Michigan
Nebraska softball team falls in nine innings at Michigan
LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Athletics) – The Nebraska softball team pitched out of trouble most of the night Friday but a ninth-inning walk-off home run lifted Michigan to a 4-3 series-opening win in Ann Arbor.
The game headed to extra innings tied 2-2 before Samantha Bland gave Nebraska the lead with a leadoff home run in the top of the eighth. A two-out rally from Michigan in the bottom of the inning tied the game, but the Wolverines missed a chance to win it by leaving the bases loaded.
Then in the ninth, Nebraska stranded a runner at second base in its half of the inning before Ava Costales hit a walk-off home run to left center with one out.
Nebraska’s pitching staff did well in limiting one of the conference’s top offenses. Michigan entered the game averaging 7.5 runs per game in its first 14 Big Ten games, but the Huskers held the Wolverines to just four runs.
Sarah Harness and Kaylin Kinney were able to escape jams throughout the night to give Nebraska a chance. Michigan had the leadoff runner on base in six of its nine innings but the Wolverines were just 3-for-20 with runners on base and 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Michigan stranded 15 base runners in the game.
Michigan left the bases loaded four times, including the sixth inning when the Wolverines loaded the bases with no outs but did not score. The two runs Michigan scored in regulation were an unearned run in the first inning and a bases-loaded walk in the fourth.
Kinney (15-11) took the loss, allowing two runs in 5.0 innings. Harness started and was charged with two runs (one earned) in 3.1 innings. While both pitchers were effective in pressure situations, but the duo did combine to walk a season-high nine batters.
Offensively, Nebraska had just one hit in the first seven innings as Bland’s eighth-inning home run was just the second hit of the game for the Huskers. Nebraska was out-hit 9-5. The Huskers drew four walks and were hit by four pitches, but Nebraska was just 2-for-14 with runners on base and stranded 10 runners.
Sydney Gray went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and two RBIs. Bland finished 1-for-5 with her home run. Billie Andrews and Caitlynn Neal produced Nebraska’s other hits.
Nebraska fell to 25-17 with the loss and dropped to 8-4 in Big Ten play. Michigan improved to 11-0 at home while moving to 31-14 overall and 12-3 in conference play. Hannah George (3-1) earned the win in relief by tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
Michigan took advantage of a Husker miscue to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Following a bloop leadoff double, a passed ball moved the runner to third with no outs. Harness then retired the next three hitters with back-to-back ground outs and a fly out, but the second ground out scored the runner from third.
Nebraska’s offense was quiet until the top of the fourth. Peyton Cody drew a leadoff walk before Michigan got two outs. Neal was hit by a two-out pitch to bring up Gray, who recorded the Huskers’ first hit of the game with a two-run double to left to give Nebraska a 2-1 lead. Bella Bacon and Ava Bredwell were both then hit by a pitch to load the bases for Billie Andrews, who flew out to the wall in center.
Michigan came right back in the bottom of the frame. The Wolverines had a pair of singles to begin the inning and a one-out walk loaded the bases and brought Kinney into the game. Kinney coaxed a comebacker to the circle and threw home for the second out of the inning. The next batter drew a seven-pitch walk to score a run and tie the game at 2-2. But Kinney limited the damage with an inning-ending strikeout.
The Wolverines continued to put together scoring chances in the top of the sixth. The first three batters all walked to load the bases with no outs. But Kinney escaped the jam with a force out at home, a strikeout and a foul out.
In the top of the seventh, Bredwell was hit by a pitch and Billie Andrews walked to put runners at first and second with one out but the Huskers were unable to score.
Kinney then quickly retired the first two batters of the bottom of the seventh before a hit batter, an error and an infield bloop single loaded the bases with two outs. She escaped the jam when Gray fielded a chopper at third and dove to touch the third base bag with her glove just before the runner made it to the base.
In the top of the eighth, Bland led off with a home run to left. After a strikeout, Neal and Gray had back-to-back singles. Bacon then lined a ball to left where Ellie Sieler made a sliding catch to save at least one run.
