Eagles Fall To No.6 Wolverines, 11-0

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University softball team fell to the No. 6 ranked University of Michigan Wolverines, 11-0, in five innings here Wednesday, April 16, at Alumni Field. The Eagles are now 9-22 (1-5 MAC) on the year, while U-M moves to 39-4 (11-1 Big Ten).

Freshman pitcher Kari Chambers (Woodstock, Ga.-Woodstock) started the game in the circle for the Green and White, pitching 2.0 innings while allowing two hits. Sophomore pitcher Michelle Hletko (Westmont, Ill.-Westmont) came on in relief in the third inning, pitching two-thirds of an inning and giving up three earned runs before giving way to freshman Jaclyn Caro (Chino, Calif.-St. Lucy’s Priory). Caro went 1.1 innings, giving up six earned runs on six hits while fanning two batters.

Offensively, the Eagles managed only two hits against freshman pitcher Jordan Taylor. Taylor came into the contest with a microscopic 0.51 ERA. Senior Ashley Strauss (Trenton, Mich.-Trenton) and freshman Brooke Carpenter (Three Rivers, Mich.-Three Rivers) were the only EMU batters to register a hit in the game.

In the first inning, Strauss continued her hot hitting of late, ripping a two-out double to centerfield. She was stranded at second, as the Wolverines forced a ground-out to end the top half of the inning. Chambers walked the first two batters, bringing head coach Karen Baird out to the mound for a visit. After that, the Green and White were able to record three consecutive outs to keep the game scoreless after one.

The Wolverines struck first, putting one run on the board in the second inning. With a runner on first and only one out, freshman shortstop Stacie Skodinski (South Bend, Ind.-Washington) snagged a line drive and was able to catch the runner off first base, getting the Eagles out of the inning.

EMU made two pitching changes in the bottom of the third, first moving sophomore Hletko from designated player to pitcher. Hletko retired the first batter she faced, but walked the next. Samantha Findlay then hit a three-run shot to left field, pushing the U-M advantage to 3-0. Hletko gave up another two runs before freshman Caro took over in the circle. She needed only pitch to retire the side, keeping the lead at five, 5-0 after three.

Michigan’s bats stayed hot, putting up another six runs in the fourth inning, including a grand slam to right field by designated player Marley Powers that pushed the score to 11-0 in favor of the Wolverines. The Eagles were not able to rally from the large deficit, ending the game after five innings.

The Eagles return to Mid-American Conference play this weekend, when they play host to the University of Akron Zips. The two teams are set to square off in a doubleheader set for Friday, April 18. First pitch is at 1 p.m. at Varsity Field.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Related News

Next Event

Related Videos