University of Minnesota Athletics
SOFTBALL TEAM HOSTS BIG TEN RIVALS MICHIGAN AND MICHIGAN STATE
4/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Schedule Changes
Minnesota added a doubleheader on its spring break trip to make up for games lost in San Diego and West Lafayette, Ind. The Gophers played Indiana State in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday, March 28, and swept the Sycamores by scores of 6-1 and 2-1. Minnesota has also postponed its home doubleheader with Concordia-St. Paul. The two games, originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 3, at 4 p.m., will now be played Wednesday, April 18, at 4 p.m. Minnesota's doubleheader against Wisconsin-Green Bay that was scheduled for April 11 has been cancelled due to rain. The games will not be rescheduled.
Big Ten Update
Michigan and Iowa have separated themselves from the Big Ten pack after two weekends of play. The Wolverines and Hawkeyes lead third-place Wisconsin by two games. Minnesota and Wisconsin are the only two teams that have not seen their home field in conference play. With the top six teams making the Big Ten tournament, Minnesota is two games out of a spot for post-season play.
Minnesota Team Notes
Scoring first and scoring often continues to be a leading factor in the 2001 Minnesota softball season to this point. Minnesota has scored first in 18 of the 39 games it has played and has an 16-1-1 record when it does score first, including a 12-0 record when scoring in the first inning. The Gophers are 7-14 when the opposition scores first. Minnesota has rallied from a six-run deficit to beat UNC-Wilmington and a five-run hole to beat Indiana. Two runs has been the magic number for Minnesota offensively. The Gophers are 23-1 when they score two runs or more, with the only loss coming against Pacific in the final game of the Worth Invitational (Pacific 5, Minnesota 3). Minnesota is 0-14-1 when they score one run or fewer, including nine shutouts. Minnesota has not scored in its last six of its last eight losses.
Minnesota Individual Notes
Senior infielder Angel Braden (Chino, Calif./St. Lucy's) leads Minnesota with a .360 batting average, a .477 on-base percentage, a .651 slugging percentage, eight doubles, five home runs and 30 runs batted in. She has already matched her career high for home runs in a season and has a new career high in RBI. Braden is now fourth on Minnesota's all-time list with 14 home runs and is fifth Gopher in history to accumulate 100 RBI in a career. She has missed seven of the last 10 games due to a sprained left ankle, and is questionable for this weekend's games.
First-year pitcher Piper Marten (Farmington, N.M./Farmington) has been the winning pitcher in 15 of Minnesota's 23 wins this season. She leads Minnesota in just about every pitching category, including appearances (34), innings pitched (149 1/3), strikeouts (167) and opponent batting average (.165). She is third on Minnesota's single- season list, passing Steph Klaviter's 1999 total of 163 strikeouts.
Junior outfielder Tammi Hays (Hastings, Minn./Hastings) leads Minnesota in hits (40), runs (27), and stolen bases (12), and is second on the team with a .417 on-base percentage. Hays leads Minnesota in Big Ten play with a .417 batting average, 10 hits, three stolen bases and three runs scored.
This Weekend's Opponents
About Michigan (21-11-1, 6-0 Big Ten)
Michigan has won its last nine games and is the only undefeated team left in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have Big Ten series sweeps over Illinois, Purdue and Indiana. Michigan has a .367 batting average during its winning streak and has outscored opponents 53-12. The Wolverines will host Central Michigan in two games Wednesday before travelling to the Twin Cities.
The Series - Michigan leads, 51-21. The Wolverines swept the Gophers, 1-0 and 4-1, on April 9, 2000, at Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan has not visited Minnesota since 1998.
About Michigan State (15-26, 2-4 Big Ten)
The Spartans were swept at Illinois and have split series with Indiana and Purdue in conference play. Michigan State is 11-9 in its last 20 games after a 4-17 start. The Spartans will visit Eastern Michigan for a single game Wednesday before travelling to Wisconsin on Friday and Minnesota on Saturday.
The Series - Minnesota leads, 42-34. Michigan State won a 12-11 slugfest as the snow fell in East Lansing, Mich., on April 7, 2000. The second game was cancelled due to the bad weather.
Up Next
The Gophers will complete their 10-game homestand at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium with non-conference doubleheaders against Northern Iowa on Tuesday, April 17, at 3 p.m, and Concordia (St. Paul) on Wednesday, April 18, at 4 p.m. Minnesota will travel to Illinois for its first- ever games against the school on Saturday, April 21 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, April 22, at 1 p.m.