In the bottom of the eighth, Kinney recorded the first two outs on just three pitches. A bunt single put the tying run on base and a bloop single that just eluded a diving Neal in right field scored the tying run. With first base open and Keke Tholl, the reigning Big Ten and National Player of the Week at the plate, Nebraska issued an intentional walk. A wild pitch moved the runners up to second and third so the Huskers issued a second intentional walk to load the bases. Kinney then fell behind the next hitter 3-1 before coming back with two straight strikes for an inning-ending strikeout.
In the top of the ninth, Billie Andrews began the inning with a single. Katelyn Caneda then moved Andrews to second base with a sacrifice bunt. But Andrews was left stranded at second base.
In the bottom of the ninth, Kinney won a nine-pitch at bat with a ground out before Costales hit her walk-off homer on a 1-0 pitch.
Nebraska and Michigan continued their series on Saturday at 1 p.m. (Central).
Post-Game Notes
- Nebraska played its eighth extra-inning game of the season, falling to 4-4 in extra innings.
- The Huskers have played five extra-inning games in Big Ten play, posting a 3-2 record in those games.
- Including tonight, in three of Nebraska’s four Big Ten losses this season, the game was tied or the Huskers led in the sixth inning or later.
- Samantha Bland’s eighth-inning home run was her fifth home run of the season.
Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2024 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Emergency responders navigate Black Lake looking to rescue flood victims
Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection were on Black Lake looking for flood victims April 17, 2026.
The Cheboygan River level remained elevated Sunday as forecasters continued to issue fresh warnings about flooding in the region, though measurements at the dam were trending gradually downward.
The river was 7.56 inches below the top of the dam as of 12:45 p.m. Sunday, about a quarter of an inch below the prior measurement taken at 8:30 a.m., according to Michigan State Police. Levels had fluctuated around the seven-inch range below the dam’s top late Friday and Saturday after surging substantially higher earlier in the week.
State officials alerted the public about the emergency at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex on April 10 when the river was 18 inches below the dam’s top. It then fell 2 inches to 20 inches below cresting on Saturday before starting five consecutive days of rising levels, raising concerns over the potential for a major flood disaster downstream in and around the city of Cheboygan.
Scattered snow showers are possible in Cheboygan and other parts of the northern Lower Peninsula on Sunday and into Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service. Much of the remainder of the week is expected to be sunny.
The weather agency on Sunday morning posted a flood warning for Cheboygan and Emmet counties that’s in effect until 8 p.m. Tuesday. “Expect many areas of slow moving or standing water,” it said.
People should stay away from flooded roads to avoid being swept away, the agency said, adding that “river banks and culverts can become unstable and unsafe.”
The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office also warned of “significant debris” flowing through local waterways and urged residents to stay away. The sheriff listed on its Facebook page more than a dozen road closures as of Sunday.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development urged residents Sunday to keep animals and farm equipment safe. It said livestock should be moved to higher ground, and utilities for lower-lying farm building should be switched off. Building doors and windows should be left partially open to “equalize pressure and help prevent buildings from shifting.”
The agency also broadly warned about the dangers of floodwater, given that it can contain harmful bacteria, sewage, toxic chemicals and debris. Pets should be kept way, the MDARD said. And all food and utensils should be kept away from it.
Michigan State Police scheduled a meeting at 6 p.m. Sunday to provide the public an update on the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex situation. It will take place at the Cheboygan Opera House, 403 North Huran St., in Cheboygan. Residents can also join remotely via Zoom, with details on the agency’s social media pages.
lramseth@detroitnews.com
Lansing — Jocelyn Benson, the front runner for the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor, said she believes her work in eight years as secretary of state will help convince voters to promote her this fall.
On Sunday, during a convention in Detroit, Democrats will pick a new secretary of state nominee. And on Thursday, Benson’s campaign for governor submitted about 30,000 petition signatures to get her name on the Aug. 4 primary ballot.
