University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Wisconsin
Minnesota Drops Two Games to Wisconsin
4/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The No. 21/21 University of Minnesota Gophers had a tough night taking two losses to the University of Wisconsin Badgers.
The Maroon and Gold lost the first game of the evening 6-3 and took a 7-1 loss to close out the day.
The Gophers drop to 27-12 overall with an 8-3 Big Ten record. They will have a chance to bounce back quickly as they headed to Rutgers this weekend for a three game series.
First Game: Wisconsin 6, Minnesota 3
In the first game of the night against Wisconsin, Sara Groenewegen struck out 11 batters and the Gophers had 10 hits with three coming from Sam Macken.
To end the top of the first inning, Groenewegen earned her first strikeout of the night with one Wisconsin player left on third base.
In the bottom of the first with two outs, Taylor LeMay reached base for the 16th game in a row- a team best on base streak this season.
LeMay made a big fielding play the bottom of the third innign when she connected with Danielle Parlich to catching a Wisconsin player stealing to second getting the Gophers out of the frame.
The bottom of the third, Macken earned her first hit of the night with a double toward right field. She now has 16 doubles on the season and is on the Gophers top five all-time list for most doubles in a season. Parlich would follow with a triple toward center field, sending Macken home for the first run of the game. Groenewegen added an RBI, sending Parlich home.
The Gophers had problems strike in the fourth. On a throwing error to first base, Wisconsin earned two runs and tied up the game. Later with two players on base, they hit a home run and took the lead for the first time in the game. To end the Badgers at bat, Groenewegen recorded two more strikeouts.
Macken earned her second hit in the fifth inning, marking the 17th time this season she has had two or more hits in a game. LeMay hit a double to right field, sending Macken home for the second time and shortening Wisconsin's lead to three.
Minnesota picked up its defense at the top of the sixth, earning three quick outs. Macken and Parlich established two groundouts and Wagner caught a foul ball to quickly end Wisconsin's at bat.
Groenewegen earned three strikeouts at the top of the seventh inning, leaving two Badgers on base and kept the Maroon and Gold in striking distance.
The Gophers put one on but could not take advantage the bottom of the seventh. Groenewegen took the loss dropping to 19-5 on the season. She only allowed one earned run.
Second Game: Wisconsin 7, Minnesota 1
Nikki Anderson pitched the second game against the Badgers and started strong earning the two outs of the game on full count strikeouts and one on a grounder thrown to first.
Parlich earned the first hit of the second game for the Gophers on a single in the first.
The Gophers took the lead with the game's first run in the bottom of the fourth. Maddie Houlihan sneaked in a bunt single and was later brought home when Kayla Wenner found the gap in right center for an RBI double.
Unfortunately for Minnesota that would be their only run of the game. Wisconsin followed scoring three runs the top of the fifth and put up four in the top of the sixth.
Minnesota had four hits in the game. Anderson drops to 5-4 on the season taking the loss. She pitched 4.2 innings allowing three runs with three strikeouts. Kylie Stober had five strikeouts in 2.1 inning of work in relief.
