Michigan softball advances to Big Ten tournament semifinals

Thanks to another stellar performance in the circle from Alex Storako, who notched her 23rd win of the season, Michigan softball advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. 

The Michigan softball team finally opened its Big Ten tournament on Thursday after receiving a bye in the first round and against fifth-seeded Maryland, the Wolverines cruised to a 7-0 shutout win behind another strong outing from Alex Storako.

The Terrapins eliminated Michigan State on Wednesday but managed just three hits on Thursday as Storako gave up two in the first inning but just one after that in addition to striking out six.

Offensively, Michigan softball got things going at the dish too with a total of three extra-base hits. The Wolverines didn’t get an extra-base hit in the first inning, yet still scored two runs thanks to an error by Maryland.

In the bottom of the third though, Michigan softball opened a big lead thanks to a five-run inning that featured a two-run home run from Taylor Bump.

The 23rd-ranked Wolverines will look to advance to the Big Ten championship game on Saturday with a win over Northwestern on Friday. The Wildcats were the regular-season champion of the Big Ten and advanced thanks to their own 5-2 win over Wisconsin.

Regardless of the result this weekend, Michigan softball should be back in the NCAA tournament once again under Carol Hutchins, but another Big Ten championship is just two wins away and with Storako coming out after five innings, she will likely be in the circle again tomorrow.

Michigan softball and Northwestern will play at 5:00 PM EST on the Big Ten Network Friday. The winner will play either Nebraska or Ohio State on Saturday for the Big Ten title.