OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The focus of the Michigan softball team shifted from staying alive to staying awake on Saturday night. The Wolverines successfully did both with a 2-0 win over Arizona State in its first elimination game of the Women's College World Series.
2013 NCAA WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com file photo
Game 1 - Washington 4, Nebraska 3 (8 innings)
Game 2 - Tennessee 9, Florida 2
Game 3 - Texas 6, Arizona State 3
Game 4 - Oklahoma 7, Michigan 1
Friday
Games 5 & 6 postponed
Saturday
Game 5 - Tennessee 1, Washington 0
Game 6 - Oklahoma 10, Texas 2
Game 7 - Florida 9, Nebraska 8 (15)
Game 8 - Michigan 2, Arizona State 0
Sunday
Game 9 - Texas (50-9) vs. Florida (58-8), 1 p.m., ESPN
Game 10 - Washington (44-16) vs. Michigan (51-12), 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 11 Tennessee (51-10) vs. Game 9 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN
Game 12 — Oklahoma (54-4) vs. Game 10 winner, 9:30 p.m. ESPN
Monday
Game 13 — Game 11 winner vs. Game 11 loser, TBA (if necessary)
Game 14 — Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser, TBA (if necessary)
Championship Series
Monday: Teams TBD, 8 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday: Teams TBD, 8 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday: Teams TBD, 8 p.m., ESPN (if necessary)
Romero's third-inning home run against starter Dallas Escobedo (30-6) landed on a walkway at the front of the right-field bleachers.
"I was seeing the ball really well off Dallas," Romero said. "She's a great pitcher, and I just took the ball where she pitched it."
More coverage: Boxscore
Arizona State, the 2008 and 2011 national champions, was shut out for the first time all season. Driesenga (31-8) allowed seven singles and walked three as Michigan (51-12) advanced to another elimination game later Sunday against Washington (3:30 p.m., ESPN).
Michigan was originally scheduled to play Arizona State at 2:30 p.m., but the game was postponed to a 9:30 p.m. start time because Friday's games were postponed due to severe weather in the Oklahoma City area. The first pitch wasn't thrown until six minutes before midnight because the preceding game between Florida and Nebraska went 15 innings with the Gators winning 9-8. The game didn't end until nearly 2:30 a.m.
"These are college kids. This is their normal hour," Wolverines coach Carol Hutchins said. "The coaches, not so much. But these are college kids, and they thrive at night."
The fifth-seeded Sun Devils (50-12) failed to score after loading the bases with no outs in the fifth. Amber Freeman grounded into a double play and, after cleanup hitter Haley Steele was walked intentionally, Bethany Kemp struck out swinging.
Arizona State also left the bases loaded in the third when Steele grounded out to end the inning. The Sun Devils had ranked fourth in the nation in scoring, at 6.8 runs per game.
"We had people in scoring position and couldn't get it done," coach Clint Myers said. "We didn't do the timely hitting. That's what wins you ballgames."
Escobedo, the team's ace as a freshman on the national title team two years ago, walked four and gave up three hits in 2 1-3 innings.
"I was very anxious out there. I feel like I was trying too hard to put it in the zone when I should have just did what I've been doing all season," she said. "I don't know. It wasn't me."
The winner of Michigan game against Washington will play Oklahoma at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday (ESPN). Michigan lost its opening round game to Oklahoma 7-1.