After four clean innings in the circle against Rutgers, it seemed as if the Scarlet Knights had figured out senior right-hander Lauren Derkowski. The Michigan softball team’s captain and ace held Rutgers to one collective run in the first 10 innings she pitched over the weekend. But in the fifth inning Monday, the timing finally started to click against Derkowski’s signature riseball.
In the top of the fifth inning, a leadoff home run driven over the center field wall — soon followed by a two-RBI double — put three runs on the board for the Scarlet Knights and brought Derkowski’s outing to an end. With two runners on and clutching tightly to a three-run lead, a new look in the circle was needed. Erin Hoehn was needed for the Wolverines.
Coming in for her third effort — and second of relief — in the series against Rutgers, the sophomore right-hander steered the ship back on course, forcing a quick groundout to first to end the Scarlet Knights’ threatening approach. It was the beginning of a successful relief effort that capped off a weekend in which Hoehn fulfilled her duty in a variety of roles.
Hoehn settled into the closing role seamlessly, striking out the first batter she faced in the sixth inning and not allowing any knocks on her way into the seventh.
And even in a seventh inning that started to get dicey — two quick outs followed by deep counts, a walk and a pair of singles — Hoehn buckled down as she dealt to Rutgers designated player LA Matthews. Forcing whiffs on two early riseballs, Hoehn led Matthews right into bad contact on a third, dribbling the pitch over to junior second baseman Indiana Langford for a routine play and a tally in the win column.
“She was challenged a little bit, there was a bit of adversity there,” Michigan coach Bonnie Tholl said. “But she made the pitches she needed to, especially in 3-2 counts, she made the pitch.”
It wasn’t the prettiest end to a game Michigan could have asked for, but it was one that showcased Hoehn’s resilience, both within the inning and within her auxiliary role. And even in her usual role as a starter Sunday, Hoehn was presented with opportunities to highlight her resilience once again.
Hoehn got the start on Sunday in the second game of the series, pitching 6.2 innings in an 11-3 victory for the Wolverines. It wasn’t an outing abundant in strikeouts, with Hoehn recording just three on the day. On top of that, Rutgers first baseman Riley Hwang seemed to have Hoehn’s number all day, taking her yard for a solo shot in the fourth inning and an RBI double in the sixth.
But outside of Hwang, Hoehn allowed only one other hit and two walks throughout the game. She went deep in a lot of counts but stayed true to her riseball approach, drawing mediocre contact and leaving outs in the hands of her reliable fielders to make routine plays.
“It wasn’t her sharpest day, yet she was able to figure it out and keep batters off-balance and mystified,” Tholl said Sunday. “She did a good job of limiting their chances at the plate.”
In isolated, focused efforts throughout this season, Hoehn has looked better than she did against Rutgers this weekend in any one performance. But in a weekend where Derkowski needed a pair of assists, Hoehn was there with two saves — not to mention a win of her own. This ability to stay level in every situation, and every capacity she was engaged in, displayed a different kind of dominance from Hoehn this weekend.
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