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`M' softball loses final after 6 straight shutouts

Wolverine pitching shutout opponents for a school-record 44 consecutive innings as the Michigan softball team continued its early-season success at this weekend's Florida State Lady Seminole Invitational.

Following six straight shutouts, the No. 15 Wolverines (15-7) defeated No. 9 Florida State in the tournament's semifinal yesterday morning, before losing 5-3 to South Florida in the afternoon's championship game.

Junior pitcher Kelly Holmes highlighted the Wolverines' weekend pitching effort with a spectacular Saturday.

On that morning, Holmes (8-4) recorded a no-hitter against No. 20 Illinois-Chicago. Saturday night, she held No. 17 Indiana to one-hit.

Sophomore pitcher Griffin won all four games she started while Holmes went 3-1 on the weekend.

Michigan's pitching heroics did not last into the championship game, however.

South Florida pitcher and tournament MVP Monica Triner struck the big blow of the game with a two-run homer in the third, giving her team a commanding 5-0 lead.

Michigan's three-run fourth was not enough as the Wolverines did not threaten the rest of the game and fell short of successfully defending last year's championship in the tournament.

The Wolverines' 7-1 weekend included three victories over nationally ranked teams.

In the semifinal, senior third baseman Tracy Carr led Michigan over the Seminoles with three RBIs, including a two-run triple in the first.

Griffin, junior second baseman Jessica Lang and senior shortstop Kathryn Gleason each knocked in a run to complete the Michigan scoring.

The Wolverines' advanced to the semifinal via Saturday night's 11-0 whipping of the self-destructing Indiana Hoosiers in the quarterfinal.

Junior second baseman Jessica Lang started the Michigan scoring with a relatively harmless three-run homer in the first inning -- relative to a two-out error by the Indiana third baseman, which led to eight more first-inning Wolverine runs, all of them unearned.

Hoosier pitching helped Michigan out with six walks in the inning.

Friday the Wolverines began the tournament by recording three shutouts in as many games.

In the first game, Miami (Ohio) bats were no match for Wolverine starter Sara Griffin who shutdown the Redskins in the 6-0 victory.

The shutout was Griffin's fourth of the season.

Michigan did all of its damage in the middle innings, scoring twice in the third and four more in the fourth.

Another four-run fourth inning keyed Michigan's second shutout of the day against Samford in a 7-0 win.

Gleason's and Carr's two-run doubles accounted for the bulk of Michigan's scoring. Freshman outfielder Cathy Davie added two RBI of her own.

As the day wore on, the Wolverines kept getting stronger.

Michigan capped off the opening day of the tournament with a season-high 13 runs and season-best 15 hits against Northern Iowa.

Griffin and senior co-captain Erin Martino both went 2-for-4 from the plate with a double and an RBI.

Saturday's set of Michigan shutouts began with 7-0 victory over Illinois-Chicago. Holmes recorded her first ever no-hitter and the Wolverines' second of the season.

The game remained close until Michigan added to its 1-0 lead with a four-run fourth. Michigan took the 5-0 lead with back-to-back two-run doubles by freshman first baseman Traci Conrad and Griffin.

Wolverine catcher Jennifer Smith suffered a bad bone bruise on her throwing hand late in the game, which forced her to miss the rest of the tournament. The junior is expected to return behind the plate next weekend.