Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
No. 6 Michigan
Softball Drops B1G Opener at No. 6 Michigan
3/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 21, 2014
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Indiana's lineup totaled six hits and connected on hits in five of six innings played in the opening game of the double header, but none could push a run across as the Hoosiers fell in six to No. 6 Michigan, 8-0.
Breanna Saucedo led Indiana with her eighth multiple-hit game of the season, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Jenna Abraham, Kelsey Dotson, Kassi Farmer and Shelby Gogreve each contributed with singles in the game.
Meaghan Murphy threw 5.1 innings in the circle where she struck out three and allowed eight runs on 10 hits. Brooke Boetjer entered in the sixth inning and faced one batter who drove in the final two runs of the ballgame.
The Hoosiers wasted no time to make noise at the plate, registering two base hits in the opening frame. Saucedo started her first at bat with an 0-2 count, but battled back and punched a single back up the middle. She advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Brianna Meyer and again moved 60 feet on Abraham's one-out single to shallow center field. Abraham stole second to give IU a pair of runners in scoring position, but a strikeout and a ground ball out stranded them both in the first.
Michigan struck for a run in the bottom of the opening inning on a bases loaded sacrifice fly from Caitlin Blanchard to right; however, the relayed throw from Michelle Huber in right field caught U-M's Nicole Sappingfield in a rundown to record out number two. The Hoosiers would coax a ground ball out to end the inning, stranding a pair of U-M runners.
The Wolverines tallied another run in the second and threatened to extend their lead with a two-out ball hit to left and a runner in scoring position. Abraham chased the ball down in left center and made a leaping catch for out number three to prevent any further damage.
Indiana's outing in the third looked promising with Saucedo earning her second base hit of the game to start the inning. Meyer laid down a bunt just in front of the plate favoring the right field line and nearly beat the throw to first. Saucedo advanced to second on the play before reaching third on Abraham's bunt to the left side of the infield. Huber dug in at the plate with two away and punched a line drive back up the middle, but Michigan pitcher Haylie Wagner stabbed it out of the air to end the inning.
Indiana surrendered another three runs in the third on an RBI-single, a one-run triple and a two-out homerun which increased the home team's lead to 5-0 through three complete innings.
Neither team manufactured any runs through the following two innings, bringing a 5-0 score into the sixth, but the Wolverines would drive in three in the bottom of that sixth inning to take game one of the doubleheader, 8-0.
