University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Iowa State
Eckstrom Fuels Minnesota Past Iowa State, 12-0
2/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 19, 2012
Freshman Madie Eckstrom provided the University of Minnesota with the offensive spark in the Gophers' 12-0 thumping of Iowa State (2-6) on Sunday morning. Minnesota finishes up at the Littlewood Classic with a 4-1 record, and they improve to 7-2 overall on the season.
Eckstrom's offensive spark came in the fourth inning when she led off the inning with a solo shot to center field. It was in the top of the sixth inning that she launched her second homerun of the game, which was a three-run bomb to center field. The Stillwater, Minn. native capped off the game by going 2-for-4 with two homeruns and four RBI.
The Gophers' bats started to heat up in the second when junior first baseman Alex Davis launched a solo homerun to left field, giving Minnesota a 1-0 lead.
Freshman third baseman Kaitlyn Richardson added to the Golden Gopher lead in the third when she recorded a double to left center, which scored Tyler Walker and Bree Blanchette.
Richardson closed out an impressive weekend at the plate by going 2-for-3 in the game with three RBI.
After Eckstrom's bomb in the fourth, Erika Smyth walked, and sophomore Bree Blanchette then soared a ball over the center field fence for a two-run homer. Minnesota would tally a three run, three hit inning to increase the Gophers' lead to 6-0.
Blanchette went 1-for-2 on the day with a two-run homerun while also scoring two runs.
Minnesota would garner another run in the fifth on a Kari Dorle RBI single to left field.
The Gophers closed the door in the sixth by stringing together five runs off of three hits. Three of those runs came on Eckstrom's second homerun of the game.
Sophomore pitcher Sara Moulton received the win by throwing five innings, striking out five and allowing only six hits. The win improves Moulton's record to 6-1 on the season. Freshman Kelsey Kimminau would relieve Moulton and throw a hitless final inning of the game.
Minnesota now heads to Chapel Hill, N.C. for a four-game tournament on the campus of North Carolina. The Maroon and Gold will face James Madison, Notre Dame and host North Carolina over a three day span.
