Tar Heels Fall To Michigan In NCAA Regional Final :: Tar Heels reliever Alison Yin shut down the Maize and Blue with two strikeouts and just one hit allowed.

May 22, 2005

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 1 University of Michigan softball team advanced to the NCAA Super Regional following a 6-0 shutout victory over North Carolina in its NCAA Regional final Sunday (May 22) at Alumni Field. Junior pitcher Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) earned her third win of the weekend, fanning 10 batters and allowing just one hit through five innings.

Ritter hung to a perfect game through the opening four frames before giving up a double to Anna Evans in the fifth. The junior ace promptly retired the subsequent two Tar Heel batters to erase the scoring threat. Ritter's final-game performance was indicative of her weekend as she struck out 27 and allowed just six hits through 17 shutout innings. Sophomore Lorilyn Wilson (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) entered today's game in relief and continued the Wolverines' strong defensive effort with 1-2-3 sixth inning and back-to-back strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.

After each pitcher went 1-2-3 in a quick opening inning, the Wolverines took charge in the second, scoring three runs on four hits to take the only advantage they would need. With the bases loaded, junior Becky Marx (St. Joseph, Mich./Lakeshore HS) sent a hard drive deep down the first-base line to score senior Nicole Motycka (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney HS) and freshman Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./Lockport East HS) on a bobbled play by the Tar Heel rightfielder. Two batters later, junior Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) popped up to deep centerfield with just one U-M out, allowing junior Stephanie Bercaw (Wooster, Ohio/Hillsdale HS) to check up and trot home from third base.

U-M doubled its run output in the top of the fifth inning as Findlay tallied her 20th home run of the season -- one shy of teammate Jessica Merchant's (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) single-season school record -- blasting a three-run shot deep over the leftfield fence to score Merchant and freshman Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic HS).

North Carolina tightened on defense in the final two frames as Tar Heels reliever Alison Yin shut down the Maize and Blue with two strikeouts and just one hit allowed.

Michigan (58-4) will host No. 16 seed Washington -- winner of the Lincoln, Neb., regional -- in a best-of-three Super Regional on Friday and Saturday (May 27-28) at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Mich. Game times are 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (if necessary) Saturday.

NOTES

The win gave Michigan its eighth regional title in school history.

With the win, Michigan is 6-1 all-time against North Carolina.

Michigan beat North Carolina 5-0 earlier in the season on March 18 in the Kia Classic in Fullerton, Calif.

Despite the loss, it was the furthest North Carolina had ever gone in the NCAA tournament. They were 1-2 in 2001, 2003 and 2004.

With the loss, North Carolina is 2-12 this season against ranked opponents.