The Michigan Wolverines (second rank) made a big step toward a Big Ten Conference softball tournament championship on Friday evening. They beat Indiana at The Beard Field in State College with the smashing result of 10-0 in a match, which was decided after just five innings.
Michigan (45-4) made two runs during the first inning. Then, they scored five in the second part and three in the third, leaving Indiana with no chance for anything in the game.
The best players of the match were Kelsey Susalla, who homered and had three RBIs, Kelly Christner had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Key for the success were also Tera Blanco (two RBIs) and Sierra Lawrence (2 hits and an RBI). Megan Betsa gave up two hits in five innings for the Wolverines.
The semi-finals seem to be very interesting, as the Michigan Wolverines will play against the host – Penn State. A victory can put the Wolverines in the title game later in the day.
A short review of the Friday’s matches:
Minnesota 2-0 Illinois
The key player for Minnesota was Sara Groenewegen, who struck out nine, tossing a one-hitter. Fabia and Sam Macken made the runs for Minnesota (39-12). At both ends, Illinois (35-21) were eliminated from the competition. So, Minnesota will have to play against Northwestern in the semi-final match.
Northwestern 3-1 Ohio State: The winners scored three times just before the end of the first inning. The pitchers Letourneau and Kristen Wood made the runs stand up. Brook Marquez (2-for-3) doubled in a run, while Andrea Filler and Sammy Nettling scored the RBIs for the Wildcats (25-25). Shelby Hursh showed really good performance, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief for Ohio State (33-18-1), striking out six. Lena Springer took the defeat, missing three hits and three runs over two-thirds of an inning.
Penn State 8-7 Nebraska: The Nittany Lions recorded a very dramatic victory. They scored five runs in the 3rd inning and added three more in the 5th, holding off the Cornhuskers. Alyssa VanDerveer and Shelby Miller had a great night. They hit a grand slam and homered for Penn State (30-23). Marlaina Laubach secured the victory. She allowed only three hits and four runs over 42/3 innings. Kiki Stokes and Mattie Fowler of Nebraska drove in three runs apiece (33-18), but couldn’t help their team record a victory.