Amid those key moments in the 2026 election cycle, Benson, a former law school dean, sat down Thursday afternoon for an interview with The Detroit News about her time as secretary of state.
“I think that’s what people are looking for: A government that saves them time, saves them money and makes their life easier,” Benson contended. “I’ve done that as secretary of state, and I’ll do that as governor.”
The following interview was edited for length and clarity.
Question: You just dropped off your signatures this weekend. The Democrats are going to be gathering to nominate a new person for secretary of state. I was just looking over your campaign promises from 2017, do you feel like you hit them?
Benson: I had two goals when I came into office: wait times down and voter turnout up. And we did both, and I’m really proud of that.
When I started, we did a strategic planning session every January, and during our first strategic planning session in 2019, we filled the whiteboard on every wall in the office. And in our most recent one, the final one, we had just sort of one, just one little to-do list item left, which was really gratifying. Because we have not just increased turnout, but we’ve transformed our elections, eliminated gerrymandering, implemented the state’s first-ever citizens redistricting commission, which was no easy task, and then also implemented a number of new election procedures and options, educated voters about them and took Michigan’s elections from being ranked 31st in the country to No. 2.
We also did that while reducing those wait times (in Secretary of State offices), transforming our customer service experience. … Wait times are consistently 20 minutes or less, which was my No. 1 campaign goal.
Q: What were some of the strategies you used to get the wait times down for people?
A: No. 1, we listened to our employees, and No. 2, we collected data about what wasn’t working. You can’t fix what you can’t measure. And No. 3, we actually went around the country and looked at what states that actually had low wait times were doing. There weren’t many, but there were a few. Indiana and Illinois, had some interesting things that they did, and we took best practices that were working in other states and replicated them here.
But that first piece was key, listening to our employees. Early on in the process, we brought everyone in, all the branch office directors. I was expecting a daylong retreat where we would be discussing ideas, and I sat down with the director of branch office services. He had a whole PowerPoint presentation that went through everything we needed to do, from filling 900 vacant positions that were just vacant and not filled, to creating internally this opportunity for people to schedule the visit ahead of time.
We didn’t pay someone else to build that. That was built by our employees.
Q: When you ran in 2018, one of the big things you were talking about was election security. Do you feel like you’ve achieved that: improving election security? And what do you think about more people probably having faith in the results of elections then than they do now?
A: I am really proud of the fact that in this era of misinformation, we were able to protect our elections and ensure they remained secure.
While withstanding this unprecedented scrutiny and an unprecedented level of frivolous lawsuits, sham legislative hearings and falsehoods spread about our elections in the eye of the storm, we not only met the moment, but we built a better election system through it. That’s evidenced by the fact that we now have choices on how to vote in our state, we’ve modernized how you can register to vote and have increased the registration numbers we have.
Q: If one of these current candidates for secretary of state came to you and said, “I believe that the election is secure and everything is fine, but obviously there’s a lot of voters who don’t. How do we improve that?” What would you say to them?
A: Transparency is our friend.
Q: Just continue to open the process up as much as possible?
A: Well, the facts are on our side. The process is secure. So one of the most important things we need to do first is just continue to give people the tools that they need to get their questions answered and work with folks across the aisle, like we worked with Sen. Ed McBroom in 2021 to invite them into the process as well as answer questions that they have, while also, of course, maintaining any necessary confidence or security about the information that we’re providing.
But the through line is just transparency.
Q: What do you say to some of your opponents who will say, “Yeah, you decreased wait times. But what about the campaign finance website?” It’s not functioning, as they would hope it would.
A: Well, it’s certainly better than what we’ve had in the past. I think it’s important to remember that when I first ran for office, one of the things I heard most on the trail was actually, when are you going to get rid of MERTS (the former campaign finance disclosure system)?
Q: But that’s from people who are on the back end of it?
A: Right. Yeah. So I didn’t want to leave office without taking on that behemoth, knowing that it wasn’t going to be a smooth process, but it’s a necessary one if we were actually going to have a more transparent system, which I would argue also is something that the next secretary of state really needs to lean into more: getting money out of politics. I’ll be an ally for that as governor.
