University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers' Offense Erupts in Game 1 Win at IUPUI
3/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. Minnesota erupted for 11 runs on 12 hits, including a pair of home runs in just five innings on its way to an 11-1 rout in the first game of a doubleheader at IUPUI Tuesday afternoon.
The Gophers (15-17) scored once in the first inning, and then added three runs in the second, six runs in the fourth, and a final marker in the top of the fifth for an 11-0 lead before the Jaguars (2-18) managed to tally a run in the bottom of the fifth for the final ten-run margin which invoked the mercy rule.
Four Minnesota players had multiple hits in the game, led by senior third baseman Colleen Conway, who was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Sophomore first baseman Malisa Barnes was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI double, while redshirt freshman second baseman Sammie Howard collected two hits in three at-bats, scored a run, and had a pair of RBI off the bench.
The first three hitters in the Gophers’ lineup Barnes, Conway, and Howard combined to go 7-for-11 with four runs scored, four runs batted in, and three stolen bases.
Sophomore shortstop Brianna Sudenga and freshman centerfielder Dannie Skrove each homered for the Gophers, with Sudenga finishing 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs scored. Sudenga's three-run home run to center field, her second round-tripper of the year, gave Minnesota a 4-0 lead.
On the mound, senior right-hander Briana Hassett notched her 15th win of the year by working the first three innings and striking out six Jaguars batters.
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