University of Minnesota Athletics
Pitt Comes Back Late to Top Gophers
2/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Boca Raton, Fla. - The Golden Gopher Softball team saw a two-run lead slip away today (Feb. 21) as they fell 4-2 to Pittsburgh in their finale of the Florida Atlantic Kick-off Classic.
The Gophers struck first with a two-run first inning, scoring twice off two hits and a pair of Panther errors. The runs did not come easy though, as the Gophers led off the inning with two outs before stringing together the rally.
After a ground out by Malisa Barnes (Phoenix, Ariz) and a strikeout by Sammie Howard (Shoreview, Minn.), Alex Davis (Harbor City, Calif.) finally got the hitting started with a singled up the middle. Up next, Abby Rehberger (Brainerd, Minn.) reached on an error by the Pitt third baseman to put runners on first and second.
In the following at-bat Heidi Carls (Villard, Minn.) continued the hitting with another single and another Panther error - this time in center field - that allowed both Davis and Rehberger to cross the plate for the early 2-0 lead.
Starter Lacey Middlebrooks (Wake Village, Texas) did not allow her first hit until the fourth inning, and gave up just a pair of harmless singles through the first five innings. In their half of the sixth, however, the Panthers took their first lead scoring four runs on three hits.
A walk and a single led off the inning, and after a sac bunt the Panthers had something brewing with two runners in scoring position and just one out. The first run scored off of another bunt, and a bases loaded single two batters later tied the game at 2-2. With the bases still juiced, the final dagger was a single to center that brought home runs three and four.
Middlebrooks retired the next two batters to get out of the inning, but the damage was already done. Trailing for the first time in the game at 4-2, the Gophers were left with one final at-bat.
Minnesota went down in order in the top of the seventh as Pittsburgh closed out the 4-2 comeback win. The Gophers fall to 4-7 on the season and have lost three straight. Middlebrooks is now 4-3 in her freshman campaign. Davis and Carls each led the Gophers with two RBI on the day.
The Gophers finished 1-4 at the Florida Atlantic Kick-off Classic and will look to right the ship, back in Florida next weekend at the Florida Gulf Coast Spring Break Invitational. Minnesota will play six games in Fort Myers, beginning with tournament host Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 5:00 p.m. (CST).
