With two outs in the bottom of the second inning, senior shortstop Avery Fantucci stepped up and launched one to left-center field, giving the Michigan softball team its first and only lead off its first hit of the game. Fantucci’s solo home run would set a trend for the rest of the game — bats would be flying, but not just for the Wolverines.
Michigan (19-11 overall, 0-5 Big Ten) fell to Washington (25-6, 8-0) on Saturday in a game with multiple big hits. While the Wolverines only put up three hits over the seven innings, two of those were home runs that batted in three total runs. But the Huskies were swinging hard as well, and Washington’s two homers for five runs were too much for Michigan to handle, as it fell 6-4.
“They changed their pitcher, and I think we had an opportunity to score more runs on the first pitcher we faced,” Wolverines coach Bonnie Tholl said. “You have to continue to put the gas pedal on, and we missed out on a few opportunities. I felt that we hit the ball hard in the … first couple innings right at people. We were pretty efficient, and we scored four runs on three hits, but the gas pedal came off, and then we did not make any adjustments to their pitching adjustment.”
Defensively, Michigan was sailing smoothly until the top of the third inning, when two singles and a walk led to bases loaded for junior right-hander Gabby Ellis. But with two outs, she struck the Huskies’ batter out swinging, saving the Wolverines from giving up runs in a dangerous position.
Then Michigan’s bats took advantage in the bottom of the third — after senior infielder Indiana Langford walked, junior outfielder Jenissa Conway sent a deep ball to right field to drive two runs home for a 3-0 lead. Sophomore utility player Lauren Putz followed that with a walk and then made her way around the bases, sliding in at home plate resulting in a called out that was overturned to be the Wolverines’ fourth run. After Conway’s homer, Washington switched pitchers from left-hander Ryan Maddox to right-hander Allie Thomsen. And even though she let Putz score, the Huskies’ pitching held strong after the switch.
Michigan faltered in the top of the fourth inning, cutting its lead to just one and then giving it up entirely. After notching one out, Ellis was replaced by junior right-hander Kat Meyers. Meyers’ first four pitches walked a batter, putting two runners on base for Washington. On her sixth pitch, a Huskies batter slammed one to left field, bringing home three runs to cut the Wolverines’ lead to one. An RBI double later in the inning made this lead nonexistent.
That was the turning point.
Washington’s strong fourth inning cemented itself as the defining moment of the game. While the Huskies’ momentum picked up, Michigan’s only faltered, and it was never able to recover. After junior outfielder Ella Stephenson got Putz home in the third, the Wolverines didn’t notch another hit for the rest of the game.
“It was a major shift of momentum, and we didn’t manage it well as an entire team,” Tholl said.
Michigan gave up two more runs in the fifth thanks to a two-run shot by Washington infielder Melody Acevedo, and the Wolverines were unable to respond in the bottom of the inning. The sixth went scoreless for both teams, and the Huskies notched another run in the seventh to extend their lead to three, 7-4.
Although Michigan held control early, propelling itself to an early lead, Washington caught up halfway through and took control with a pitching change and dominant hitting. The Wolverines’ early batting strength eventually petered out while the Huskies’ only heated up, leading Michigan to its fifth straight Big Ten loss.
