University of Minnesota Athletics
Davis, Moulton Lead Gophers to 2-0 Win
3/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
BLOOMINGTON, IND. -- Behind a two-run home run by Alex Davis and a 15-strikeout, complete-game shutout by Sara Moulton, the Minnesota softball team opened the Big Ten season with a 2-0 win over Indiana on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.
In a highly anticipated pitching duel between Moulton and Indiana's Morgan Melloh, hits came few and far between for both teams as the conference foes combined for just four hits in seven innings of play. And despite being outhit by the Hoosiers 3-1, Minnesota (19-13 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) took advantage of its only hit of the game to score the only runs of the game.
After Malisa Barnes walked to lead off the game, Alex Davis sent a soaring shot over the centerfield wall for her fifth home run of the season, pushing the Gophers to a 2-0 lead and giving Moulton all the run support that the freshman hurler would need.
Moulton, who entered the game second only to Melloh in strikeouts among Big Ten pitchers with 187 punch outs this season, edged her Hoosiers counterpart for the win on Saturday afternoon. Minnesota's freshman pitcher tallied 15 strikeouts in the contest - tying her career best set last weekend in Minnesota's 3-0 win over Western Michigan and improving her record to 18-8 on the season. Melloh, meanwhile, took the loss for Indiana after allowing two runs on one hit. The Hoosiers' senior struck out 12 in the contest to move into 11th all-time on the NCAA career strikeouts list with 1,383.
Indiana (18-13, 0-1) would muster one final push to tie the game in the final inning after Sara Olson and Cassie Gogreve both got on base to open the inning. Indiana would pinch run for both Olson and Gogreve with the pair of runners advancing to third and second when Meaghan Murphy grounded out to Moulton on the mound. But the Gophers' pitcher would shut the door on the Hoosiers, striking out Heather Nelson and pinch hitter Samantha Berenter to lock up the win for Minnesota. Indiana ended the game stranding five runners on base while the Gophers would leave just one on the base path.
Minnesota and Indiana close out the weekend tomorrow with another 1 p.m. central contest. Sunday's game will also be streamed online at BigTenNetwork.com.
