University of Minnesota Athletics
Another Eight Inning Win, Another Split
2/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Minneapolis - The Golden Gopher softball team split its games for the second straight day today (Feb. 12), winning again in eight innings. Minnesota's day at the Metrodome Softball Classic began with a 6-5 win over Iowa State, but was followed by a 5-0 loss to Drake.
In their first game, the Gophers opened up a 3-0 lead after the first inning, and led until the Cyclones put up four runs in the top of the fourth. After an Iowa State run in the fifth, Minnesota trailed 5-3 heading into its at-bat in the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, Dannie Skrove (Zimmerman, Minn.) made her first mark as player of the game with her solo home run to bring the Gophers within one at 5-4. After starter Lacey Middlebrooks (Wake Village, Texas) pitched a scoreless seventh, Alex Davis (Harbor City, Calif.) turned on her second home run of the game to tie it at 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh.
Middlebrooks pitched another scoreless inning in the seventh, allowing Skrove to create more heroics in the eighth. With runners on first and third, Skrove drove the first pitch she saw to deep center, allowing Aubrey Davis (Kennedale, Texas) to tag up and score the winning run.
Middlebrooks improved to 2-0 in her freshman campaign, pitching all eight innings in the victory. Skrove finished the day 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI, while Davis went 2-for-4, scoring two runs and knocking in three.
Freshman Allie Siu (Maple Grove, Minn.) went 3-for-4 in the game, scoring one run and becoming the first Gopher this season to tally a three-hit game.
Against Drake, Alissa Koch (Racine, Wis.) took the circle and pitched a scoreless game into the fifth inning. Drake was able to break through for two runs in the fifth, and added three more in the sixth for a 5-0 lead with just two innings left to play.
Bulldog starter Brynne Dordel made the shutout stand, keeping the Gophers off the board for the game, allowing just two hits in the process.
At the end of the day, the Gophers' record stands at 2-2, with each win coming in eight innings. After playing two games each of the past two days, things slow down for Minnesota throughout the rest of the tournament, with just one game each on Saturday and Sunday.
The Gophers face Arkansas on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., and then close the festivities with Iowa State in the final game of the weekend on Sunday, also at 1:00 p.m.
