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May 06, 2021 - Image 8

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The Michigan Daily

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8

Thursday, May 6, 2021
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

The No. 19 Michigan softball

team did its job.

The Wolverines won all four

games
in
the
weekend
slate

against Penn State (5-26 Big Ten),
improving to 28-5 on the season. In
total, they outscored the Nittany
Lions 34-6, including two run-rule
victories on Saturday that ended
10-0 and 12-2, respectively. The
closest game came on Sunday with
a 5-3 win that Michigan was in
control of from beginning to end.

Penn State, the bottomfeeders of

the Big Ten, opened its season with
15 straight losses and has only won
a total of five games, three of which
came against second-to-last place
Rutgers.

So the Wolverines, who sit atop

the conference, did exactly what
they were expected to do: thrash
them.

It began in the first game.

Michigan broke the seal in the

third inning, scoring three runs in
the frame: two off a double from
senior first baseman Lou Allan and
another off a double from senior
third Baseman Taylor Bump.

The Wolverines struck again in

the seventh, the first run coming
on an error by Penn State left
fielder
Lilia
Crouthamel.
Allan

and Bump each knocked another

run in, followed by sophomore
utility player Audrey LeClair, who
knocked a single into centerfield to
bring Bump home and stretch the
lead to 7-0.

In the bottom of the seventh,

the Nittany Lions managed one
run but came nowhere close to
engineering a comeback, and the
game would end at 7-1.

“We
wanted
to
come
out

swinging, come out scoring runs
first, and that’s exactly what we
did,” junior outfielder Lexie Blair
said. “I think we did a great job.”

The next day, Michigan pressed

its foot down on the gas even
harder.

In
the
first
game
of
the

doubleheader, the Wolverines put
up 10 runs in a collective effort
that included a homerun by Bump,
a single by junior catcher Hannah
Carson that scored two, a two-RBI
double from Allan and a single
from sophomore Jessica Garmen
on a pinch hit in her first collegiate
at-bat.

In the second bout of the day,

Michigan wasted no time, putting
up four runs in the first inning
off of a two-RBI Allan double and
a two-run homerun from Bump.
In the sixth, sophomore infielder
Julia Jimenez banged a triple
down the line, scoring two. After
another run scored, Blair stepped
up to the plate with two out and

two on. Blair proceeded to send the
ball over the fence on a three-run
homer, putting the Wolverines up
12-2 and tallying Michigan’s sixth
run of the inning.

It was the fourth RBI of the game

for Blair, one of the Wolverines’
strong
performers
alongside

Allan, Bump, Jimenez and senior
infielder Natalia Rodriguez, who
went 3-of-4 with two runs.

After both of Saturday’s games

ended
in
run-rule
victories,

Sunday’s matchup was a change of
pace. Michigan came out on top,
but by a much smaller 5-3 margin.
The Wolverines’ runs came early,
all five in the first three innings.
The Nittany Lions came on later, in
a comeback effort that amounted
to three runs. It was shut down
in the bottom of the seventh on
three straight strikeouts, sending
Michigan back to Ann Arbor with
the sweep.

Michigan’s
pitching
stayed

Eight Wolverines selected in 2021 NFL Draft

The
Michigan
football
team’s

recent NFL Draft success continued
this week, as eight Wolverines heard
their name called in Cleveland
between Thursday and Saturday.
Only four schools — Alabama, Ohio
State, Georgia and Notre Dame
— saw more players drafted than
Michigan.

The Wolverines’ 11 draft-eligible

players didn’t have to wait long
to hear one of their names called.
The
Indianapolis
Colts
selected

defensive end Kwity Paye with the
No. 21 overall pick, making him
Michigan’s
sixth
first-round
pick

since 2017. He’s also the Wolverines’
third first-round EDGE in that span,
joining Taco Charlton and Rashan
Gary.

A trio of Michigan players came

off the board in the third round, with
offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield
heading to the Atlanta Falcons at
pick No. 68, wide receiver Nico
Collins going to the Houston Texans
at pick No. 89 and cornerback Ambry
Thomas heading to the San Francisco
49ers at pick No. 102. Collins and
Thomas opted out of the 2020 season
amid
COVID-19
concerns,
while

Mayfield only played sparingly due
to injury.

Linebacker Cam McGrone and

fullback Ben Mason were each
selected in the same eight-pick span
during the fifth round — the former
by the New England Patriots and
the latter by the Baltimore Ravens.
McGrone, the No. 177 pick, becomes
the fourth Wolverine drafted by the
Patriots since 2019. The previous
three — Josh Uche, Chase Winovich
and Michael Onwenu — have all
made an impact early in their careers
in Foxborough. Mason, meanwhile,
will get a chance to impress Ravens
coach John Harbaugh in the ways
he dazzled Michigan coach Jim
Harbaugh. The former team captain
saw reps at full back and defensive
line and emerged as a senior captain
in Ann Arbor. He was announced as a
tight end, though he projects to be at
his best in short-yardage situations.

Drafted
No.
202
overall
by

the
Cincinnati
Bengals,
running

back Chris Evans is set to join a
dynamic young offense. He became
the program’s first running back
drafted since Michigan’s all-time
leading rusher, Mike Hart, in 2008.
After a productive beginning to his
career, Evans served a one-year
suspension during the 2019 season
prior to rejoining the team in 2020.
He worked primarily as a pass-
catching option out of the backfield
— a role that should carry over well

to Cincinnati.

The Wolverines’ final draft pick

came in the sixth round, when the
Washington Football Team selected
long snapper Camaron Cheeseman
at pick No. 225. It’s uncommon
to see a specialist drafted, but
Cheeseman entered the weekend as
the consensus No. 1 long snapper in
the 2021 class.

Following the draft, defensive

tackle Carlo Kemp and tight end
Nick Eubanks each inked free agent
deals. Kemp became a Green Bay
Packer, while Eubanks joined former
Michigan teammate Sean McKeon
in the Dallas Cowboys tight ends
room. Kicker Quinn Nordin remains
unsigned as of Sunday evening,
but it would be unsurprising if that
changed in the near future.

Despite last year’s 2-4 record, the

Wolverines’ eight draft selections
is a strong indication of the talent
Harbaugh’s
program
continues

to produce. Collins, Thomas and
Cheeseman opted out of the 2020
season, while Paye, McGrone and
Mayfield were hampered by injuries.
With 18 players selected in the last
two
NFL
Drafts,
Michigan
will

look to reload before taking the field
again this fall.

DANIEL DASH

Senior Sports Editor

Wolverines sweep Penn State in weekend series

NICHOLAS STOLL
Daily Sports Writer

ALEC COHEN/Daily

Eight Wolverines were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.

TESS CROWLEY/Daily

Michigan’s Lexie Blair scored a 3-run homer against Penn State.

Read more at michigandaily.com

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