University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Softball Drops Pair to No. 11 Florida Atlantic
3/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Boca Raton, Fla. - The 23rd-ranked Minnesota Golden Gopher softball team dropped both ends of a double header to No. 11 Florida Atlantic, Wednesday evening. The Gophers fell to 19-7, while the Owls upped their record to 34-5.
FAU All-American Nikki Myers led the Owls to a 1-0 victory in the night cap, striking out eight to raise her record to 19-3 on the season. Minnesota's Piper Marten matched Myers pitch-for-pitch striking out nine, but dropped to 11-4. The game was scoreless until Myers doubled with one out in the sixth inning. She later scored an unearned run for the victory.
Tammi Hays went 3-for-3 for Minnesota, but the Gophers let a golden scoring opportunity in the third inning slip through their hands. With one out, Haille Nanchy, Hays and Marten loaded the bases, but Minnesota failed to push a single run across. For the game, Minnesota left six on base.
In the opener, Myers hit her fourth home run of the season in the first inning to stake the Owls to a 1-0 lead, en rout to a 4-0 victory. The Owls scored another in the second inning and two more in the fifth to seal the win. FAU rookie Candice Freel threw a complete-game shutout, striking out five and holding the Gophers to six hits to up her record to 15-2.
Veronica Roberts went 3-for-3, as Angie Recknor fell to 7-3 on the season for Minnesota.
The Gophers will continue their road trip Wednesday, when they travel to Miami to take on Florida International for a double header at 6 p.m. EST.
