11

Thursday, May 28, 2015

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

Softball to battle 
Alabama Thursday

By TYLER SCOTT 

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan softball team plays 

its first game in the Women’s Col-
lege World Series at 7:00pm Thurs-
day against Alabama, a rematch of a 
preseason two-game set where the 
Wolverines took both games.

Michigan won both times before, 

but that was back in February, a 
long time ago. When the two teams 
last squared off in the Easton Bama 
Bash at Tuscaloosa, there was still 
snow on Alumni field.

But the Wolverines did get a look at 

Crimson Tide pitcher Alexis Osorio in 
the second of those two games back in 
February, and she got a look at them.

Osorio gave up two home runs in 

the third inning to give Michigan 
its second win over Alabama on the 
season, 4-1. Now, that game seems 
like just one win out of many, but 
at the time it was significant for the 
Wolverines.

“I think it 

really started 
clicking when 
we 
were 
at 

Alabama,” said 
sophomore 
right-hander 
Megan Betsa. 
“We 
started 

realizing, 
‘Hey, we’re a 
really 
good 

team. We have 
really good chemistry, and that’s 
something that (Michigan coach 
Carol Hutchins) preaches about 
from the very first meeting.”

Since that realization, Michigan 

has swept the Big Ten Champion-
ships and won every postseason 
game along the way to get to the 
WCWS. Alabama does not have the 
conference championships to boast, 
and they dropped the first game of 
their Super Regional series to No. 
11 Oklahoma before punching their 
own ticket to the series.

Osorio threw 241 pitches in last 

Saturday’s doubleheader against 
the Sooners. The Crimson Tide 
weren’t certain they’d have a spot 
reserved in Oklahoma City until 
the sixth inning of the forced game 
three when Infielder Marissa Run-
yon hit a grand slam that allowed 
Alabama to take the lead for good.

The Crimson Tide and the Wol-

verines took different paths to their 
round one WCWS matchup, but 
Michigan isn’t going to underesti-
mate its opponent.

“(Alabama) is a great team,” said 

junior second baseman Sierra Rome-
ro. “They’re a great hitting team and 
they have a great pitching staff as well. 
It’s going to be a good game, and we 
expect every game in the World Series 
to be a good game because it’s the top-
eight teams in the nation now.”

The Wolverines also have the 

added benefit of rest after wrapping 
up the Super Regionals in just two 
games before the weekend. Whether 
Osorio will be at all fatigued by her 
high pitch count remains to be seen, 
but with a 1.68 ERA and opposing bat-
ting average of just .166.

That’s why it might be helpful to 

look back to those early games after all.

All of the four runs Osorio 

allowed against Michigan, includ-
ing the two home runs, came in the 
third inning or earlier. After that, 

she allowed only one 
hit, and nothing else.

Since the postsea-

son, and really all 
year long, Hutchins 
and the Wolverines 
have underlined the 
importance of com-
ing out “attacking” 
and being aggressive 
with every at bat to 
get on base.

“We did well last 

time we saw Alabama’s pitching, 
but again that has no bearing on this 
time,” Hutchins said. “Because Oso-
rio is a lot better. She’s a lot closer 
to the zone, she’s able to nibble the 
zone. I was impressed watching 
her. She was able to keep Oklahoma 
off balance and Oklahoma is a good 
hitting team. So I’m going to have to 
say that runs will be precious.”

The Wolverines will be swinging 

their bats out of the gate like they 
always do. Forty-four of the 76 runs 
that Michigan has scored this post-
season have crossed the plate during 
the first three innings of the game.

Hutchins assumes run will be at 

premium cost. Osorio has the tal-
ent to shut down any lineup in the 
country, but if she slips up early, 
the Wolverines could make her 
pay – just like in February – and it 
wouldn’t matter how well she pitch-
es after that.

