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ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Laura Pond smashed her first career home run as Oakland (27-23) dropped a 9-1 decision to No. 3 Michigan (52-6) in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship Ann Arbor Regional on Friday at Alumni Field inside the Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex. Haley Zemmer was solid in relief allowing only two runs (one unearned) with two strikeouts while Erin Kownacki tossed 2.1 innings also with two strikeouts. The Golden Grizzlies will now face Pittsburgh (35-21), who lost 11-3 to No. 19 California, in an elimination game on Saturday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

Pond recorded Oakland's only hit going 1-for-2 as the Golden Grizzlies had trouble offensively against U-M's Megan Betsa who showed why she was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year tallying 10 strikeouts in 4.0 innings pitched.

Michigan got the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the first inning. However, Kownacki was able to work out of the jam surrendering only one run as Courtnee Johnson made a spectacular diving catch in left field foul territory with the runner on third tagging on the play to give U-M a 1-0 lead.

In the third inning, Pond turned on an inside pitch from Betsa and blasted it into the right field stands to cut U-M's lead in half at 2-1. The third time through the lineup proved to be the charm as the Wolverines got a RBI double from Lindsay Montemarano followed by a bases loaded walk and hit batter to end Kownacki's day. Zemmer came in with the bases loaded and surrendered a two-run single to Sierra Romero to increase U-M's lead to 7-1.

U-M added another unearned run in the bottom of the fifth to move ahead 8-1 and closed the game in the sixth with a RBI double from Taylor Swearingen for the 9-1 win.

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