Maegen Boehm’s Complete Game Lifts Dearborn Past St. Francis 2-1
Maegen Boehm Goes the Distance vs. St. Francis
Tonight’s matchup between the University of Michigan-Dearborn Wolverines and the University of St. Francis Cougars shaped up to be a battle of the pitchers, with only 10 hits and three runs out of the 48 at bats. Both teams were looking to keep their win streak for the day alive, especially the Wolverines, who had an 0-3 record to start the week yesterday.
With Maegen Boehm in the circle for Dearborn, the Cougars came out swinging early. Leadoff hitter Madyson Minnich doubled to get things started. After a foul out and fly out from the two and three holes, Paiton Iliff brought some life back with a single that moved Minnich to third. But a groundout by Sam Baker closed the door on the top of the first without any damage.
Alexa Huth had a quick bottom half in the circle for St. Francis, sitting the Wolverines down with a fly out, strikeout, and line out.
Boehm came back out for the top of the second, and the Cougars had nothing going. Bekah Patterson worked a full count but ended up grounding out to end a quiet inning.
The bottom of the second got a little more interesting. Boehm helped her own cause with a single off Huth but was caught stealing for the first out. Huth followed that up with a strikeout of Kendyl Gearhart, but then issued a full count walk to Ava Craft. Elizabeth Petrella grounded out to end the frame.
After the first two batters of the third went down on a fly out and line out, Boehm picked up her first strikeout of the night, getting Abby Robakowski swinging to close out a clean inning.
The Wolverines’ bats finally started to heat up in the bottom of the fourth. Braylin Grueter led off with a single but was erased on a fielder’s choice that put Lindsay Marlewitz on first. Huth gave up a four pitch walk to Boehm, putting two on with one out.
A sac fly by Gearhart moved Marlewitz over to third, and then Craft came through with a line drive single that brought Marlewitz home for the first run of the game. Wolverines up 1-0.
The Cougars answered right back in the top of the fifth. Bree Miller singled to lead things off, and Patterson reached on a fielder’s choice. Then Emma Howdeshell brought the energy with a triple that scored Patterson and tied the game at 1-1.
Things got dicey for Dearborn when a single by Robakowski and a walk by Macie Dowd loaded the bases with the Cougars looking to take the lead. But Boehm buckled down and got Iliff swinging to escape the jam.
Haylee Schott took over in the circle for St. Francis in the bottom of the fifth. The Wolverines put some traffic on the bases but couldn’t push a run across, and the Cougars got out of the inning without any damage.
The game moved to the top of the sixth with Boehm still in the circle, and she did her thing by inducing three straight groundouts to keep it tied. St. Francis and Schott came back out for the bottom half, and this is where things took a turn. Boehm led off and reached on a throwing error, giving Dearborn a baserunner with the chance to break the tie.
She advanced on a Gearhart sac bunt but was eliminated on a fielder’s choice with Craft reaching. Craft then stole second and third with Petrella at the plate. Petrella battled through a seven pitch walk to put runners on the corners with two outs. Finlaw then beat out an infield hit to short, and the throw didn’t get there in time, allowing Craft to come home and give the Wolverines the 2-1 lead.
That would be all they needed. Boehm came back out for the seventh and only allowed a two out double to Minnich before closing the door. She went the full 7.0 innings, giving up just one run on six hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
A gutsy complete game performance from Boehm and a huge win for a Dearborn team that needed it after a rough start to the week.
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