University of Minnesota Athletics
Quotes: Minnesota 4, North Dakota State 1 (10)
5/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 17, 2014
NCAA Minneapolis Softball Regional
Jane Sage Cowles Stadium
Minneapolis, Minn.
NDSU 1
MINNESOTA 4 (10 innings)
Jessica Allister, Minnesota head coach
Opening Statement...
"Wow. That is what the postseason is all about. That was an awesome game. Both teams played tremendously, all three pitchers left it all out on the line, defense made some great plays and came up with some good hits. It was a great postseason atmosphere, a lot of fun and a great crowd."
On Sara's pitching...
"She did great. At this point in time there is no such thing as freshman. We have all had enough innings under our belt and we've all played the game long enough. The game knows know age. But she was tremendously composed and got some huge strikeouts for us."
Sara Groenewegen, Minnesota pitcher
On the feeling in the dugout during extra innings...
"I don't think at any point of the game any of us thought that we were going to lose this game. I mean we left runner's on but we knew that something else was going to happen. It was just a matter of when."
On the pressure situations...
"Honestly one of my biggest things is that I play way better when I am relaxed and smiling and having fun on the field. It's not really pressure, it is more opportunity. Coming in as a freshman, there is a lot of pressure but like Coach Allister said, age is just a number and I feel confident when I am on the field."
Kaitlyn Richardson, Minnesota third base
On the feeling in the dugout during extra innings...
"I think that we knew that we were going to win the whole time. We had confidence in whoever was up to bat and I think we kept hitting the ball hard the entire game especially in the later part of the game. We just needed something to fall our way."
On Sara's pitching and the confidence that it gives the team...
"We all love playing behind Sara and all of the pitchers but when she is mowing them down out there it gives you confidence. If we didn't get it this inning, Sara was going to shut them down and we will get it in the next inning. That was kind of our mind set and she was really fun to play behind. We don't want to put that kind of pressure on her but we have her back the whole time."
