Savior.
That might be the only appropriate way to describe Michigan softball player Kelly Holmes. In the 14 games since Sara Griffin's injury, the senior has carried the No. 12 Wolverines on her shoulders.
On Saturday, she celebrated her 22nd birthday in grand fashion, picking up two complete-game victories in Michigan's doubleheader sweep of No. 14 Minnesota, 2-1 and 10-2. The senior allowed only one earned run in 14 innings of work.
Holmes continued her heroics yesterday, blanking the Gophers, 1-0, to run her record to 18-5. Holmes has embraced her role as the go-to player.
"It's sort of an honor to be considered No. 1 on the Michigan softball team," Holmes said.
In the first game Saturday, the Wolverines struggled at the plate, managing only six hits, as the game went into extra innings with the score tied at one.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Michigan loaded the bases with one out after a walk to Tammy Mika, a single by Melissa Gentile and an intentional walk to Jen Smith. Pam Kosanke was then hit by a pitch from Jennifer Johnson, forcing home the winning run.
The second game could not have been more different from the first. In the first inning alone, the two teams combined for four runs on only one hit, surpassing their total run production from game one.
Michigan rallied for a big inning in the third, totaling its run production from the previous two games. Kellyn Tate started the rally with a single and was sacrificed to second by Traci Conrad. Cathy Davie walked and the two runners pulled off a double steal. Mika singled to score one run, chasing Minnesota pitcher Wendy Logue. The Gophers brought in Johnson, the Big Ten pitcher of the week for the past two weeks, to pitch to Gentile. The freshman greeted the new hurler with a towering home run to left center field. The Wolverines scored another run to push their lead to 7-2.
Michigan picked up two runs in the fourth and one more in the sixth to end the game due to the mercy rule.
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins was impressed with Gentile's performance.
"I'll tell you what, she has really come on this part of the season," Hutchins said. "We needed it, and she's playing great softball."
Yesterday, the Wolverines completed the series sweep of the Gophers as Holmes picked up her fifth shutout of the season, allowing only three hits and striking out five.
Michigan scored its lone run in the third inning when Davie drove Lisa Kelley in with a sacrifice fly.
Minnesota threatened in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with none out. But Holmes shut the Gophers down, retiring three batters in a row.
The Wolverines now get set to face Big Ten power Michigan State. After losing to Purdue in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday, the Spartans are in second place in the conference. They come to Ann Arbor tomorrow for two games, contests that will be important if the Wolverines want to qualify for the Big Ten tournament.
"This is the stretch of the season that you always talk about," Hutchins said.
"We don't have to win all our games, but we need to win a lot of them. The more we win, the more pressure it takes off us."
ROB GILMORE/Daily
Michigan softball players Pam Kosanke (left) and Melissa Gentile were all smiles yesterday; the Wolverines swept Minnesota in a three-game series.