University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Boise State
Minnesota Wins Twice in Tempe
2/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 15/14 Minnesota softball team improved its 2015 record to 10-1 Friday with wins over New Mexico State and Boise State at the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe, Ariz. The Gophers started the day with a 6-1 win over the Aggies before taking down the Broncos in an 8-3 decision. The Maroon and Gold's start matches the best 11-game record in program history.
The offensive firepower of Minnesota's lineup was showcased as the team combined for 19 hits and seven home runs on the day.
In their first game, the Gophers got on the board in the first inning when Hannah Granger was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. They plated the eventual game-winning run in the third with a Kaitlyn Richardson RBI single. With the game 2-0 entering the fourth, Minnesota pulled away with a Taylor LeMay solo home run and RBI singles from Richardson and Granger.
Granger now has hits in each of the team's 11 games this season.
Erica Meyer rounded out the Gophers' scoring with her second home run of the year in the fifth. In the circle, Sara Groenewegen improved to 5-1 with an 11-strikeout, complete game win. She limited a potent NMSU offense to just one run on four hits.
Playing in her home state, Richardson spurred Minnesota to a win in the second game of the day. She belted a two-run home run in the first inning to give her team a lead it would not surrender. Meyer then added her second long ball of the day to make the score 3-0 after two.
Boise State pushed back with two runs in the bottom of the second, but the Gophers pulled away in the fourth with four runs, using a Sydney Fabian three-run blast and a Sam Macken solo shot to make it 7-2. Richardson chipped in again in the sixth with her second home run of the game to make it 8-2.
Nikki Anderson was solid in her third pitching win of the season, matching her 2014 season total--she is 3-0. Richardson's two-home run performance was the 37th of its kind in program history.
The Gophers will continue Diamond Devil Invitational play Saturday with a rematch with Boise State before a contest against host at No. 19/21 Arizona State.
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