Courtesy of Michigan Athletics
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — For the second time in three games, the No. 3-seeded University of Michigan softball team overcame an early three-run deficit, surging past No. 7 UCLA, 10-4, in its winner’s bracket matchup at the NCAA Women’s College World Series Friday night (May 29) at in front of 9,425 fans at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
With the victory, the Wolverines earn a day off from competition. They will resume play against the emerging team from the bottom half of the loser’s bracket at 2:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday (May 31).
Michigan’s offense exploded for 15 hits — its best of the NCAA Tournament to date — and after UCLA retied the game in the third, U-M plated runs in each of the final three frames to pull away. Seven different Wolverines recorded hits, most notably junior rightfielder Kelsey Susalla, who boasted a career-best four hits, going 4-for-4 with a walk and three runs batted in, and sophomore leftfielder Kelly Christner, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Sophomore shortstop Abby Ramirez also registered three hits, while sophomore third baseman Lindsay Montemarano drove in two runs.
Senior LHP Haylie Wagner (23-2) earned the victory in relief — again, for the second time in three games — with a spectacular four-hit, one-walk effort against a UCLA lineup that led the WCWS field in several offensive categories. She fanned five Bruin batters through 6.1 innings pitched.
The Bruins took advantage of U-M pitching misses to jump out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning, plating three runs on three hits and a back-to-back walk and hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded. UCLA quickly loaded the bases, before third baseman Mysha Sataraka knocked an RBI single into leftfield. The Wolverines got the second out on a foulout, but UCLA pushed two more across on the bases-loaded walk and HBP to chase sophomore RHP Megan Betsa from the game. Wagner entered and fanned rightfielder Kylee Perez on four pitches to end the threat.
Ramirez kicked off the Wolverines’ rally in the third with a first-pitch leadoff single up the middle, and after a walk and sac bunt, Christner singled through the right side to put U-M on the board. Christner stole second to put herself in scoring position, and the extra base paid off as Susalla doubled into right centerfield to even the game at three apiece. She crossed for the go-ahead run two batters later when Montemarano sent a deep sac fly into rightfield.
UCLA took advantage of a Wolverine throwing error to even the score in the bottom of the third. With two Bruin base runners in scoring position, Michigan forced a rundown but could not capitalize as Blanco overthrew third base to allow the run to score. The Wolverines rebounded by promptly forcing another rundown — on the same play — and applied the tag between second and third base to convert the unconventional double play.
Michigan retook its narrow one-run lead on another Montemarano sac fly in the top of the fifth. Susalla led off the frame with a single through the right side, advanced to third on senior catcher Lauren Sweet‘s single down the rightfield line — off a 1-2 pitch — and with Brian ace Allie Carda back in the circle for UCLA, scored when Montemarano sent the first pitch to deep centerfield.
Ramirez initiated another Wolverine rally in the sixth with a first-pitch looper into shallow leftfield and, two outs later, scored from first base when Christner smacked a double to the wall down the rightfield line. Susalla followed with an RBI single to provide Michigan with late breathing room.
The Wolverines carried the momentum into the seventh, plating three more runs to pull away late. With two runners aboard, junior centerfielder Sierra Lawrence, who made a spectacular diving catch in shallow center to end the sixth frame, drove an RBI single into leftfield, and U-M followed with two more runs off the next two pitches as junior second baseman Sierra Romero sent a sac fly into rightfield, and Christner singled into the right centerfield gap.
UCLA put a runner on base on a two-out walk in the home of the seventh, but on the next pitch, Christner caught a lineout to leftfield to end the contest.
