marley Powers filled the
vacated nine-hole for the Wolver-
ines.
Tennessee pitching picked up
Kirkpatr
Hutchins
et arm
Kelly Gri
"That
"p
int
a
said. "An
afford an
Senior
Viefhaus
set the s
which w
On th
Nikki Ne
ick was held at third, as for the Wolverines, as she hit her first
was well aware of the rock- batter on the hand. She would hit
of Tennessee centerfielder another batter later in the first inning
eve. with the bases loaded, allowing the
kid's got a gun," Hutchins Lady Vols to seize the first lead.
After giving up a leadoff solo shot
in the second, junior pitcher Jor-
dan Taylor replaced Nemitz, who
They came promptly gave up a first-pitch home
run to Erinn Webb for back-to-back
:o our house Tennessee long balls.
Webb would hit another solo shot
ind took it in the fourth frame.
With the loss, Michigan said good-
in tw O." bye to what was once a promising bid
for a spot in the WCWS.
Six seniors will be leaving Ann
Arbor this offseason, five of whom
d at that point, we couldn't played in the Wolverines' everyday
y outs at the plate." lineup.
third baseman Maggie "It hasn't set in that I won't be
struck out on a 1-2 pitch to packing my bags for Oklahoma City
tagefor St. Clair's line-out, this week," Shaw said. "But when
ould end Michigan's season. I go home (and) think about it and
1e mound, senior pitcher watch the rest of the games, it's going
mitz got off to a rough start to hurt."
TOREHAN SHARMAN/Daily
her last game at Alumni Field this weekend.
Senior third baseman Maggie Viefhaus played
right where it left off Thursday,
as sophomore hurler Cat Hosfield
didn't allow a run until senior right-
fielder Angela Findlay cracked a
two-out home run to left center.
Hosfield was promptly replaced
by Renfroe, who gave up a two-run
shot off the bat of Shaw in the fol-
lowing inning.
In the seventh, sophomore short-
stop Stephanie Kirkpatrick drew a
leadoff walk.
Bausher singled to left after
Knapp struck out, and Findlay
blooped one into center to load the
bases with her third hit of the day.
I