University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Softball Team Powers Past BYU
3/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Seniors Megan Higginbotham and Mandy Valadez hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning to propel the Golden Gopher softball team past Brigham Young, 5-2, late Thursday in Sacramento, Calif. With the win, Minnesota improved to 11-10 on the season as it prepares to take part in the Capital Classic hosted by Sacramento State University this weekend.
Higginbotham fed off the momentum of hitting the eventual game-winning home run in Minnesota's 6-5 come-from-behind victory over Western Illinois last Sunday by going deep to give the Gophers an early lead in this one. It was Higginbotham's 16th career home run, moving her into a tie for fourth place all-time on the school record chart. Valadez then stepped to the plate next and immediately upped Minnesota's advantage to 2-0 with her third home run of the season and of her career.
The Gophers extended thier lead in the second inning when Colleen Conway scored on an RBI single from Amber Nelsen and added another run in the third when Lisa Parks walked with the bases loaded, allowing Higginbotham to score her second run of the game.
Minnesota closed out its scoring when Chrissy Sward crossed the plate in the sixth inning. With runners on first and third and Conway at the plate, Colleen Powers took off from first in an attempt to steal second. The pickoff attempt from the BYU catcher sailed wide, allowing Sward to come home.
The Gophers scored five runs on nine hits in the game. Higginbotham finished the game 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored, while Valadez was 2-for-3 with a home run to lead the offensive attack. With a pair of home runs today, Minnesota has now combined for 11 long balls as a team this season, already surpassing the team's total output of 10 in 50 games last season.
Sophomore Briana Hassett won her third game in a row and improved to 7-3 on the season by allowing just two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in the circle.
Minnesota will open the Capital Classic with a pair of games on Friday, beginning with a match-up agains Idaho State at 2:30 p.m. (CST).
CAPITAL CLASSIC PREVIEW
The University of Minnesota softball team heads to Sacramento, Calif., this weekend to take part in the Capital Classic hosted by Sacramento State University.
In its 15th year of existence, the Capital Classic boasts a lineup of teams from throughout the nation. In all, 15 teams will be at the tournament, encompassing 11 states and eight conferences comprised of the Atlantic Sun, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Big West, Mountain West, Pacific Coast Softball Conference and the Southern Conference.
The Capital Classic features a round-robin format with a total of 37 games being played over three days. A tournament champion will be declared on the final day of competition based on record. Should two or more teams be tied for the top record in the tournament, a series of tiebreakers will be used to declare the tournament champion.
The Golden Gophers will open the tournament with two games on Friday, beginning with a match-up against the Idaho State Bengals at 2:30 p.m., before facing Pitt at 7:30 p.m. Minnesota will then take on Colorado State on Saturday at noon before wrapping up the tournament against Georgia Southern on Sunday at 11 a.m.
GOPHER SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK
Icewater In Her Veins
Sophomore pitcher Briana Hassett has been clutch in the circle for the Golden Gophers. In eight starts this season, Hassett already has four complete game shutout victories. Even more impressive, all four of those wins have come by narrow 1-0 margins. Hassett has carried the Minnesota pitching staff with a 6-3 record overall and a 2.24 earned run average, which ranks 10th overall in the Big Ten.
The Slimmest of Margins
With a 7-3 record in one-run games so far this season, Minnesota has continued a trend of success in one-run games. Over the last decade, the Golden Gophers have been outstanding in one-run contests, posting a 109-73 (.599) mark in those games since 1998.
Double Trouble
With six doubles on the season, senior Megan Higginbotham ranks tied for fifth in the Big Ten Conference. She now has 39 two-baggers for her career, putting her stamp on yet another of Minnesota’s career record charts. Higginbothams’s 39 career doubles currently ranks tied for fourth in school history.
Minnesota’s Career Doubles Leaders:
1. 60 - Amber Hegland (1995-98)
2. 55 - Shannon Beeler (1996-99)
3. 45 - Jordanne Nygren (1999-2003)
4. 39 - Megan Higginbotham (2004-pres.)
....39 - Barb Drake (1984-87)
6. 37 - Lezlie Weiss (1990-93)
Move 'Em On Up
Sophomore Colleen Conway leads the Big Ten with 10 sacrifice bunts on the season. With the potential to beat out every throw with her blazing speed, Conway has been a key factor in helping move runners up to generate offense for the Gophers.
Grand Theft On The Basepaths
Senior Megan Higginbotham and sophomore Colleen Conway have generated fear in the minds of opposing pitchers so far this season with their speed on the basepaths. Higginbotham and Conway have combined for 16 of Minnesota’s 18 stolen bases this season and have only gotten picked off one time between the two of them. Conway’s nine stolen bases ranks tied for third in the Big Ten Conference. Overall, the Golden Gophers are 18-19 on stolen base attempts as a team this season.
Power Boost
After hitting just 10 home runs in 50 games as a team last year, the Golden Gophers have blasted nine round-trippers in the first 20 games of this season.
The key to Minnesota’s power boost has been the addition of a pair of junior college transfers. Senior Lisa Parks, who joined the Gophers last season from Pima Community College, leads the team with four home runs from the cleanup spot. She has been protected in the lineup by junior Casey Wheeler, a transfer from Phoenix Community College, who is tied for second on the team with two homers. Another senior, Mandy Valadez, has been a pleasant surprise in the lineup with two home runs of her own this year. Valadez hit her first career home run in the second game of the season against Jacksonville.
Senior Megan Higginbotham hit her first home run of the season to propel the Gophers to a 6-5 win over Western Illinois last Sunay. Higginbotham is Minnesota’s active career home run leader with 15, a total which ranks tied for fifth in the Minnesota record book. Parks now has 10 total for her career.
Minnesota’s Career Home Run Leaders:
1. 51 - Jordanne Nygren (1999-2003)
2. 43 - Shannon Beeler (1996-99)
3. 18 - Shelly Nichols (2000-03)
4. 16 - Angel Braden (1998-2001)
5. 15 - Megan Higginbotham (2004-pres.)
....15 - Jennifer McGuinness (1991-94)
Adding Pop to the Lineup
Senior third baseman Mandy Valadez hit the first home run of her career with a three-run shot in Minnesota’s second game of the season against Jacksonville. Valadez’s home run put the Gophers up 11-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game. The three RBI were also a career-high.
After spending her first two-and-a-half seasons primarily as a pitcher, Valadez started the final 13 games of 2006 at third base and was impressive enought to convince the coaches to move her there permanently. So far this season, she ranks third on the team in hitting.