Michigan takes down 
’Dogs, on to World Series

By TYLER SCOTT 

Daily Sports Wrter

If anyone thought that just 

because Georgia had been beat-
en soundly the day before that 
it would quietly accept defeat in 
Friday’s second game of the Super 
Regional, they were mistaken.

“That Georgia team,” said 

Michigan 
coach Carol 
Hutchins. 
“They 
are 

fighters, they are scrappy. That’s 
a tough team to play and a tough 
team to beat.”

The Michigan softball team 

had to battle back from an early 
deficit to survive the Bulldog’s 
best efforts, but clinched the the 
victory 7 - 6, and booked itself 
a trip to the Women’s College 
World Series.

“My 
kids 
were 
fantastic. 

They’ve been fantastic all year,” 
Hutchins said. “I’m really proud 
of them. I said, ‘Don’t be proud 
because you won. Be proud of 
what you’ve worked so hard to 
accomplish.’”

Just like Georgia right-hand-

er Chelsea Wilkinson the night 
before, sophomore right-hander 
Megan Betsa was overwhelmed 
by early hitting, and her day was 
done before the first inning was 
over.

In total, Betsa allowed two hits 

in two thirds of an inning pitched. 
Both of them were homers. Geor-

gia first baseman Tina Iosefa put 
the Bulldogs up 3-0 with the sec-
ond long ball of the inning, and 
that was the end for Betsa. At least 
for the time being.

Michigan 
coach 
Carol 

Hutchins sent out senior left-
hander Haylie Wagner to take 
over in the circle. All eyes were on 
her to give Michigan some time 
before the game got out of reach.

It didn’t take long thanks to 

Kelsey Susalla. The junior right 
fielder put Michigan on the board 
with a solo shot of her own in the 
second inning.

A third inning RBI single hit 

past first base by junior second 
baseman Sierra Romero scored 
another run for Michigan, and a 
comeback was in the works. With 
only one out, junior centerfielder 
Sierra Lawrence, the best Michi-
gan baserunner and the tying 
run, was standing on third.

Sophomore left fielder Kelly 

Christner smacked a 0-1 pitch 
into right field, where Georgia 
outfielder Sydni Emmanuel made 
a spectacular diving grab, but 
couldn’t get to her feet to make 
the throw in time.

Lawrence 
tagged 
up 
and 

scored before any throw at all, 
and the Wolverines breathed a 
collective sigh of relief. 

Susalla was 3-for-3 at the plate 

on the day, and insured Michi-
gan’s lead with a few additional 
runs. She knocked in an RBI dou-
ble in the fifth inning, eventually 

coming around to score herself.

“The coaches were drilling us 

to ‘see the back of the ball hit the 
back of the ball,” Susalla said. “So 
I was just looking for something 
low in the zone and looking to put 
a good swing on the ball.”

After scoring one run to cut 

Michigan’s lead to two, Wag-
ner struck out designated player 
Kaylee Puailoa to end the threat 
in the sixth.

Georgia, after starting the 

game so full of vigor, was down 
to its last hope. After Wagner 
struck out Hugo – the power 
slugger that started it all for the 
Bulldogs – Michigan was on vic-
tory’s doorstep.

The crowd was still roaring 

for Wagner when, without warn-
ing, senior third baseman Anna 
Swafford belted a two-run shot 
past the confines of the center-
field wall.

Wagner went out after seven 

hits and three runs through six 
innings pitched. Betsa came back 
in with the hopes to earn a com-
plete inning on the day in a fash-
ion opposite to how she started.

Griffin popped up. The ball 

arced through the air, and came 
down inside the glove of Romero. 
After a day full of drama, Michi-
gan had finished the job. With 
the final catch Romero ensured 
for her team that the dream of 
making it to the Women’s College 
World Series was now indeed a 
reality.

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

Junior second baseman Sierra Romero was named unanimous first team All-American in Wednesday’s awards release.

GEORGIA
MICHIGAN 

6
7

“We expect 
every game in 

the World Series 

to be good.”

