BTN.com staff, BTN.com staff, May 3, 2013

The Michigan softball team (42-9, 18-2 Big Ten) secured the outright Big Ten Championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the 2013 Big Ten Softball Tournament with its 2-1 victory over Northwestern on Friday. The victory clinches the 16th conference championship in program history and sixth consecutive.

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Michigan scored once in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI single by Sierra Romero, but Northwestern tied the game when Andrea DiPrima drove in Amy Letourneau in the top of the fourth. The game-winning run came in the bottom of the fifth when Nicole Sappingfield drove home Sara Driesenga, who also earned the win in the circle after surrendering just two hits, for the decisive run.