University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
No. 19/20 Washington
Softball Falls to Washington
2/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The No. 14/13 University of Minnesota Gophers closed out their opening weekend trip at the Sportco Kickoff Classic with a tough fought 7-2 loss to No. 19/20 Washington.
Despite the final score the game was very tight all the way through. Sam Macken started the game with a double in the top of the first but Washington got the next three outs. Macken had a strong game going 2-3 at bat while making a number of nice fielding plays at third base. She has three doubles on the early season.
Washington put a run on the board in the bottom of the first. The Gophers answered in the top of the second in the form of a Brandi McGregor home run that sailed over the left field wall. McGregor had looked strong at bat all weekend fighting off pitch after pitch and the hard work paid off with the home run counting as her first hit of the 2016 season.
The Huskies were able to knot the game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the inning and neither team scored in the third. Washington took the lead with a two run inning in the bottom of the fourth.
Minnesota started off their sixth inning at bat in great position. Sara Groenewegen was walked followed by a Taylor LeMay single. With runners on first and second Paige Palkovich recorded her second hit of the game laying a beautiful bunt down the third base line to load the bases with no outs.
The Huskies were able to get out of the jam not surrendering a run and put some distance on with a three run inning in the bottom of the sixth. Kayla Wenner hit a double to shallow center field to start the seventh but that would be the last hit of the game. The double was the second of the year for Wenner.
Minnesota recorded nine hits in the game while giving up 12 to the Huskies. Groenewegen took her first loss of the season on the mound. She finished the weekend with 31 strikeouts and is 2-1 overall.
The Gophers are 3-2 after the first weekend of play grabbing wins over Utah Valley, No. 9/8 Oklahoma and Texas Tech. They will play four games next weekend at the ACC/Big Ten crossover challenge in Tallhassee, Fla., taking on Florida State and Virginia Tech.
