At the beginning of every game, the Michigan softball team’s players stands with their arms up, holding the words “lets go” until coach Bonnie Tholl joins them in the circle. Today the stakes were higher than ever as they stood in the circle for perhaps the last time in the tournament.
Today it was No. 2 ranked and No 1. seed Nebraska who stood in the way of the Wolverines’ three-peat hopes. The Cornhuskers (44-6 overall, 23-1 Big Ten) boast a powerful offense and the best pitcher in the Big Ten, Jordy Frahm, and they overtook Michigan (34-20, 11-13), 4-2. It was a matter of if the Wolverines could find a way to tee off Nebraska’s dangerous ace while holding steady enough in their own circle. While Michigan able to keep calm enough in the circle, holding the Cornhuskers to just four runs, its offensive power and chance to reach home plate were diminished by Nebraska’s ace.
At first it appeared like the Wolverines had found their rhythm against Frahm. A neatly placed bunt in the top of the first plated a speedy senior designated player Indiana Langford and an unexpected walk brought the second batter, sophomore right fielder Lauren Putz, to first shortly after. With a double, junior left fielder Ella Stephenson brought Langford home, and Michigan was the first to take the lead. But as soon as Langford touched home plate, Frahm became the pitcher everyone had expected her to be.
Striking out two in the top of the first and drawing a caught foul ball, Frahm would go on to strike out two more Wolverines in the top of the second. By the end of the game, Frahm had totaled eight strikeouts, no small feat against an offense that had run-ruled rival Ohio State 9-0 just the day before.
On the other side of the ball, the Cornhuskers were quick to reply to their deficit on the scoreboard. Junior right-hander Gabby Ellis handed out a free base for the top of Nebraska’s lineup that led to an unearned run after two hits zipped by senior second baseman Janelle Ilacqua. Another pop up dropped by Ilacqua ballooned the Cornhuskers’ lead to 3-0.
There were flickers of the dominant performance that Michigan had demonstrated the day before in the top of the fourth. Langford reached base for the third time, making it all the way home off defensive errors and a powerful single from senior third baseman Maddie Erickson, bringing the score to 3-2. Up to bat, the Wolverines’ most powerful hitter, Putz, was silent when she was needed most, striking out on Frahm’s arm for the second time that day and unable to break the slump that had carried over from Wednesday.
But once more Nebraska responded, launching a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth to tack on another run and buoy its lead to 4-2. This powerful hit prompted the replacement of Ellis by junior right-hander Erin Hoehn in the circle. Hoehn, alongside her defense, held the Cornhuskers at bay throughout the bottom of the fifth and sixth. A leaping catch by junior center fielder Jenissa Conway prevented a long ball from making it over the fence, but Michigan was still unable to bring another runner home off Nebraska’s ace.
Two outs and an out at first from redshirt junior catcher Lilly Vallimont cemented the Cornhuskers’ dominance and ended the Wolverines’ hopes of another Big Ten Tournament win. In the end, while Michigan found its footing at times on offense, its hopes of carrying through were diminished by Nebraska’s ace. The Wolverines held the powerful No. 2 team to just four runs, but it wasn’t enough.
