University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Northwestern
Gophers Survive Weather, Hold Off Wildcats
4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The No. 6/6 University of Minnesota Gophers survived three rain delays and held off the Northwestern Wildcats in a 6-2 victory this evening.
Sara Groenewegen fired in her 11th strikeout of the evening to finish the game four hours and 17 minutes after the first pitch was thrown. Officially two hours and 12 minutes of actual game was played.
Groenewegen has now hit double digit strikeout numbers in six games this season. She pitched a complete game and only allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out 11 batters tonight. She moves to 18-2 on the season with a 0.71 ERA and 158 strikeouts.
The Gophers put up two runs right away in the top of the first. Sam Macken reached on an error, Danielle Parlich singled and Kendyl Lindaman was walked to load the bases with one out. MaKenna Partain drew a bases loaded RBI walk and Sydney Dwyer hit a sacrifice fly to punch in the two runs. Dwyer is now up to 54 RBIs on the season.
The Wildcats got on the board in the top of the third as the rain began to pick up. They hit back-to-back singles with one out and moved the run across on a passed ball and a wild pitch.
After an hour and one minute delay Macken opened play back up in a big way launching the first pitch she saw for a home run to center. Macken now has four homers on the season.
Maddie Houlihan, Lindaman and Partain all singled later in the frame to put one more run across. Partain went 2-2 with two RBIs in the game and is now hitting a team leading .422 on the season.
Lindaman came up with a big defensive play in the top of the fourth. The leadoff batter reached base but Lindaman caught her trying to steal second right after. Groenewegen mowed down the next two batters to keep the momentum in the Gophers favor.
Allie Arneson tripled in the bottom of the fourth but Minnesota could not get her across. Arneson continued her hot streak going 2-3 with a triple and a single this evening. She is hitting a team leading .500 in B1G play.
The game went into a 37 minute delay in the top of the fifth inning. Dwyer came up with back-to-back outs once play picked back up to get out of the frame.
Houlihan drew a lead off walk in the bottom of the fifth and later scored on a throwing error. Groenewegen stepped up later and fouled out as the Wildcat shortstop made a great diving catch. Lindaman tagged up on the catch and came home for the Gophers sixth run of the game.
The game went into one more 20 minute delay in the top of the sixth. After the delay Northwestern scraped a run across to pull within four and made one last push in the top of the seventh.
With one out on the board the Wildcats hit back-to-back singles as the rain started to come down again. Groenewegen slammed the door shut with two strikeouts in seven pitches to seal the victory.
Minnesota is scheduled to take on Northwestern again tomorrow afternoon with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
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