University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Stanford
Gophers Hold Off Stanford for 10-5 Win
3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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PALO ALTO, Calif. - The 17th-ranked Minnesota softball team staved off a sixth-inning rally by host Stanford to earn a 10-5 win in it Louisville Slugger Classic opener Friday night at Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif. The Gophers snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 15-4 on the year by defeating head coach Jessica Allister's alma mater.
The win, which was the Maroon and Gold's first in five all-time meetings against the Cardinal, also gave the team a 5-0 record in road games in 2015.
Senior Hannah Granger got the Gophers going in the top of the first inning by belting a two-run home run to center field. The 2-0 score held until the fourth inning when Erica Meyer ripped a two-run single to right center field. In the fifth, Sam Macken extended her team's lead with a solo home run to lead off the frame before Granger and Danielle Parlich notched RBI to make it 7-0.
Stanford would not go away quietly, however, loading the bases with no one out en route to posting five runs in the bottom of the sixth, cutting Minnesota's lead to two.
Granger played hero again in the seventh, launching her second two-run homer of the evening provide the Gophers with the cushion they would need. Parlich capped the scoring by following a single with steals of second and third before coming home on a Cardinal error.
Nikki Anderson shut the door to close out the win with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh. She earned her first save of the season. Sara Groenewegen, who racked up 10 strikeouts, improved to 9-2 on the season. She reached double-digit strikeouts for the sixth time in 10 starts.
The Gophers pick up play Saturday with a game at 3:30 p.m. CT against Santa Clara. They will take on Stanford again in a game slated to start at 6 p.m. CT.
