University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Fall to Ohio State in Doubleheader
4/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Minnesota 5, Ohio State 7
A six-run rally by the Buckeyes in the sixth inning ruined Minnesota's chances of a split on Saturday as Ohio State came from behind to earn a sweep with a 7-5 win on Saturday evening.
Minnesota (19-16 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) out produced its conference opponent through the first six innings of play, building a 5-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh.
After surrendering a run in the top of the first inning, the Gophers got their bats going early in finale of the double header, collecting eight hits in the first six innings of play. Malisa Barnes paced the Gophers with a 2-for-2 performance at the plate and added a pair of walks to go with her two singles. Barnes opened the bottom of the first with a base knock and eventually scored on a single by Kari Dorle. Dorle would also make it home in the first inning when Alex Davis brought her home to put the Gophers up 2-1.
Minnesota would add a third run in the second inning with a bases loaded squeeze play by Dannie Skrove that plated Allie Siu from third. A single to center by Bree Blanchette that plated both Jessie Hathaway and Aubrey Davis in the third inning would put the Gophers up 5-1 and the game would remain that way for three innings of scoreless softball.
But the Buckeyes (9-20, 2-2) would not go quietly. The team pieced together six runs on five hits in its final trip to the plate, highlighted by Melissa Rennie's two-out single that score a pair of runners to tie the game and Megan Colleta's two-run homerun later in the inning to put the Buckeyes in the lead for the first time since the top of the first inning.
Karisa Medrano, who came on in a relief appearance to earn her second win of the day, sat the Gophers down in order to seal the win for the Buckeyes. After Audrey Plant surrendered four runs in just over an inning of work, Medrano came in to throw the final 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits. Sara Moulton took the loss for Minnesota, throwing all seven innings and giving up seven earned runs on 12 hits. The freshman pitcher struck out five and walked just one batter in the contest.
Minnesota 0, Ohio State 10
Minnesota's bats were quiet in Saturday's early contest with the Gophers limited to just one hit in a six-inning, 10-0 shutout by the Buckeyes. Dannie Skrove collected the lone base knock of the game for Minnesota while Alissa Koch pitched all six innings to take the loss.
For the first two innings of play, a high-scoring affair by either team seemed unlikely. Only two batters, Kari Dorle and Alicia Herron, reached first and both came via walks. But the Buckeyes broke open the game in the third inning with a pair of batters crossing the plate, and Ohio State would score in every inning after that including a four-run sixth inning that pushed the team over the eight-run rule.
Karissa Medrano picked up the win for the Buckeyes, throwing five innings and allowing no runs and just one hit against. Brittany Goodchild came on to throw the final inning, giving up no hits and no runs. Goodchild also paced the Buckeyes offense along with Julia Pecina. Both batters collected two hits and factored into half of Ohio State's runs in the win. Koch took the loss for Minnesota, allowing nine earned runs on 11 hits in a complete-game appearance while adding seven strikeouts.
Minnesota returns to action next week with a pair of two-game series. The Gophers travel to Ames, Iowa on Thursday for a nonconference doubleheader against the Cyclones before returning to Jane Sage Cowles Stadium for a doubleheader against South Dakota on Saturday. Continue checking Gophersports.com for updates on the 2011 Gopher softball season.
