Michigan beats Oklahoma, 1-0, advances to final



ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Jennie Ritter outdueled D.J. Mathis on the mound and Alessandra Giampaolo had another key extra-base hit as Michigan beat Oklahoma 1-0 in nine innings Saturday in the NCAA Division I softball regionals.
Ritter (29-6) allowed three hits, struck out 15 batters for the second straight day and stretched her scoreless string to 44 innings for the Wolverines (42-13).
Giampaolo, the hitting star of Friday's win over Youngstown State, doubled with one out in the ninth, scoring Rebekah Milian, who reached base on a single to shortstop and moved to second on Becky Marx's sacrifice bunt.
An intentional walk to 2005 Women's College World Series hero Samantha Findlay only served to motivate Giampaono, who drilled a mistake pitch over the head of fellow center fielder Kristin Vesely. Milian scored easily to end the matchup of past WCWS champs.
Mathis (15-8) was almost as sharp as she was in Friday's one-hit shutout of Kent State. She allowed eight hits and had seven strikeouts for the Sooners (39-20-1), who dropped to the losers bracket in double-elimination play.
Ritter, whose ERA dipped to 0.58, stranded two runners in the third and sixth innings. Her biggest scare came in the second, when designated player Samantha Ricketts drilled a shot over the right-field fence, just foul for a long strike en route to another strikeout.
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