University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
(23/25) Northwestern
Moulton Sets Mark, Gophers Fall to NU
4/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 11, 2014
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MINNEAPOLIS - The 14th-ranked Minnesota softball team dropped a 13-9 decision to Big Ten foe Northwestern Friday night at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium, dropping the team's 2014 record to 30-6 with an 8-3 mark in the conference. In the loss, senior pitcher Sara Moulton recorded seven strikeouts, running her career total to 1,129, the most in program history. She passed pitching coach Piper Ritter's mark of 1,122.
The loss dropped Minnesota's record at its home stadium to 1-2 on the season and dropped its all-time ledger against the Wildcats to 45-52. Despite tossing her 13th complete game of the season and 104th of her career, Moulton fell to 19-5 on the year with a loss.
Northwestern got on the board in the first inning with a two-RBI double by Andrea DiPrima, but the Gophers responded with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning by Kaitlyn Richardson.
Minnesota blanked the Wildcats in the second and pulled ahead on an Erica Meyer RBI single, but NU scored at least a run in the remaining five innings. The Gophers yielded three runs in both the third and fourth innings to fall behind, 8-3, before Tyler Walker got the offense going again with a two run homer in the bottom of the fourth.
The teams exchanged single runs in the fifth, but the Wildcats pulled away with four more in the final two innings to take a 13-6 lead. Hannah Granger made it a four-run gam with a three-run home run in the seventh and the Gophers had the potential tying run on deck with two outs, but could not muster any more offense.
The contest was over three hours long and saw over 300 total pitches. The 21 run-game was the highest combined run total in a Minnesota game since it defeated NU in Evanston, Ill. March 30, 2013 by a 14-9 score.
The teams will meet again Saturday in Minneapolis before wrapping up their series Sunday. Games on both days are slated for 1 p.m. The Gophers then pick up play next weekend with a trip to No. 4/5 Michigan.
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