University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
No. 13/15 Florida State
Gophers Top VT, Fall to FSU
2/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
It was an action packed second day for the No. 20/18 University of Minnesota Gophers at the ACC/B1G Challenge in Tallahassee, Fla. They started off the day with a second win over Virginia Tech, 9-3. They came from behind to tie things up before falling in the seventh inning to No. 13/15 Florida State.
The Gophers (5-3) will wrap up play with a shot at redemption tomorrow against FSU (6-3) at 11:30 a.m. Like today, that game will be aired on ESPN 3.
First Game: No. 20/18 Minnesota 9, Virginia Tech 3
The first inning went by in a blur with both teams forcing three up and three down. Groenewegen came in after throwing a no-hitter the day before against Virginia Tech and struck out the first batter of the game.
The Gophers got in the board in wild fashion the bottom of the second. After Taylor LeMay opened with a single, Palkovich hit her first of two doubles in the game. Dani Wagner came in to pinch run for LeMay and came flying home on a wild pitch. She dove into home plate and was called safe for the first run of the game.
Sydney Fabian started the bottom of the third with a double to right center. Sam Macken was walked and both were moved as Parlich laid down a sacrifice bunt. Groenewegen was intentionally walked loading the bases but Virginia Tech was able to force two more outs to get of the jam including snagging a line drive of a ball from Palkovich.
After getting close in the third, the Gophers blew things open in the fourth. Maddie Houlihan was walked to get things going and Kayla Wenner brought her to third with a single up the middle. Sydney Dwyer followed with her own single up to middle to bring in Houlihan. Fabian brought Wenner home for another and Macken drilled her sixth double of the season to bring in Dwyer.
Later in the inning Palkovich came up to bat with the bases loaded and cleared them with a double to left field. She finished the game with two doubles and three RBI.
Virginia Tech showed some fight scoring three runs to start the fifth inning. The Gophers added another run in the bottom of the inning with Wenner scoring.
Stober pitched the fifth through seventh innings. She looked calm and poised in the sixth forcing a three up, three down. The Maroon and Gold scored their final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth with Houlihan hitting a double right down the left field line to send Groenewegen home.
Stober threw two strikeouts in the seventh to seal the victory and earn her first save of the season. Groenewegen got the win on the mound to move to 4-1 this season. She went four innings only allowing one hit and struck out five batters.
The Gophers finished with ten hits in the game. Senior outfielders Palkovich, Fabian and Wenner all recorded two.
Second Game: No. 13/15 Florida State 5, No. 20/18 Minnesota 4
Minnesota battled adversity all game and fell just short under the lights in the final game of the day.
FSU got on the board first scoring two runs in the bottom of the first. After a scoreless second inning Macken continued the strong start to her early season getting Minnesota on the board. She came up to bat with one out and launched a ball over the right field wall for the solo shot home run.
The first of two sacrifice flies for FSU gave them another run in the bottom of the third to go up 3-1 over Minnesota. In the top of the fourth Houlihan was walked for the second time in the game with one out on the board. Wenner came up next and smacked a ball to center field but the ruling on the field was that the center fielder came up with the catch and forced a double play on an eight-nine-four-three.
The fourth and fifth innings would both go scoreless. In the top of the sixth, LeMay smacked a double to right center with one out on the board and Isham came in to pinch run. She advanced to third on a wild pitch and was brought home by a Palkovich sacrifice fly to left field making it a 3-2 game.
FSU added another sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to go back up 4-2 heading into the seventh. Wenner singled and Dwyer was walked right away to start the inning. FSU was able to get Wenner out as Fabian reached on a fielder's choice the next at bat. A Macken single brought Dwyer home and a wild pitch saw Fabain sprint home and slide in safely for the game tying run. FSU got out of the inning without allowing another run.
The first batter in the bottom of the seventh hit a walk-off home run to end the game. The Gophers finished the game with six hits including two from Macken. Anderson went the distance on the mound taking her first loss of the season.
