FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The University of Michigan-Dearborn softball team earned a critical split against the Aquinas College Saints on Wednesday (Apr. 9). After dropping game one 5-2, the Wolverines came back in game two and won in walk-off fashion thanks to a solo home run from Brooklyn Jones.
Aquinas got off to a hot start in the top of the first, capitalizing on a UM-Dearborn error and a Katie Carlson RBI single to go up 2-0. They extended their lead to 3-1 in the second after a Patrina Marsh RBI double.
UM-Dearborn stayed close behind, with Olivia Scott and Lindsay Marlewitz each driving in runs early. The Wolverines chipped away, trailing 3-2 after two innings.
The Saints looked like they had the game in hand in the sixth when Carlson smashed a momentum-shifting grand slam, pushing Aquinas ahead 7-2. Carlson finished the game 2-for-3 with 5 RBIs and a walk.
But UM-Dearborn was far from done.
In the bottom of the sixth, Ava Craft launched a 2-run homer, and shortly after, Kendyl Gearhart followed with a 2-run shot of her own. The back-to-back blasts closed the gap to just 7-6, setting the stage for late-inning drama.
After a clean top of the seventh pitched by Sydni Uhlenberg—who picked up the win—the Wolverines came to bat with one last chance.
On the very first pitch of the bottom of the seventh, Brooklynn Jones delivered the decisive blow: a solo home run that cleared the fence and sent the home dugout into celebration mode. It was Jones' only hit of the day, but it was the one that mattered most.
