Michigan softball ousted by Notre Dame in NCAA regionals
The Michigan softball team didn’t end up playing for a regional championship. Alexis Holloway made sure of that.
The Notre Dame right-hander once again held the Wolverines in check in the NCAA regionals on Sunday, this time allowing just four hits in defeating Michigan, 2-1, on Sunday in Lexington, Ky., ending the Wolverines’ season.
Holloway limited Michigan to three hits in Notre Dame’s 4-1 victory Friday in the regional. Notre Dame (34-22) fell to Kentucky (33-19), 8-0, later on Sunday in the NCAA regional title game, and the Wildcats will move on to the Super Regionals.
Michigan, meanwhile, sees its season end at 44-13, which included a Big Ten regular-season title.
On Sunday, Holloway and Michigan ace Meghan Beaubien traded zeroes through the first five innings. But, the Wolverines took the lead in the sixth, stringing together a walk from Faith Canfield and a single from Madison Uden with one out. Lou Allan plated Canfield with a sacrifice fly.
The lead, however, was short-lived.
Notre Dame responded with pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning, putting together a double and single to lead off the inning. Cait Brooks followed with a sacrifice fly to score one, and Melissa Rochford provided the go-ahead run with a single to center field.
Michigan threatened in the top of the seventh, with Aidan Falk doubling to left field to lead off the inning, but Holloway left her stranded to secure the victory.
The freshman Beaubien allowed six hits and the two runs over six innings, striking out four.
Michigan reached the regional championship game last season, following back-to-back seasons of College World Series appearances, including a loss to Florida in the 2015 championship.
LEXINGTON REGIONAL
Friday
Game 1: No. 3 Notre Dame 4, No. 2 Michigan 1
Game 2: No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Illinois-Chicago (postponed)
Saturday
Game 2: Kentucky 10, Illinois-Chicago 1
Game 3: Michigan 6, Illinois-Chicago 0
Game 4: Kentucky 10, Notre Dame 0
Sunday
Game 5: Notre Dame 2, Michigan 1
Game 6: Kentucky 8, Notre Dame 0