But when it comes to MITN and that process, one, what it really underscores is that I’m not afraid to take on big behemoths that others, frankly, past secretaries of state, refused to do, because it was too hard. And it does invite criticism. Whenever you try to transform a massive system that’s broken, yes, there are going to be hiccups along the way.
Q: Do you think voters are interested in that message: “I’ve improved these systems. I’m in government. I’ve succeeded in government. I can make it work.” Or are they looking for someone to just change everything?
A: People see a broken system that needs fixing, and they know I have transformed and fixed a system that every single one of our residents has interacted with. The other day, I was picking up food for my son and husband, and walking out with bags of food, and this gentleman in a pickup truck pulled up next to me in the parking lot and said, “Excuse me, are you the secretary of state?”
I was like, “I am.” And he said, “You know, I’m not political or anything. But I just was driving down this road the other day and realized when I passed the secretary of state’s office that it’s been years since I’ve had to go in there. Thank you for everything you’ve done to make that possible for me.” And I said, “Yeah, now imagine if all of government worked that well.”
Q: Do you think all three of the Democratic candidates running for secretary of state would be a good secretary of state? I know you’re not endorsing.
A: I’m committed to working with whoever comes through the convention and making sure they’re prepared to build on what we’ve done and achieve even more success.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
Before-and-after images of homes on Black Lake near Onaway provide perspectives on how the community was affected by April flooding.
Snowmelt and rain have stressed dams and caused lakes to flood in northern Michigan.
The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office shared on social media photos and videos that the agency captured of Cheboygan County floods on Friday, April 17 from both the ground and air.
Deputies “observed a level of destruction that simply cannot be understood from ground level,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.
Google Maps images taken from two locations on Black Lake in 2024, compared with the Friday images, show how the floodwater has changed the landscape.
On North Black River Road and Taylor Road, the water has overflowed to North Black River Road.
In the 400 block of South Black River Road, water has also flooded homes and lakeside property.
“Black Lake, Black River, Cheboygan River, Burt Lake, Mullet Lake, the Sturgeon River − and nearly every waterway in the county have overflowed beyond their banks, swallowing docks, roads, yards, and in far too many cases, homes,” the sheriff’s office post said. “What should be familiar shorelines are now unrecognizable expanses of water.”
“Our hearts are with every family affected by this flooding,” Cheboygan County Sheriff Todd Ross said in the post. “We know many of you are facing significant damage to your homes and property, and the emotional toll that comes with it. Please know you are not alone. We are working around the clock with our partners to ensure safety, provide support, and begin the process of recovery. Stay strong, stay connected, and don’t hesitate to reach out for help, we will get through this together.”
Nearby, the UAW Black Lake Conference Center shared images on social media of floodwater threatening its Old Lodge.
The conference center is located at 2000 Maxon Road in Waverly Township.
The Cheboygan County Road Commission and the Cheboygan County Office of Emergency Management closed the bridge at Five Mile Point Road on Saturday, April 18 due to significant road washout in the area of South Black River Road and Red Bridge Road.
The sheriff’s office had encouraged residents in parts of the area to evacuate earlier in the week and said Saturday it had completed evacuation efforts on the west side of the lake.
-
Indiana2 minutes agoProjecting the Indiana Fever’s 2026 Starting Lineup
-
Iowa8 minutes ago5 people wounded in shooting near University of Iowa campus, including 3 students
-
Kansas14 minutes agoKansas Governor signs Caleb’s Law, targeting online sextortion of minors
-
Kentucky20 minutes agoMissing on this PF in the transfer portal could be a good thing for Kentucky
-
Louisiana26 minutes agoAt least 8 children killed in shooting in Louisiana, US
-
Maine32 minutes agoWet, cooler today; rain & snow impacts across Maine
-
Maryland38 minutes agoSpeeding motorcycle rider dies in t-bone crash along Marriottsville Road
-
Michigan44 minutes agoFlood warnings continue around Cheboygan as river level stays high