University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Rally Past Purdue, 6-4
3/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Trailing 4-0 to Purdue after three innings Saturday afternoon, the University of Minnesota softball team rallied for a 6-4 victory against the Boilermakers to remain undefeated in the Big Ten on a rainy day at Purdue’s Varsity Softball Complex.
The win was Minnesota’s fourth straight and seventh in its last nine games, improving the Gophers’ record to 20-18 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten play. It marks the first 3-0 start in the conference for the Golden Gophers since the 1996 team won its first nine Big Ten games. Purdue fell to 17-10 overall and 2-1 in the conference with its first home loss of the season.
Purdue scored three runs in the second, and added another in the third for the early four-run advantage, with the first two runs scoring via bases-loaded walks, and the second pair of runs crossing the plate after wild pitches by Minnesota starter Briana Hassett.
Hassett struck out three of the first four batters she faced in the game, but ran into some control problems in the second. She allowed a one-out double to right by Purdue catcher Jenna Alexander, then walked a batter, and the Boilers loaded the bases on a fielding error by Gopher third baseman Colleen Conway. Hassett then walked the eighth and ninth batters in the order to make it 2-0, before throwing a wild pitch that scored the third run.
The Boilermakers’ Katie Mitchell doubled to center to lead off Purdue’s third inning, then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on another wild pitch by Hassett. But Minnesota’s senior right-hander settled down from that point on, and the Gophers’ offense rallied with a pair of runs in each of the next three frames to record the win.
"We did a great job getting the win today in conditions that weren’t the best," Minnesota co-head coach Lisa Bernstein said. "It was pouring rain, but the umpires were determined to get seven innings in, and I’m really proud of the way we played."
Sophomore first baseman Malisa Barnes got Minnesota’s offense started by opening the fourth inning with a single through the right side of the infield, which stretched her current hitting streak to seven games. Fellow sophomore Natalie Neal then hit a home run to center field, her third of the season and second in the past three games, to cut Purdue’s lead in half.
"Natalie did a nice job today," Bernstein said. "She faced this pitcher (Suzie Rzegocki) in the Big Ten Tournament last year, and had the game-winning hit, so she was comfortable at the plate. She’s been working really hard in practice this week, and her work is paying off."
The Gophers tied the score in the fifth, thanks to some erratic pitching by Rzegocki (14-5). After redshirt freshman second baseman Sammie Howard hit a one-out single up the middle, Barnes was hit by a pitch, and both runners advanced to third on a passed ball. Neal was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, and senior catcher Shannon Stemper was plunked by a Rzegocki offering to drive in Minnesota’s third run. Freshman centerfielder Dannie Skrove followed by reaching on a fielder’s choice, and Barnes scored the tying run on a throwing error by Purdue’s shortstop.
Minnesota scored the winning runs in the sixth, taking advantage of back-to-back walks to open the inning, followed by a double steal to put runners on second and third with no outs. Barnes then drove in the winning run with a single through the left side, and Neal added an insurance run by singling up the middle.
Despite the early struggles finding the strike zone, Hassett recorded her 23rd complete game of the season, and improved to 19-11 by allowing just four Purdue hits and striking out seven. She has now struck out 285 batters this season, a total that leads the nation.
At the plate, Barnes was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and the game-winning RBI, while Neal was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in and scored a run. Howard was the third Minnesota player with multiple hits, going 2-for-5 at the plate.
The teams return to action Sunday afternoon, with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. (CT).
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