Alex Storako’s 2-hitter sends Michigan softball to regional final

Alex Storako stifled South Dakota State batters as soon as once more Sunday to maintain the Michigan softball crew’s season alive.

After permitting one run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings in a 2-1 Wolverines win over the Jackrabbits on Friday to start NCAA regional play, Storako was simply as dominant Sunday. The 2-time all-Massive Ten first-team choice threw a two-hitter and struck out 12 in a 4-1 Michigan victory in Orlando, Florida.

The Wolverines (37-18), who misplaced to College of Central Florida, the regional host, 3-2 in 11 innings Saturday, advance to face the Knights at 3:25 p.m. Sunday in a regional remaining. They should beat UCF twice to win their first regional since 2016.

With Sunday’s efficiency, Storako improved to 25-8 whereas decreasing her ERA to 1.61. She took a shutout into the seventh inning earlier than Cylie Halvorson led off together with her team-leading nineteenth dwelling run of the season. A Halvorson dwelling run additionally was Storako’s solely blemish Friday.

Michigan was scheduled to play its first elimination recreation Saturday, however storms in Orlando led to the rest of SDSU and Villanova’s elimination recreation and the Wolverines’ subsequent recreation getting postponed till Sunday.

SDSU edged Villanova in further innings to arrange a rematch towards the Wolverines.

After mustering 4 runs and 11 hits mixed in its first two regional video games, Michigan’s offense obtained the bats going early Sunday.

Outfielder Kristina Burkhardt, a graduate switch from North Carolina, opened the sport with a stroll and scored later within the inning on an error. Within the second inning, she hit a two-out three-run dwelling run to offer Michigan a 4-0 lead. It was Burkhardt’s second dwelling run of the season.

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The Wolverines completed with eight hits and had a number of alternatives to pad their lead, however they stranded eight runners on base.