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Michigan Softball is Favorite at Women’s College World Series

By Chris Peterson

Jun 13, 2015; Eugene, OR, USA; Members of the Oregon Ducks womens team hoist the championship trophy after the Ducks won the team title in the 2015 NCAA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2015; Eugene, OR, USA; Members of the Oregon Ducks womens team hoist the championship trophy after the Ducks won the team title in the 2015 NCAA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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There were a few dicey moments for Michigan softball against Missouri, but now that the Wolverines are back in the Women’s College World Series, they will certainly be among the favorites to win it all.

At times in Game 2 of the Michigan softball team’s Super-Regional matchup against Missouri, the Wolverines looked to be in trouble. But each time, they played their way out of it and in the process handed Mizzou a 5-4 loss that sent UM to the WCWS.

Related Story: Michigan Softball Survives Without Megan Betsa at Her Best

The 2-0 sweep of the Super Regional by Michigan softball locks up the Wolverines second consecutive berth among the final eight teams in the NCAA tournament and their third in four years. Last season, Michigan lost to Florida in the National Championship.

The Gators came into the tournament as the top seed, while the Wolverines were ranked second. Yet, Florida was eliminated by Georgia in the Super Regional, which has effectively given the title of tournament favorite to Michigan.

Lindsey Montemarano hit her second home run in two days against the Tigers in the top of the second, getting UM on the board at 1-0. But eventually, Missouri tied the game and then took a 4-1 lead on a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth.

Facing defeat, the Wolverines responded and loaded the bases. Sierra Romero popped out for the second out, but sacrificed a run home to trim the lead to 4-2. Then, back-to-back hits by Kelly Christner and Kelsey Susalla tied the game, before a passed ball gave Michigan the lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers advanced a runner to third with one out, but a key strikeout by Megan Betsa  and a putout by Tera Blanco ended the game.

The Wolverines will advance to take on LSU in the first round of the WCWS in Oklahoma City. However, if they are going to capture their first national title since 2005, they will need a slightly better effort from Betsa, who allowed seven runs in two starts against Missouri. She also managed just eight strikeouts in more than 13 innings pitched, when her rate during the season was 11.8 per seven innings.

The encouraging thing is that Michigan softball is finding different ways to win. The Wolverines can win with their bats and their defense isn’t too shabby either. Betsa makes them a contender, but so do two-way stars such as Romero, Sierra Lawrence and Tera Blanco.

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Michigan’s talent across the board is as good as any in the nation and with head coach Carol Hutchins, they are good there too. All signs point to a national championship at the WCWS, it’s simply up to the Wolverines to deliver.

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