Softball Blast Cal Poly, Completes Judi Garman Sweep

For the second straight day (this time with the difficulty level turned way down), the bats came alive for Michigan softball.  Facing off against Cal Poly in the final game of their Spring Break trip, Michigan scored early and often en-route to an 11-3 run rule W.

On offense, the top half of the order was dominant.  The 2 through 6 batters all registered at least 1 hit on the day, and 1 through 5 all scored at least one run.  Aidan Falk homered in the first to make it 2-0, but the real damage came in the 2nd.  A Sobczak double was followed up by a walk and an error, then by hits from Peters, Blanco, Falk, and Alexander (as well as a HBP drawn by Uden).  By the time all was said and done, it was an 8-0 lead, and a run rule result seemed likely.

Pitching got a little wobbly, though, as Meghan Beaubien gave up a couple runs in the top of the 3rd.  Michigan would get one back in the 4th, but freshamn Sarah Schaefer, who had entered in relief of Beaubien, ceded that back in the 5th.  With runners at 2nd and 3rd and just one out, Beaubien re-entered the game, and promptly retired the side with a K and a ground-out.  From there, a Hoogenraad walk set the table for a Skvarce home run that ended the game in walk-off fashion.

After starting the season 6-6, Michigan has now won 7 straight, including 2 shut-outs and 2 wins over top-20 opponents.  This looks like a team that is starting to settle into a groove after taking a few weeks to find themselves.  They'll take the field next on Friday against Stony Brook for the FAU tournament.  A March 10 date with Pittsburgh represents the last match-up against a major-conference opponent before Big Ten play.