WEST LAFAYETTE — When No. 1 seed Oregon catcher Emma Cox crushed a hanging fastball into right field, a home run appeared inevitable.
Nevertheless, sophomore right fielder Ella Stephenson tracked the ball in the glaring sun, attempting to keep pace with its trajectory until she arrived at the warning track. The ball was still out of reach, so she extended her domain. Leaping into the padding and reaching her glove out, Stephenson lined up her open mitt, pulling in the would-be game-tying home run ball.
With a smile, she returned the ball to senior right-hander Lauren Derkowski in the circle, along with a message, one that was on the whole team’s mind.
“As a group (on defense), they decided that we were going to be the aggressor,” Michigan coach Bonnie Tholl said. “Learning to win is a skill, and that’s how we’re going to learn how to win.”
On Thursday, the No. 8 seed Michigan softball team secured its first ranked victory on the season over Oregon, 5-0. It gave all it had on defense to secure improbable outs on its path to improbable revenge.
Just one month ago, the Ducks outworked the Wolverines in three straight games. The first two of these losses were decided in the final moments where Oregon’s offense — one consistently ranked in the top ten nationally throughout the season — squeaked out late production on the Michigan defense to claim victory. But given another go around, the Wolverines’ fielders were determined to set a different tone from the jump.
Perhaps it was personal, or perhaps it was procedure.
“Our team is willing to do whatever it takes,” junior third baseman Maddie Erickson said. “Putting our bodies on the line, running into walls … It takes every single ounce that you have to beat teams like (Oregon).”
Much like Stephenson, Erickson herself is an authority on sacrificing her body for the play. In the bottom of the sixth inning — about the time at which the Ducks surmounted their two comebacks earlier in the season — center fielder Kedre Luschar tapped a bunt into shallow foul territory.
Even with nobody on base and Michigan up four runs, Erickson stayed on the gas defensively. She knew from experience against the Ducks this season that there was no such thing as a safe lead against such a potent offense. Diving head first from third base towards the rapidly falling ball, Erickson made a skillful grab to punch out the first batter of a crucial inning. She quickly got up off of her grass-stained jersey and joined the crowd in a triumphant scream. Even she had to appreciate the effort.
The Wolverines’ defensive unit held a team batting .350 on the season to just five hits across seven innings. Michigan’s duo of pitchers played a significant role in this feat, but amassed just four strikeouts on the day. The other 17 outs were earned by the supporting cast, with zero errors made in the process. It was the pair of catches on balls out of play that headlined Michigan’s marquee moments in the field Thursday, but some plays inside the foul lines were just as impressive.
Junior first baseman Madi Ramey snagged a line drive down the first base line for one out before tagging first for a force out and double play. And junior shortstop Avery Fantucci made an impressive catch on a line drive zipped near her in the seventh to record the second to final out of the evening.
“Avery almost got her glove ripped off catching that ball,” Erickson said.
Fantucci’s praises were echoed with wonderment — almost identically — by more than one teammate during postgame interviews.
“Avery caught a ball that almost ripped her glove off,” sophomore right-hander Erin Hoehn said.
On Thursday, it was evident that the Michigan defense had watched Oregon outwork them for long enough this season. The day in the field began with Stephenson’s robbery and ended with Fantucci’s late snatch. What occurred in every hard-earned out between was a transformation. A once-complacent defense against Oregon had turned into a portion of the attack that exacted revenge.
