WEST LAFAYETTE — In the top of the sixth inning of the Big Ten Tournament semifinals against No. 12 seed Purdue, the No. 8 seed Michigan softball team was in a tough situation. The Boilermakers had just loaded the bases and the Wolverines were up just two runs. With one wrong move, Purdue could quickly tie up the game or take the lead, preventing Michigan from advancing to the last round of the tournament.
Instead, the ball was hit to junior third baseman Maddie Erickson — for the Boilermakers’ second out — and quickly thrown to junior first baseman Madi Ramey to ground out the batter in a double play. That play was crucial in ending the inning scoreless, keeping the run deficit to two runs and eventually helping the Wolverines punch their ticket to the championship game.
Michigan’s fielding in the semifinals matchup had to be at its highest level, as Purdue had demolished No. 4 seed Ohio State in its quarterfinal game by capitalizing on the Buckeyes’ fielding errors. It helped that the Boilermakers had to first push through the Wolverines’ first line of defense in senior right-hander Lauren Derkowski and sophomore right-hander Erin Hoehn, whose strategic pitching combined for five strikeouts. But when balls made it to Michigan’s fielders, they needed to be ready.
There were times when fielding was rocky, like in the top of the second inning when a ball hit to junior second baseman Indiana Langford fell just out of reach as she dove for the ball. Or in the top of the fourth inning, when a ball was hit to Derkowski and the ball went just past her glove. Langford came in to save the play, but when she threw the ball to Ramey, Ramey fumbled the ball as well and Purdue made it on base.
If the Boilermakers have proven one thing during their time in the tournament, it’s that they can capitalize on mistakes. And on the next batter up after the Wolverines’ error in the fourth inning, Purdue right-hander Julia Gossett sent the ball over the center-field wall for a two-run home run, cutting the four-run lead Michigan had built in the previous inning in half.
“You do have to play clean softball, and we did, for the most part,” Wolverines coach Bonnie Tholl said. “And you did see when we didn’t make the play at first base, the next hitter who’d been hot all tournament hits the ball over the fence. So not allowing teams extra opportunities, not allowing a pesky team like Purdue any extra opportunities that was key.”
But when it mattered the most, Michigan’s fielders executed its plays perfectly. Like in the top of the third inning, when Langford made a running catch to both end the inning with no runners making it on base and make up for her earlier dropped ball. Or when a ball popped up to shallow left field, with a Boilermaker runner on third base due to a passed ball, and senior left fielder Ellie Sieler made the catch and prevented the runner from scoring. While mistakes put Purdue runners on base, the Wolverines’ fielding prevented the Boilermakers from scoring — and that’s what mattered.
What was perhaps the most highlight reel worthy moment from Michigan’s fielding was the double play in the top of the sixth, halting Purdue’s best scoring chance. The Boilermakers had loaded the bases due to perfectly placed singles instead of fielding errors. But the pressure was building for the Wolverines as the lead that they had spent almost three innings protecting could come down at any moment.
“I had the middle infield pulled in because there was just one out,” Tholl said. “But I looked at Maddie, and I said, ‘Maddie, you stay next to the base. Ball comes to you. We’re tagging one going across. We’re getting out of this inning.’ ”
In the top of the seventh inning, with one final chance to pull ahead, Purdue went three-up, three-down thanks to Michigan’s fielding. A pop up to junior second baseman Janelle Illaqua, a groundout to junior shortstop Avery Fantucci — who’s been pivotal in the Wolverines’ defensive success in the tournament — and a fly out to Sieler ended the Boilermakers’ Cinderella run while keeping Michigan’s championship hopes alive.
Defense has been key for the Wolverines this tournament. It’s what helped them pull through against No. 9 seed Wisconsin in the first round, it’s what caused them to shut out top-seeded and No. 18 Oregon and it’s now what put them in the final round of the tournament. After a lackluster showing in statement games during the regular season and with only one game left in the tournament, it seems that Michigan’s defense is heating up at just the right time.
