Softball Wins MACtion Match-Up, No-Hits Hurons 4-0
It was a bit of a lethargic day for offense at Alumni Field this afternoon, as the Michigan Wolverines took on their foe from just up the road, the EMU Hurons. A Tera Blanco solo-shot was the only hit from Michigan's top 4 batters on the day, but it alone would have been enough to get the win. Fortunately, there was a little more padding than that. Single runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th innings provided the 4-0 margin that Michigan needed.
The real story in this one, though, was in the circle. Senior Tera Blanco gave perhaps her best performance yet in Maize & Blue, going 7 full innings, striking out 12 while ceding just 2 walks. Even better, she threw the complete-game no-hitter, the first of her Michigan career. This gives all three pitchers on the Michigan staff - Beaubien, Schaefer, and Blanco - a no-hitter on the season.
While beating the 4-28 Hurons is nothing to get overly worked up about, a no-hitter is always a great accomplishment. The fact that Michigan has 3 pitchers who've done it in a single season says a lot about how this team has transformed & found a new identity. While the team is still top-20 in batting average & top-40 in runs per game, they are now top 5 nationally in team ERA, and #2 in fielding percentage. This is an elite defensive team, both in the circle and in the field. As we've learned from basketball, that can take you a long way in a tournament.
Michigan's next game will be tomorrow evening at home 6 PM against MSU. The match-up will be on ESPNU, so be sure to tune in!
This years team is John Beliening it....some rough patches early but improving with each and every game towards the tourny...Will be peaking at the right time if form holds true..GO BLUE!!! Iong time SB fan..always give me something to cheer for during the off BB and FB sesons....and ALWAYS nationally competitmive
Go Tera Blanco! She's had her issues on the hill so it's great to see her turn it around. Ditto the team as a whole. Turn it up down the stretch!
Her performance as a pitcher will honestly be one of the biggest factors in our season, esp. the post-season. Beaubien is the ace, but to really succeed in the tournament, it helps a ton to have a second viable option. If she (and/or Schaefer) can give us some good innings in postseason, that could be huge.
And with that, all 3 of our pitchers have a no-hitter this year. Cool. I'd be interested in how many times that's happened before.
Paging WD... :)
I would guess 3 different pitchers in one season has never happened. Our 5 overall this season are a program record. With the previous record being 4 in one season, I highly doubt they were by 3 different people. I am looking up the previous no-hitters now-- there aren't a ton.
No-Hitters
8 Jordan Taylor 2008-11
5 Jennie Ritter 2003-06
4 Vicki Morrow 1984-87
3 Megan Betsa 2014-pres.
2 Marissa Young 2000-03
Kelly Holmes 1994-97
Sara Griffin 1995-98
The only ones (who only had 1 each) that overlapped were Holmes and Griffin in the mid 90's
Should have been scored a hit, not an error. Thank goodness for being at home and in the 7th.
The scoring could have gone either way. (For those who didn't see it, with 2 out in the 7th the Eastern batter hit a sharp grounder between short and third. Uden at third got her glove on it but couldn't field it cleanly and the batter was safe.) If I was scoring, and I'm not expert, I'd have called it a hit. So give it a half asterick.
Great game by Blanco, even if it's against a losing team.
Pretty solid showing by the Hurongles actually.
I had forgotten about softball being cut at Eastern Michigan. This was the last time Softball will see the Lady Eagles. Series over. Glad we took the W for the swan song.
Anyway, nice to see sort-of local Zeeland Zip Haley Hoogenraad becoming more of a force lately. People were saying she was looking like a four-year fixture in the outfield as a freshman last year. She didn't break through, but she has this year and is providing some punch at the bottom of the order.
Yes, EMU will discontinue softball, becoming the only MAC university not to field a varsity softball team. Meanwhile, they will remain the only MAC university with a varsity crew team.
April 11th, 2018 at 11:29 AM ^
definitely carry you a long ways and cover up some deficiencies. Congrats to Tera on a great game, but this team still needs to get the offense going if it wants to make a deep run. You get in the tourney and even our good pitching will get hit.
We need to put up more then 4 runs against a team like EMU and may need to put up 3-4 runs a game even in the tourney. Been surprised they have been somewhat anemic this season.
Go Blue and pound Sparty tonight.
FYI-The Hurons are now known as the EMU Eagles.