One year ago, the Michigan softball team won the Big Ten tournament off heroic pitching and stout defense.
And that was the formula that allowed the Wolverines to continue their journey in this year’s edition of the tournament. On the back of right-hander Gabby Ellis, Michigan completely stymied one of the most powerful offenses in the Big Ten in Ohio State.
“That’s a kid who’s resilient,” Wolverines coach Bonnie Tholl said. “She got beat up a couple of weeks back, and she responded.”
From the jump, Ellis didn’t hesitate to attack a lineup that’s hit the third most home runs in the nation. She retired her first batter faced in outfielder Hadley Parisien on a rapid line drive snagged by freshman shortstop Kiley Carr. That set the tone, as Ellis continued to aggressively chase soft contact from Buckeye batters.
Ellis needed to escape some trouble in the second after a scoreless first inning. Fortunately for Michigan, the defense behind the circle was on point throughout the afternoon. While Ohio State threatened with two runners on base, redshirt junior catcher Lilly Vallimont caught both Buckeyes in no-man’s land believing that the batter had ball four, throwing out the runner at second and ending the frame.
As the Wolverines built a resounding lead, Ellis’ command in the circle only heightened. Just like in the previous two frames, she set the tone for the inning by retiring the leadoff batter in center fielder Skylar Limon. This allowed Ellis to keep that attacking mindset, going through Ohio State’s order by pitching to contact.
Another key factor towards Ellis’ dominance was the trust she placed in her outfield. All day long, Michigan outfielders found themselves circling under pop flies facilitated by the pitch to contact approach. That included deep fly outs to two juniors in center fielder Jenissa Conway and left fielder Ella Stephenson to keep the Buckeyes scoreless in the third inning.
“They’ve made plays that I’ve not seen made by other people,” Ellis said. “I have all the confidence in the world (in them).”
With the run support continuing to grow and the defense behind her clicking, Ellis only got stronger in the fourth frame. It was more of the same: Ohio State hit soft grounders and routine fly outs that were no match for the Wolverines’ gloves. The Buckeyes looked demoralized offensively — a combination of Ellis’ command, the defense’s solidity and a nine-run lead that looked increasingly out of reach.
Ohio State received the faintest of hope in the bottom of the fifth though, finally putting pressure on Ellis with two leadoff hitters aboard. But that was where the hope died out. Ellis ended the game as she started, getting three consecutive outfield fly outs to clinch a dominant shutout.
“I felt Gabby stayed uber-focused and stayed present,” Tholl said. “That can unravel a defense or a pitching staff.”
The Buckeyes boast one of the best offenses in the country, but there were no answers for a Michigan defense clicking on all cylinders, headlined by Ellis.
