OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Sophomore first baseman Tera Blanco used a sixth-inning, two-run double to break open a scoreless pitchers’ duel and propel the No. 2-ranked University of Michigan softball team to a 2-0 win against No. 10 LSU in the opening round of the NCAA Women’s College World Series on Friday evening (June 3) at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Blanco was the first to face LSU reliever Carley Hoover and adjusted quickly, connecting with the 2-2 pitch and driving it deep to rightfield, clearing the Tiger rightfielder’s head and to the wall to plate senior second baseman Sierra Romero and junior leftfielder Kelly Christner for the only runs of the game.
Michigan largely took advantage of free bases to load them up quickly as Romero walked on five pitches to lead off the sixth, Christner singled through the right side and senior rightfielder Kelsey Susalla worked a 0-2 count to walk and chase starting RHP Allie Walljasper from the circle.
With the lead, senior RHP Megan Betsa (28-3) set down the Tigers’ 7-8-9 batters, in order, in the top of the seventh to close out a gritty performance. She took care of the final two outs herself, issuing a swinging strikeout — her eighth K of the game — before fielding a comebacker herself to flip to Blanco for the final out.
Betsa, who reached 122 pitches thrown, worked through eight full counts. She struck two apiece in the third and sixth frames and used inning-ending strikeouts to get out of jams and leave two Tigers stranded in the fourth and the fifth. She scattered four hits and two walks en route to her ninth complete-game shutout of the season.
Blanco headlined the Wolverine offensive effort, going 2-for-3 with the two-run double, while Christner, Susalla and junior third baseman Lindsay Montemarano tallied one apiece. Michigan threatened in the fourth when Susalla and Blanco tallied back-to-back singles with one out but left both stranded. U-M’s breakthrough in the sixth inning followed a six-pitch turn at the plate in the fifth.
U-M will play Saturday (June 4, 8:30 p.m. CDT) against No. 3 Oklahoma. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
