By CHRIS CROWDER 

Daily Sports Writer

Before the first pitch was 

delivered, Michigan coach Carol 
Hutchins 
gave 
junior 

centerfielder 
Sierra Law-
rence a fist 
bump as she 
stepped 
up 

to the plate. 
The 
gentle 

punch was followed by a strong, 
metaphoric one as the Wolverines 
came out swinging from the start. 
They didn’t wait around, sizing 
up their opponent. The jabs came 
quick and early.

On the third pitch of the ball 

game, Lawrence lined the ball 
just inside the right-field foul line 
for a double. She came around to 
score after two illegal pitches by 
Pittsburgh right-hander Savan-
nah King. Junior second baseman 
Sierra Romero and sophomore left 
fielder Kelly Christner reached on a 
hit-by-pitch and walk, respectively, 
putting King’s start in jeopardy 
already.

No. 3 Michigan (54-6 overall) 

wouldn’t stop throwing the Pan-
thers (37-22) haymakers from 
there, winning, 10-3.

Junior right fielder Kelsey Sus-

alla delivered the early knockout 
punch with a three-run homer for 
an early 4-0 lead. The uppercut 

knocked King out of the circle, 
ending her day without recording 
an out.

“I don’t want to give away at-

bats,” Hutchins said. “I want them 
to play hard every pitch.”

Three batters later, freshman 

designated player Aidan Falk con-
tinued her hot streak, smacking a 
double down the right-field foul 
line to score senior catcher Lauren 
Sweet to push the lead to five.

Sophomore 
shortstop 
Abby 

Ramirez struck out to end the 
inning. Nonetheless, the Wolver-
ines batted around the lineup in 
the first frame, leading to a stand-
ing ovation from the crowd as they 
headed back to the dugout.

Pittsburgh tried to counter with 

two runners in scoring position in 
the bottom of the first, but failed to 
score after senior left-hander Hay-
lie Wagner earned a groundout to 
get out of the 
jam.

Michigan 

also hurt the 
Panthers 
on 

the defensive 
side. 
With 

zero 
down 

and one on 
first base in 
the second inning, Wagner earned 
a strikeout. Showing no hesitation 
behind the plate, Sweet rifled the 
ball to catch the Pittsburgh base 
runner stealing.

With the bases loaded in the 

third inning, Lawrence came up to 
bat. And again, she delivered — this 
time with a bases-clearing double, 
hitting the top of the right-center-
field wall. Lawrence advanced to 
third on an errant 
throw 
home, 

as the last run 
across the plate 
put the game into 
run-rule 
terri-

tory, 8-0.

“I don’t think 

I ever even real-
ized that I had 
two 
strikes,” 

Lawrence 
said. 

“I’m just going up there to get a 
hit.”

The Panthers’ offense came to 

life in its half of the third inning. 
Up to the plate with runners on 
second and third, designated 
player Jenna Modic hit a rocket 

up the middle for 
a two-RBI dou-
ble, 
putting 
the 

score at 8-2. The 
double would lead 
to Wagner’s exit 
from the game, as 
sophomore right-
hander 
Megan 

Betsa took over in 

the circle. 

After earning a groundout, 

Betsa would surrender another 
run by way of an RBI single, cut-
ting the Pittsburgh deficit back to 
five. The damage ended there, as 

Betsa got the hitter to fly out to 
centerfield to end the inning.

“(At that point) I thought we 

were a little tentative,” Hutchins 
said. “I just felt we were start-

ing to hold our 
breath a little 
bit to get to the 
outcome.”

With a run-

ner 
on 
third 

base 
in 
the 

top of the fifth 
inning, Romero 
stepped up to 
the plate. What 
she 
did 
next 

was inches away from another 
statistic to add her name to in 
the Wolverines’ record book. 
She blasted a ball toward the 
right-field wall. It was inches 
away from a home run to give her 
the Michigan individual career 
record, falling just short, hitting 
the top of the wall, allowing her 
to leg out a RBI triple. Christner 
followed with an RBI of her own, 
giving the Wolverines a 10-3 lead.

Christner’s RBI was the last 

run Michigan would score, as it 
couldn’t muster another blow to 
push the game into a run-rule 
win.

Betsa delivered the final hook 

by earning a strikeout to end the 
game.

Sunday’s Regional Final game 

was the last punch Michigan 
had to throw in the first round. 

There’s one more round, one 
weekend, between the Wolver-
ines and a trip to the Women’s 
College World Series. The road 
will only get tougher from here 
on out. But if Michigan continues 
to hit teams hard, there’s no rea-
son that its last fight won’t be in 
Oklahoma City.

“I told our kids, ‘Congratula-

tions, you’re one of 16 teams in the 
country that gets to have practice 
Tuesday,’ ” Hutchins said. “It’s a 
great accomplishment and we’re 
very excited about it. It’s one of 
our goals.”

12

Thursday, May 21, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

Left: Junior centerfielder Sierra Lawrence will take on her team’s home state beginning Thursday. Right: The Wolverines are allowing a nation-best average of 1.01 runs per game during their 23-game win streak.
Wolverines advance behind super play

DELANEY RYAN/Daily

“It’s a great 

accomplishment 
and we’re very 

excited.”

The Wolverines 

came out 
swinging.

OAKLAND
MICHIGAN 

1
9

CALIFORNIA
MICHIGAN 

1
9

PITT
MICHIGAN 

3

10

BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Softball

59

Runs scored in the team’s six postseason 

games this season.

9

Runs allowed by Betsa and Wagner in 

thatspan.
.632

Freshman designated hitter Aidan Falk’s 

batting average in the postseason.

112

Home runs by the Wolverines, first in the 

nation and a program record.

