Feb. 15, 2009

Box Score

HENDERSON, Nev. - No. 6/5 Michigan's (8-2) offense was too much for Saint Louis in the final game of the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Henderson, Nev. on Sunday morning as the Billikens (1-4) fell 12-1.

The Bills jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. With one out, Nicki Jost's triple down the right field line. A two-out single from the Wolverines' Maggie Viefhaus in the bottom of the frame set up Amanda Chidester's RBI double that screamed down the left field line to knot the score at 1-1. A wild pitch allowed Chidester to take third and she then scored on a passed ball for the one-run edge.

Michigan's Bree Evans singled to start the third and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. SLU starter Kelcie Matesa hit the ensuing batter before issuing a walk to load the bases. Another base on balls brought the first run across before Roya St. Clair hit an RBI single up the middle. Angela Findlay's sacrifice fly made it a four-run game. Then Molly Bausher drove a single up the middle to give the Wolverines a 6-1 lead.

In the fifth, UM tacked on a run when Molly Bausher laced a two-out RBI double to the fence in center field. The Wolverines scored on a passed ball in the sixth and a grand slam from Marley Powers ended the contest courtesy of the run rule.

Nikki Nemitz (5-1) fanned 12 Billiken hitters and surrendered just one hit in the complete-game victory. Matesa (0-3) suffered the loss after allowing 11 hits, walking five and fanning one in six innings.