University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Cap Fall With Two Wins
10/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota softball team concluded its fall season with two wins over in-state foe Minnesota Duluth Friday night at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. The Gophers won by scores of 3-2 in the first game and 10-2 in a five-inning, run-rule decision in the second game. They rallied from 2-0 deficits in both contests.
Following a scoreless first inning to begin the evening, the Bulldogs jumped in front with a two-run home run by Heather Woyak.
Minnesota's offense was held in check until the fourth inning, when senior Kaitlyn Richardson drove the first pitch of the frame over the wall in left center field to cut UMD's advantage in half.
Minnesota Duluth maintained its 2-1 lead until the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Gophers' bats came to life.
With the team down to its final three outs, Sara Groenewegen ripped a line-drive double to center field to lead off the inning. Two batters later, after pinch-runner Danielle Parlich advanced to third on a wild pitch, Hannah Granger knotted the score with an RBI single up the middle. Paige Palkovich, who ran for Granger, then proceeded to steal second base with two outs and come home with the winning run on an infield single by fellow junior Sydney Fabian.
Kylie Stober earned the win after pitching a perfect seventh inning. Hannah Evavold preceded Stober's appearance with three frames of shutout ball.
The Gophers' offense hit its stride in the second game as the team scored in all five innings.
After falling behind, 2-0, in the first inning, the Gophers got one run back in the bottom of the inning before Sam Macken and Parlich picked up RBI in the second stanza to give Minnesota its first lead of the contest. The Gophers stretched their lead to 5-2 in the third with an RBI single by Erika Rozell and a Kayla Wenner sacrifice fly.
An Erica Meyer single drove in Minnesota's sixth run in the fourth inning and the home team finished the Bulldogs off in the fifth with four runs. A two-run single by Rozell sealed the victory.
Stober allowed two runs over three innings before junior Nikki Anderson blanked UMD in the fourth and fifth, fanning five Bulldog batters.
Richardson led the Gophers in the fall season with seven hits, finishing with a .500 batting average and a 1.214 slugging percentage (four doubles and two home runs). Freshman Dani Wagner also hit .500. Stober went 5-0 and had a team-low 1.50 earned run average. Anderson had a 1.75 ERA with a Minnesota-high 20 strikeouts in 20 innings of work.
In winning all seven of its fall games, Minnesota outscored its opponents, 62-14.
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