ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Iowa softball team dropped a doubleheader against Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeyes lost a hard-fought game one, 8-6, before falling in eight innings, 9-8, in game two.
The Hawkeyes held leads late in both games, but the Wolverines completed the comeback both times to secure the series victory.
Freshman Soo-Jin Berry went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and picked up her first career home run in the doubleheader. Six different Hawkeyes had multi hit days as the Iowa offense dished out 12 runs in two games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
Iowa started strong with five straight hits in the top of the first. Berry knocked in the first run of the game on a ground rule double. Senior Sammy Diaz followed suit with a single that brought in two more. Junior Devyn Greer extended Iowa’s lead to four with a single to left center.
Sophomore Jalen Adams (9-8) got the start in game one. In the opening frame she kept the Wolverines in check allowing just one hit. Both teams were held in check by the pitchers in the second and third. Iowa pushed another run across in the fourth as Junior Rylie Moss singled through the left side to score Brylee Klosterman.
Michigan got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run to make it, 5-1. The Wolverines did damage in the fifth scoring seven runs on five hits and two Hawkeye errors to take the lead, 8-5.
Iowa rallied in the seventh as Berry knocked in another run to cut the Michigan lead to two. The Hawkeyes’ rally was cut short at the Wolverines turned a double play to end the game.
The Hawkeyes finished the game with six runs on 12 hits and had four errors.
Game 2
The Hawkeyes started game two strong as Berry sent a two-run home run over the centerfield wall. Michigan answered back with an RBI double in the home half of the inning to cut the lead in half.
The Hawkeyes loaded the bases with one out in the top of the second. Freshman Jena Young singled to left scoring two to extend the Iowa lead, 4-1. Klosterman singled to right in the top of the third to push a run across for the third straight inning to make it, 5-1.
After giving up the run in the first Greer kept the Wolverine bats at bay, working around base runners but keeping them off the board.
The Hawkeyes added insurance runs in the top of the fifth on balls put in play by seniors Grace Banes, Klosterman and Adams to extend the Iowa lead, 8-1.
The Wolverines went on to score in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to tie the game at eight and send it into extra innings. Michigan walked it off in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot to centerfield.
Iowa used five different pitchers in the game. Greer and redshirt junior Maren Judisch were the only pitchers to throw at least one complete inning.
Iowa finished the game with eight runs on nine hits and had three errors. Michigan scored nine runs on nine hits and had one error.
NOTABLES
- Young extended her on base streak to 18 games.
- The Hawkeyes fall to 0-3 on the season in extra-inning games.
- All of Iowa’s home runs (4) this season have been hit by freshmen.