Abby Ramirez had four hits and finished a triple shy of the cycle.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Abby Ramirez went a career-best 4-for-4 from the plate, knocking out her first collegiate home run, to headline No. 4 Michigan's 16-3, five-inning win against Rutgers on Saturday afternoon at the RU Softball Complex.
The bottom of the Wolverine order -- Tera Blanco, Lindsay Montemarano and Ramirez -- batted 9-for-12. Ramirez and Montemarano, who also tallied a career best with three hits, combined for seven runs batted in. Kelly Christner and Lauren Sweet also belted out home runs.
Haylie Wagner (16-2) struck out three while allowing three runs -- just one earned -- on four hits and no walks. It marks Wagner's seventh consecutive win in as many starts.
After U-M manufactured a pair of early runs, Ramirez blew the game open with her three-run homer in the top of the second. She was poised to bunt with two runners on and one out, but when the runners advanced instead on a passed ball, Ramirez swung away, slapping the ball deep over the fence for her first collegiate long ball.
Ramirez doubled in her next turn at the plate to kickstart an eight-run fourth inning for the Maize and Blue, scoring when Christner drove a two-out, three-run blast deep over the center field fence -- her third home run of the weekend. Sweet also homered to center field just two batters later, and Montemarano and Sierra Lawrence followed with RBI hits. The Wolverines boasted eight base knocks in the frame.
The Wolverines plated three more runs in the fifth on a bases-loaded groundout and back-to-back RBI hits from Montemarano and Ramirez; the latter smacked her second double of the contest into left field. Ramirez finished a triple shy of the cycle.
