Wolverines Offense Stymied in Stanford Invite Losses to Boise State, Nevada

Friday, February 24

Palo Alto, Calif.

Noon PT

Michigan

6-5

Boise State

7-4

Michigan

Boise State

Melina Livingston (Michigan Photography)

Wolverines Offense Stymied in Stanford Invite Losses to Boise State, Nevada

2/24/2023 8:28:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Leah Howard

» Michigan dropped its first two games at the Stanford Invitational to Boise State, 4-2, and Nevada, 3-0, to open its 10-day spring break trip.
» U-M tallied just eight hits and two runs on the day; Maddie Erickson posted three hits, including two doubles in the tournament opener.
» Jessica LeBeau struck out 11 but lost the pitchers' duel against Nevada; the Wolfpack broke through with two runs in the sixth.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- The University of Michigan softball team struggled to get its offense going in a pair of losses on the first day of action at the Stanford Invitational on Friday (Feb. 24), falling to Boise State 4-2 and Nevada 3-0 at the Cardinal's Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium. The Wolverines combined for just eight hits and two runs on the day in their spring break kickoff.

Michigan struck first but fell to Boise State in the tournament opener. The Wolverines put two runners on in each of the first two innings before freshman pinch runner Madi Ramey stole home to break through in the second. Michigan had runners on the corners with two outs; sophomore shortstop Ella McVey drew the throw to second to allow Ramey to slide in safely at home.

BSU took advantage of funny hops and Michigan miscues to respond in the home half, using a fielding error to extend the inning before bouncing a two-out, two-run single up the middle to take the lead. The Broncos doubled their lead with a two-run homer in the third inning.

The Wolverines started to rally in the seventh. Freshman designated player Maddie Erickson posted her second leadoff double of the game and her pinch runner, freshman Indiana Langford, scored when graduate student third baseman Melina Livingston looped an RBI single to the left. BSU turned a 6-4-3 double play to stymie the Michigan momentum, however, and a strikeout ended the game one batter later.

Michigan dropped a pitchers' duel in the second game after the Wolfpack broke through with a bases-loaded, two-run single in the sixth and added another on a two-out RBI single in the seventh.

Junior first baseman Keke Tholl drew a walk as the Wolverines again put their leadoff on in the seventh, but for the second time in as many games, a double play halted the Michigan rally.

Junior right-handed pitcher Jessica LeBeau (3-2) was solid in defeat against Nevada, posting a season-high 11 strikeouts while allowing three runs on five hits and three walks. Sophomore RHP Lauren Derkowski (3-3) took the game-one loss against BSU, fanning five while giving up four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and two walks.

The Wolverines (6-6) will resume action at the Stanford Invitational with a pair of games Saturday (Feb. 24), facing Boise State at 10:30 a.m. PST and No. 16-ranked host Stanford at 1 p.m. PST at Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium. The latter game will be streamed live on Pac-12.com.