Site: Sacramento, Calif. (Sacramento Softball Complex)
Event: Capital Classic
Results: #10 Michigan 3, Southern Illinois 2;
    #10 U-M 5, Portland State 4 (9 innings)
Records: U-M (18-5), SIU (12-10), PSU (4-16)
Next U-M Game: Friday, March 19 -- vs. Indiana State at Capital Classic (Sacramento, Calif.), 7 p.m. PST

Wolverines Capture Pool With Pair of One-Run Wins

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A two-run ninth inning home run by left fielder Catherine Davie (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS) pushed No. 10-ranked University of Michigan softball to a 5-4 extra inning win over Portland State University in pool-play action at the Sacramento State Capital Classic Friday evening (March 19). Earlier in the day, Michigan defeated Southern Illinois University 3-2.

With a 3-0 pool-play record, the Wolverines advance to the Capital Classic championship bracket playoff to face Indiana State University in a 7 p.m. PST Friday night game.

Davie, who won Michigan's opening tournament game vs. Baylor University with a solo home run, sent her fourth home run of the season over the left-field fence, scoring Kelsey Kollen (Cerritos, Calif./Mater Dei HS) from second base. Davie picked up a RBI in the seventh on a double to left field and finished with a game-high three RBI.

Portland State (4-16) led 3-2 after five innings. Michigan sent the game into extra innings on Davie's RBI double in the seventh. After taking a 5-3 lead in the top of the ninth, the Wolverines (18-5) held off a rally by the Pilots in the bottom of the inning, stranding the tying run at second base after Alicia Russell scored to make it 5-4.

Junior pitcher Jamie Gillies (Saugus, Calif./Saugus HS) went the distance for U-M, allowing five hits, two walks and striking out five while improving her record to 4-2. Shevaun Seibert (4-10) was the loser.

Michigan pounded a season-high 13 hits but also committed a season-high five errors. Davie, Kollen, Traci Conrad (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way HS), Pam Kosanke (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central HS) and Stefanie Volpe (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth-Salem HS) recorded two hits each.

Against Southern Illinois Kollen collected three of Michigan's six hits, including a key two RBI double in the bottom of the second inning. Her first-year classmate, pitcher Kate Eiland (Fresno, Calif./Clovis West HS), pushed her season record to 8-2 with a five-hit complete game victory vs. the Salukis.

Michigan scored early, then twarted a pair of Southern Illinois (12-10) comebacks late. Kollen scored the Wolverines' first inning run on a Kosanke single to right field. Melissa Taylor (Deerfield, Mich./Summerfield HS) and Mary Conner (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS) each scored in the second inning, both coming home on Kollen's double to left field.

Southern Illinois scored a run in the fifth inning, then opened the seventh with back-to-back doubles. Marta Viefhaus doubled and scored on Theresa Shields' double. Shields was thrown out trying to advance to third on the hit. Eiland then forced two infield outs to end the game.

Linescores

Score by Innings		1	2	3		4	5	6		7		R	H	E
Southern Illinois (12-10)		0	0	0		0	1	0		1		2	5	2
Michigan (17-5)		1	2	0		0	0	0		x		3	6	2

SIU -- Carisa Winters and Brook Hatterman. U-M -- Kate Eiland and Karmen Lappo. W -- Eiland (8-2). L -- Winters (2-6). 2B -- SIU, Marta Viefhaus, Theresa Shields; Michigan, Kelsey Kollen (3).

Score by Innings		1	2	3		4	5	6		7	8	9		R	H	E
Michigan (18-5)		0	0	0		0	2	0		1	0	2		5	13	5
Portland State (4-16)		0	1	0		0	2	0		0	0	1		4	5	2

U-M -- Jaime Gillies and Kim Bugel, Karmen Lappo (6). PSU -- Shevaun Seibert and Katie Leneker. W -- Gillies (4-2). L -- Seibert (4-10). HR -- Michigan, Catherine Davie (4). 2B -- Michigan, Davie (11); Portland State, Monica Martell.

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