The Michigan softball team was down by four in the sixth inning with two runners on base when sophomore right fielder Ella Stephenson stepped up to the plate. With the game on her bat, Stephenson swung.
The ball went into the catcher’s glove and the Wolverines lost yet another chance to tie the game. It was a repeated theme as Michigan (32-18 overall, 9-10 Big Ten) were swept by No. 7 UCLA (45–7, 16-3) after falling 12-8 in Game 3.
The Wolverines’ offense came out on fire, taking advantage of every mistake from the Bruins. Sophomore second baseman Indiana Langford took advantage of two passed balls from the Bruins to open the scoring, and sophomore center fielder Jenissa Conway was able to get to second on the second passed ball. A double from freshman designated player Lauren Putz sent Conway home, and a homerun from Stephenson gave the Wolverines a 4-1 lead.
Michigan chased UCLA right-hander Taylor Tinsley, who has the sixth-lowest ERA in the Big Ten this year, but not even replacing the pitcher could save the Bruins. Junior third baseman Maddie Erickson swung for the fences and sent a home run over the left-field wall to give Michigan a four-run lead after only the first inning. It tied the most runs UCLA has conceded in a single inning this season.
But a team doesn’t outscore its opponents by over 200 runs without having the ability to punch back, and the Bruins did just that in the top of the second. After a single and a walk put runners on first and second, second baseman Savannah Pola smacked a ball over the right center field for her ninth home run of the season. The three-run home run pulled the Bruins to within one at 5-4.
As Michigan’s offense sputtered to a halt, the Bruins’ batters roared to life. A sacrifice fly from center fielder Jessica Clements tied the game 5-5 in the top of the fourth, and the Bruins took advantage of the Wolverines’ pitching struggles to crack the game wide open in the fifth. A double to center field took a difficult bounce for Conway and allowed UCLA to scratch another two runs across the plate before a line drive into right field from left-hander and left fielder Kaitlyn Terry scored the other two.
For a moment, the Wolverines looked like they might be able to punch back. Home runs from Putz and redshirt sophomore catcher Lilly Vallimont pulled Michigan within two at 9-7. The Wolverines had two runners in scoring position when sophomore utility player Ava Costales stepped into the nine-spot, but Costales went down looking on three balls to strand the runners.
The Bruins weren’t going to tolerate any comeback from Michigan. Senior right-hander Emerson Aiken — the Wolverines’ third pitcher of the day in just the sixth inning — conceded a triple down the right-field line and a two-run home run before she was pulled for freshman right-hander Kat Meyers. Meyers immediately gave up a home run and a single before being pulled for freshman right-hander Hayley Ferguson, who recorded the necessary three outs on the next three batters. The Wolverines managed one more run in the bottom of the sixth off a single from Putz, but it wasn’t enough, and Michigan fell 12-8 as the Bruins swept the season series.
