University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Advance to Spartan Classic Finals
2/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Minnesota softball team advanced to the championship game of the Spartan Classic with a pair of wins on Saturday, topping UNC Greensboro 1-0 to open the day and following up with a 8-4 win over the Spartans in the Gophers' first round playoff. Minnesota will take on the winner of Kansas and Morehead State on Sunday at 12 p.m. CST.
Minnesota 8, UNC Greensboro 6
The Golden Gophers picked up their fifth win in a row on Saturday night with an 8-6 win over UNC Greensboro in the semifinals of the Spartan Classic. Junior pitcher Alissa Koch picked up her first win of the season in the contest, striking out seven batters in 4.1 innings of work.
Minnesota scored in every inning but the third including a two-run first inning that saw the first four Gopher batters reach safely. Malisa Barnes led off with her first of two walks and reached second on a single by Aubrey Davis before walks to Alex Davis and Kari Dorle brought the Gophers' first baseman in from third. Aubrey Davis would also come in on an RBI sacrifice fly to left field by Natalie Neal, giving the Gophers a 2-0 lead that would quickly be answered by the Spartans.
After failing to score in the teams' opening contest, UNC Greensboro - the visiting team in the evening game because of seeding - brought three runs around to score in the top of the second inning, prompting a pitching change by the Gophers. With two out and the bases loaded, Koch caught Heather Robb looking to end the threat, and Minnesota would even the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the inning when Barnes would walk for the second time and then come around to score on an Alex Davis single.
The Gophers (7-6 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) would make up for a scoreless third with a trio of runs in the fourth. Aubrey Davis, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, led off the inning with a single to left before advancing on Dorle's second of four walks in the contest. A fielding error on Jessie Hathaway's next at-bat would score Aubrey Davis and advance Dorle before Kelsey Klucas came on to run for the Gophers' catcher. Klucas would score on Neal's third RBI of the day - a single to left - before Becca Barber came in to pinch run for Neal. Barber would also score, crossing the plate with an unearned run when UNCG pitcher Cory Mattson threw away a grounder by Bree Blanchette.
Barnes would provide Minnesota's lone run in the fifth inning when she crossed the plate for the third and final time during Saturday's game after leading off with a single and eventually scored on Hathaway's RBI groundout. Minnesota would again benefit from its leadoff batter getting on base in the sixth inning when Dannie Skrove singled and then advanced around the base path only to score on a two-out single by Alex Davis. The Gophers leadoff batter would reach in four of the Gophers' six offensive opportunities on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans would keep the game interesting with a trio of runs in the top of the seventh though. Koch would allow one run in the inning and turn the game back over to Moulton with the bases loaded. The freshman pitcher would give up a pair of runs on two plays that both produced outs for the Gophers before catching Kaitlin Merkt looking to end the game.
Koch picked up her second career win, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing three runs on eight hits. The junior struck out seven and walked three while Moulton gave up three runs on four hits in 2.2 innings of work. The freshman struck out four and walked five. Mattson would pitch all six innings for UNCG, giving up eight runs on 10 hits while striking out three and walking eight.
Minnesota 1, UNC Greensboro 0
Behind Sarah Moulton's second complete game shutout of the weekend and an RBI single by Natalie Neal in the sixth inning, the Minnesota softball team earned the top seed at the Spartan Classic with a 1-0 win over UNC Greensboro on Saturday afternoon.
The Gophers would outhit the Spartans 7-1 in the contest as Moulton one-hit UNCG in seven innings of work. The freshman tallied eight strikeouts and just one walk in a near perfect game for Minnesota, earning her sixth win of the season in the process. Josie Felix took the loss for the Spartans, striking out five and walking one in seven innings of work.
Minnesota would spread its hits throughout the contest but concentrated three of them in a key stretch of the sixth inning. Kari Dorle singled up the middle with one out before Kristin Coonrod came on to run for the catcher. Jessie Hathaway would then bunt for a single and advance Coonrod to second before Neal stepped into the box and singled up the middle to score Coonrod from second for the game's only run.
