» Michigan fell 1-0 to Kansas in eight innings in its NCAA Regional opener.
» Gabby Ellis allowed just six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over eight innings; Kansas’ Lila Partridge similarly gave up six hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
» Kansas scored the winning run on a bases-loaded single to left-center field with one out in the eighth.
NORMAN, Okla. — The University of Michigan softball team dropped an extra-inning pitchers’ duel in its NCAA Regional opener, falling 1-0 to Kansas in eight innings on Friday (May 15) at Oklahoma’s Love’s Field.
The Wolverines (34-21) fall into the losers’ bracket game Saturday (May 16) and will play Binghamton, which lost 11-0 to Oklahoma in today’s other game, at 4:30 p.m. CT. If Michigan wins that game, it will face the loser of Oklahoma/Kansas in another elimination game at 7 p.m. CT.
Junior right-handed pitcher Gabby Ellis (12-8) was superb from the circle, allowing just one run on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over eight innings. Of her five strikeouts, three were inning-ending punchouts.
Kansas pitcher Lila Partridge produced a similar stat line, giving up six hits and three walks with three strikeouts en route to the complete-game shutout. It was only the third time this season that the Wolverines went scoreless.
The Jayhawks scored the game’s only run with a bases-loaded single to left-center field with one out in the eighth. Kansas used a walk and a double off the left-center field wall to put two runners in scoring position before U-M intentionally walked the bases full. Ellis got the first out on a popup to third, but Ava Wallace came through in the next at-bat with the game-winning RBI.
All but one of Michigan’s six hits came with two outs, while U-M stranded seven runners, but only one in scoring position — after back-to-back singles from senior first baseman Madi Ramey and freshman shortstop Kiley Carr.
Sophomore right fielder Lauren Putz went 2-for-4 to lead the Wolverines at plate.
