Hoosiers Fall in Series Opener to No. 15 Michigan, 5-1

Friday, April 27

Bloomington, Ind.

6:00 PM ET

Indiana University

23-26, 0

Michigan

39-7, 0

Michigan

Indiana

Hoosiers Fall in Series Opener to No. 15 Michigan, 5-1

4/27/2018 8:55:00 PM | Softball

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana Softball dropped the series opener to No. 15 Michigan on Friday night at Andy Mohr Field, 5-1. IU jumped to an early 1-0 lead, but the Wolverines took advantage of seven walks and a pair of hit batters to come away with the win.

"We got off to a fast start, then ran into trouble with the freebies," said head coach Shonda Stanton. "Any team in the Big Ten is going to take advantage of those, they made us pay and they did a good job. Meghan Beaubien is a great pitcher and she got us to chase her change-up and swing at it. We need to be better at laying off that pitch and be more competitive at the plate."

Beaubien tossed a complete game for Michigan, striking out nine. The Indiana pitching staff also combined to strike out nine, with junior Tara Trainer taking the loss.

Senior Rebecca Blitz led off the game with a single to left center, extending her conference-leading hit streak to 23 games. Blitz stole second and third before sophomore Katie Lacefield drew a walk, however a pop-up stranded both runners.

The Hoosiers got on the board in the second as Uden knocked a double to left center, plating senior Rachel O'Malley who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.

Michigan threatened in the top of the third as the Wolverines loaded the bases with two outs on a single and a pair of walks. However, Trainer collected a huge strikeout to get out of the jam.

The Wolverines would again load the bases in the following frame on two walks and a hit batter. Michigan tied up the contest at 1-1 as Alex Sobczak flew out to left field, plating pinch runner Nikki Wald. After an intentional walk to Faith Canfield again loaded the bases, Natalie Peters singled to short, bringing in Katie Alexander to give the Wolverines a 2-1 lead.

Michigan used a pair of home runs in the fifth to push the lead to 5-1 as Aidan Falk knocked a two-run homer, scoring Madison Uden. Haley Hoogenraad then sent a solo shot to left.

A leadoff single by Lacefield and double down the right field from junior Sarah Galovich put two in scoring position for the Hoosiers in the sixth. Sophomore Bella Norton then drew a walk to load the bases with one away, but a pair of groundouts left the bases loaded for Indiana.

"In the sixth inning, we had bases loaded and we're one swing away from changing the game and we weren't able to capitalize on that," said Stanton. "But I'm pleased that we were able to continue to fight throughout the game and I look forward to the rest of the series."

Indiana and Michigan return to action on Saturday at 1 p.m. It's Bark in the Park as fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the game. Admission to all home games is free of charge.