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.
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Harmful algal blooms have been reported on two notable lakes in West Michigan: Gun Lake and Muskegon Lake.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says cyanobacteria was reported on Muskegon Lake July 3, but no tests have confirmed it.
The Barry-Eaton District Health Department says a harmful algal bloom was confirmed Thursday on Gun Lake. The lake remains open, but the BEDHD is encouraging visitors to use caution and avoid water that has “visible algae.”
Visitors are encouraged to avoid any contact with water that appears bright green, blue-green, brown or red or has “floating mats of scum.”
Pets should also avoid the water. If they come into contact with the algae, pets should be rinsed off as soon as possible with clean, fresh water.
Exposure to algae can cause a rash or irritation to the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever and trouble breathing.
“If you become sick, contact your healthcare provider. Seek medical care right away if you have trouble breathing, severe vomiting, or other serious symptoms,” the BEDHD said in a statement. “If your pet was exposed, rinse them well with clean water and do not let them lick their fur until they have been washed. Contact your veterinarian right away if your pet has vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, trouble walking, excessive drooling, shaking, or seizures.”
Harmful algal blooms are powered by the sudden growth of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria occur naturally in lakes, rivers and ponds but is often boosted by a sudden excess of nutrients, often caused by fertilizer runoff from farms or failed septic systems.
They can last for several days and sometimes even months. The water will look “scummy” or like “spilled paint or pea soup.” They are typically found in the summer and fall — usually peaking in August or September and dying off by the end of October.
You can report a suspected harmful algal bloom to EGLE at AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov or 1.800.662.9278.
Sterling Stamping Plant is the largest in the world
Ed Daniels, vice president of North America injection and stamping operations, discusses the process of producing metal parts for Stellantis models.
Warren — Hulking metal presses line one wall of Stellantis NV’s cavernous stamping plant here, punching out the raw shapes of Jeep doors, Dodge hoods and Ram tailgates in rapid succession.
Nearby, swinging yellow robots continue the tightly choreographed work, gluing and pressing and welding smaller components to the sheet metal that eventually will start to resemble the shape of a truck or SUV.
Seven miles north, in Sterling Heights, Stellantis operates an even larger stamping plant — the biggest in the world, at 2.7 million square feet — that does much of the same work, churning out various shapes of steel and aluminum 24 hours a day.
Together, these lesser-known links in the manufacturing supply chain support all of Stellantis’ big North American assembly plants — from next-door Warren Truck Assembly Plant, where the Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV is built, to facilities in Windsor and Mexico that make minivans and pickups.
Inside Stellantis’ Huge Detroit Stamping Plants
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the automaker’s Sterling and Warren stamping plants, which are key to the company’s turnaround plan.
The Metro Detroit stamping plants, the automaker’s only two such facilities in the United States, have at times struggled in recent years, facing major job cuts and worker morale issues amid slowing sales and shifting production plans. But under Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, the facilities are expected to cram in more workload — and add staff — as Stellantis begins a new five-year strategic turnaround plan, which includes a heavy focus on its most profitable North American market.
The carmaker’s goal: grow sales by more than a third to 1.9 million annually by 2030 as it launches 23 vehicles, including 11 all-new models. The company also is directing billions of dollars of investment into its U.S. manufacturing footprint due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“Stamping has never really been viewed as the sexy side of automotive manufacturing, we’re relatively invisible,” said Ed Daniels Jr., vice president of North America injection and stamping operations. “Because when you look at the commercials and advertisements, it’s always a beautiful Ram rolling off the assembly line or climbing the side of a mountain.
“But we’re the inception of that vehicle,” he said. “This is where raw materials are turned into commodities and parts.”
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the two plants that combined employ about 3,000 people. The automaker wanted to show off a newly-installed blanking press at Warren Stamping and other machinery like a high-speed transfer press and a robot that spots flaws in the metal.
Hiring expected
The blanking press unspools long coils of metal and chops them up into pieces that can then be shaped into roofs, fenders and floor pans. Stellantis shipped the massive machine to Warren from its idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois last year.
After upgrades to the machine, executives said it’s able to produce as many as 120,000 metal blanks per week. It will save Stellantis money since the plant will no longer need to pay a supplier to break down the coils before the metal arrives there.
The blanker addition is a big deal for the plant and signals that the company wants to bring more work in-house and invest in the facility over the coming years, said Romaine McKinney III, president of United Auto Workers Local 869, which represents workers at the factory.
The plant has already brought back all of its laid-off UAW workers, and McKinney said he anticipates more hiring to get underway if sales grow and new Stellantis vehicles come to market.
In another corner of the Warren facility, one of the fastest press lines in the world — known internally as the Hellcat — pushes as many as 15 pieces of metal through per minute. Dies that weigh up to 50 tons apiece squish the material into the shapes of doors and hoods before robotic arms snatch them out and place them on conveyor belts. Midway through a shift, workers can reconfigure the machine to make a different component, a process that takes just five minutes.
Robots check for quality
Curtis Booth, who manages Warren Stamping, said manual processes inside the plant have become increasingly automated, and safer, over the last couple decades, even as the automaker’s two stamping factories still utilize some presses that were installed in the 1960s.
The latest high-tech addition is the Automated Body Inspection System, or ABIS. It’s a camera system mounted on a robot that automatically checks the quality of components and flags anything in need of repair.
Auto plants of all kinds are increasingly turning to these types of camera systems, infused with artificial intelligence, to catch flaws in sheet metal and other components before they are shipped. Booth said worker visual inspections are still used. But in some cases the human eye has too much subjectivity, and the ABIS removes the guesswork.
Greg Bauer, who manages Sterling Stamping, said his plant has added staff over the past year, and expects to continue hiring as more work is assigned to the facility. There is no space at the plant to add more presses, but officials have figured out how to increase efficiency — quickly toggling back and forth between making doors for a Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger on on a single machine, for example.
“We want to bring high-volume parts into the plant, and we want to maximize the capacity of the equipment,” Daniels said.
lramseth@detroitnews.com
MENOMINEE, Mich. (WLUK) — 24-year-old Ethan Raymond Masters of Menominee was arrested on sexual assault charges June 30th, according to the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, deputies learned of an incident involving a 24-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl which happened in Menominee June 22nd. Following a sexual assault investigation, police charged Masters.
Masters was arraigned July 2nd on 2 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct First Degree. He remains in the Menominee County Jail on a $250,000 cash bond.
Menominee City Police and the Michigan State Police Crime Laboratory of Marquette assisted with the investigation.
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