University of Minnesota Athletics
SOFTBALL TEAM HOSTS WISCONSIN IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE
5/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Big Ten Update
Iowa won two 1-0 games at Michigan over the weekend to tie the Wolverines for first place in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes can clinch the Big Ten regular-season title with two wins over Northwestern. Ohio State and Illinois have also clinched berths in the Big Ten Tournament and both schools will be making their first-ever appearances in the conference tournament. Penn State and Wisconsin control their futures for the final two positions, but Northwestern, Purdue and Minnesota can make it with wins this weekend and help from others. For Minnesota, the Gophers must beat Wisconsin twice, Northwestern must lose twice and Purdue must lose at least once for Minnesota to qualify for this year's Big Ten Tournament.
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 28 of the 55 games it has played and has an 24-3-1 record when it does score first, including a 14-2 record when scoring in the first inning. The Gophers are 9-18 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 29-1 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 4-20-1 when they score one run or fewer, including 12 shutouts.
Minnesota Individual Notes
First-year pitcher Piper Marten (Farmington, N.M./Farmington) has been the winning pitcher in 21 of Minnesota's 33 wins this season. She leads Minnesota in just about every pitching category, including appearances (45), innings pitched (210), strikeouts (239) and opponent batting average (.156). Marten became Minnesota's single-season record holder Wednesday against Drake.
Minnesota Single-Season Strikeout Leaders 1. Piper Marten 239 2001 2. Angie Recknor 227 2000 3. Jennifer Johnson 186 1996 Sophomore pitcher Angie Recknor (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) has been Minnesota's leading pitcher in Big Ten games. She has three of Minnesota six wins and has a 0.95 earned run average in 66 innings pitched. For her career, Recknor is 35-35 with a 1.55 ERA and 335 strikeouts in 473 innings.
Minnesota Career Strikeout Leaders 1. Jennifer Johnson 528 1993-97 2. Steph Klaviter 413 1996-99 3. Angie Recknor 335 2000-C Minnesota Career Wins Leaders 1. Lisa Bernstein 352-251-2 .583 1992-C 2. Linda Wells 351-264-1 .571 1974, 75, 77-89 Minnesota co-head coach Julie Standering is in her third season with her current title and her 10th year with the program. Her record is 112-69-1 (.618) as a co-head coach and 197-109-1 (.643) since being elevated to associate head coach in 1996.
Weekend Review
The Minnesota softball team split a Big Ten doubleheader with Penn State on Friday, winning the first game, 1-0, and losing the nightcap, 2-1. In the opener, Angie Recknor threw her first career Big Ten shutout, blanking the Nittany Lions on three hits. It was the first time Penn State has been shut out this season in Big Ten play and the fourth time overall. The Golden Gophers scored the only run of the game in the fifth inning. With one out, Christine Lindberg (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Barrington) was hit by a pitch. Recknor sacrificed Lindberg to second base. Pinch-hitter Anne Thul (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis) stroked a two-out single to center, scoring pinch-runner Amy Hafemeyer.
The Gophers scored a run in the first inning of the second game. Tammi Hays (Hastings, Minn./Hastings) led off the game with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Veronica Roberts (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel). With two out, Angel Braden (Chino, Calif./St. Lucy's) singled to left field, scoring Hays and giving Minnesota the lead. Penn State scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the inning, helped by two Minnesota errors and a passed ball.
Ohio State pitcher Katie Chain pitched a complete-game four-hitter as the Buckeyes blanked the Gophers, 2-0, on Saturday night. The Buckeyes scored the only two runs of the game in the third inning. With two out, Wendy Allen singled, and scored on a triple by Stacy Roth. Roth scored on a Minnesota error to complete the game's scoring. Recknor pitched a complete game for Minnesota, allowing five hits and striking out eight batters. Braden had two of Minnesota's four hits.
Minnesota broke a 1-1 tie with two sixth-inning runs and defeated Ohio State, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon. Minnesota co-head coach Lisa Bernstein became the winningest coach in Golden Gopher history with her 352nd career win, surpassing Linda Wells' total of 351 wins. Minnesota erased a 1-0 deficit in the third inning. Allie Fisk (Orono, Minn./ Orono) reached on a one-out error and advanced to third base on a two- out single by Roberts. Fisk scored the game-tying run on a wild pitch. Minnesota won the game with two sixth-inning runs. After Hays led off the inning with a bunt single, Roberts hit a triple into the right- field corner, scoring Hays. Roberts also scored on the play when the throw got away from the Ohio State defense. Piper Marten won her 21st game of the season, allowing two hits in the complete game and retiring the last 12 batters she faced. Marten did not give up a hit after the first inning.
About Wisconsin (28-22, 8-10 Big Ten)
The Badgers enter the week in sixth place in the conference standings and in control of their own destiny to qualify for their second consecutive Big Ten Tournament. Like Minnesota, Wisconsin split with Penn State and Ohio State last weekend, and will play Wis.-Green Bay in Madison on Wednesday before travelling to the Twin Cities.
The Series - The series is tied, 5-5. Wisconsin swept the season series for the second time in 2000 with two wins. The Badgers won by scores of 2-0 and 4-0 in Madison, Wis.
Up Next
If Minnesota qualifies for the 2001 Big Ten Tournament, it will travel to Iowa City, Iowa for the three-day tournament. The Gophers would be the #6 seed and would likely play #3 seed Ohio State on Thursday, May 10, at 12 noon at Pearl Field.
