University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Northwestern
Weekend Sweep Moves Gophers To 38-3
4/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Tickets: Gophers Host the Iowa Hawkeyes Next Weekend
The No. 6/6 University of Minnesota Gophers cruised to an 8-0 run-rule victory over the Northwestern Wildcats to complete the weekend sweep this afternoon.
"I thought it was a good weekend. We had to find some different ways to win in all of three of them," head coach Jessica Allister said. "Friday was a tough day with three rain delays. I thought we did a good job of staying in it. Yesterday we were struggling offensively and found a way to fight back from a 2-0 deficit. Amber Fiser did a great job of coming back after a tough first inning to put up zeroes the rest of the way and give us a chance. Today we got all three facets of the game."
Sara Groenewegen was dominant in the circle once again for the Maroon and Gold. She only allowed two hits and struck out ten. She has hit double digit strikeout numbers seven times this season and did so in both games this weekend. She is now 19-2 with a 0.68 ERA and 168 strikeouts.
The Gophers got on the board right away in the bottom of the first inning. Sam Macken led off with a single to center. She moved to third on the next play as Danielle Parlich reached on an error.
Maddie Houlihan came up next and recorded a sacrifice fly to bring in Macken. Houlihan reached base on a fielder's choice on the play after the centerfielder dropped a catch but stayed with it to make a force at second. Later in the frame MaKenna Partain also recorded a sacrifice fly to bring Houlihan home.
Groenewegen struck out the side in the top of the second and the Gophers offense went right back to work in the bottom. Groenewegen led things off with a high infield single that was lost in the sun. Dani Wagner and Allie Arneson each drew walks to load the bases.
Parlich later drew an RBI walk and Houlihan recorded another RBI fielder's choice as Dani Wagner beat out a throw at home for the Gophers fourth run. Kendyl Lindaman capped off the big inning with a bases clearing double off the wall in center and now has 50 RBIs on the season.
The Wildcats recorded their first hit of the game in the fourth inning with two outs on an infield single. Groenewegen quickly shut the door with a strikeout to end the frame and the Gophers added their final run in the bottom of the inning.WATCH: @Kendyl_23 now has 50 RBIs on the season after this bases clearing double! pic.twitter.com/X8oIy73ZFi
-- Minnesota Softball (@GopherSoftball) April 16, 2017
Houlihan singled, Lindaman drew a walk and Partain laid down a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. With one out on the board Groenewegen blasted an RBI single through the left side to score Houlihan. Groenewegen had a strong offensive day going 3-3 with an RBI to help her own cause.
Northwestern added one more hit in the top of the fifth but could not get anything else going. Groenewegen dropped in a changeup to catch the final batter looking for the last out of the game.
After this weekend's results the Gophers have sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. They are 38-3 overall and 11-1 in conference play. They travel to Wisconsin for a midweek doubleheader Wednesday with first pitch set for 3 p.m. Both of those games can be viewed on the Big Ten Network.
"We still have a lot of games to play," Allister said. "It is exciting but we need to make sure we stay focused on the task at hand. Wisconsin is going to be tough on Wednesday so we need to make sure we enjoy this game for the rest of the evening, flip the script and get back to work."
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