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