University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Iowa
Gophers Win Tenth Straight
5/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The No. 23/19 University of Minnesota Gophers have won ten straight games topping the University of Iowa Hawkeyes 9-2 this afternoon.
The Gophers have won seven Big Ten series now with an 18-3 conference record. No matter the outcomes of tomorrow they will finish the regular season second place in the B1G.
Taylor LeMay followed up a five RBI performance yesterday with four more today. She now has 13 multi-RBI games on the season, a team best and is second on the team with 42 RBI.
LeMay recorded one right away in the first inning bringing in Sam Macken for a score with a single to left center. Later in the inning Maddie Houlihan singled recording a hit for a tenth straight time and was brought in by a Paige Palkovich single through the left side. She has 29 RBI on the season.
The Maroon and Gold stayed hot scoring five more runs in the second inning. With two runners on LeMay came about as short as you can come without getting a home run as she had a ball bounce off the top of the center field wall. She ended up with a two-RBI triple on the play.
Sara Groenewegen scored LeMay with a double right down the left field line. She has six doubles and 35 RBI this season.
Houlihan kept things rolling with an RBI double to left center. She is hitting .813 in the past five games with four home runs and two doubles for 10 RBI.
Wenner showed off the wheels later in the inning dropping a single right in front of the catcher beating out the throw with ease to load the bases. Houlihan was able to score on a passed ball to wrap up the big inning.
Another LeMay RBI in the third inning put Minnesota up 8-0 as Nikki Anderson and the defense were dominant through much of the game. Through four innings Anderson only allowed one hit getting some big plays from the field. Macken made a number of beautiful fielding plays at third and Fabian robbed a hitter sprinting into the right center gap to catch a fly.
Macken added an RBI ground out in the top of the fifth but Iowa stayed scrappy in the bottom of the fifth scoring two runs to prevent the run rule. They used two hits and back-to-back errors to score two runners.
Anderson settled in forcing a three up, three down in the sixth and just one hit in the seventh. She did not give up an earned run striking out six batters and moves to 8-4 on the season after the complete game victory.
The Gophers finish the regular season against Iowa tomorrow with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
