Courtesy of Michigan Athletics
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — After battling back from an early deficit for the second straight game, the No. 3-seeded University of Michigan softball team plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth to claim a 6-3 win over No. 7 LSU in the Women’s College World Series semifinal on Sunday afternoon (May 31) in front of 9,274 fans at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
With the victory, the Wolverines advance to play No. 1-seeded Florida in the best-of-three championships. The series opener is slated for 7 p.m. CDT tomorrow (Monday, June 1) at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium and will be aired live on ESPN2.
Senior LHP Haylie Wagner (24-2) claimed her second straight WCWS win in relief, entering with two runners in scoring position and two down in the fourth and shut the Tigers down, allowing just two hits and one walk in the final 3.1 innings. She struck out five against 12 batters faced. Sophomore RHP Megan Betsa also struck out five through the first 3.2 innings.
Junior centerfielder Sierra Lawrence headlined the Wolverine offense, driving in the go-ahead runs on a one-out, two-run double in the sixth before stealing home to add insurance two batters later. Sophomore third baseman Lindsay Montemarano, freshman first baseman Tera Blanco and junior shortstop Abby Ramirez all tallied two hits, while junior second baseman Sierra Romero knocked out a third-inning home run.
Montemarano keyed the Wolverine rally in the sixth with a leadoff walk, and after LSU earned an out on a failed sac-bunt attempt, Blanco drove a two-strike single through the left side, and Ramirez sent a looper into shallow centerfield to load the bases and turn over the lineup. Lawrence delivered from the top of the order, screaming a bouncing grounder just fair down the leftfield line to push two runs across.
LSU earned its second out on a Romero fielder’s choice, but the Sierra duo wasted little time before creating opportunity on the base path, capitalizing on its second double-steal attempt when the Tiger shortstop tripped up on her shoelaces, allowing Lawrence to safely race home.
With the Wolverines holding a three-run advantage in the top of the seventh, Wagner walked the LSU leadoff batter on four pitches but settled in to make quick work of the next three batters, forcing back-to-back fielder’s choices — on two pitches — before fielding the final out herself.
The Tigers struck first in the contest, plating one on a second-inning sac fly after putting runners on the corners with one out. Betsa issued an inning-ending strikeout to get out of the jam.
Romero evened score with one swing in the third inning, connecting with the 2-2 pitch and clanging it high off the leftfield foul pole. It is her 22nd home run of the season — just one shy of her own school single-season record.
The Tigers answered in the next half inning, loading the bases with two outs on a leadoff bunt single, another base hit up the middle and a full-count walk, before LSU rightfielder Bailey Landry smack a two-strike, two-run double into the left centerfield gap. Wagner entered the circle and issued a four-pitch strikeout to get U-M out of the inning.
Michigan responded in kind to knot up the score in the home half of the inning. Montemarano again keyed the rally with a one-out double to the wall in left centerfield, and two batters later, Blanco ripped a first-pitch single into shallow left center to score Montemarano from second. Freshman pinch runner Nikki Wald stole third in the next at-bat and came home for the tying run when LSU catcher Kellsi Kloss threw her pickoff attempt past the bag.
The Wolverines advance to the second WCWS championship series in program history 10 years after their 2005 NCAA championship run.
