University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Purdue
Gophers Win 19th Straight On Senior Day
4/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The No. 4/5 University of Minnesota Gophers have won 19 straight games for the second time this season after a pair of run-rule victories over the Purdue Boilermakers this afternoon.
Seniors Tori Finucane, Sara Groenewegen and Sam Macken were all honored before the game and all contributed to the victories.
The Gophers are now 48-3 on the season and 19-1 in the Big Ten. They are a perfect 16-0 in front of the home crowd and are one win away from tying a program record for most wins in a season.
Next weekend the Gophers play Penn State to close out the regular season. They are one victory away from clinching a share of the Big Ten regular season title and two wins away from winning it outright. The Gophers have not won a B1G regular season title since 1991. The 19-game win streak is tied for longest in program history. They also won 19 straight games to start this season.
First Game: Minnesota 9, Purdue 1 (6)
Before the first game of the day the Maroon and Gold honored the three seniors and had a special gesture for Groenewegen out of White Rock, B.C.
ICYMI: The #Gophers started the first game of the day with a surprise for @saragroe! She was again dominant and is now 25-2 on the season. pic.twitter.com/6dP5iciLq4
- Minnesota Softball (@GopherSoftball) April 29, 2017
After her no-hitter yesterday, Groenewegen went 4.1 innings without allowing a hit today in a 9-1 victory over Purdue. She went 5.1 innings and for the 12th time this season hit 10 or more strikeouts. She is now 25-2 on the season with a 0.55 ERA and 237 strikeouts.
The Gophers came into the afternoon ranked in the bottom of the Big Ten and the NCAA in stolen bases but played small ball all game with five stolen bases and a number of bunts.
@GopherSoftball @dwagner215 Great work! We will let the base stealing slide for now.
- Minneapolis Police (@MinneapolisPD) April 29, 2017
The Maroon and Gold put up a run in each of the first two innings. Kendyl Lindaman scored on an error in the first and Dani Wagner came home on a passed ball in the second.
Danielle Parlich helped keep things going in the third. She stepped up with the bases loaded and perfectly placed an infield RBI single.
WATCH: @DanielleParlich with some small ball to keep things rolling! #Gophers up 5-0 after three over Purdue. https://t.co/GEVLQhBVLr
- Minnesota Softball (@GopherSoftball) April 29, 2017
Lindaman stepped up next and drove in two more runs. Later in the game Lindaman came up in the fifth inning and drilled her second hit of the day with an RBI double down the left field line to score two.
Taylor Chell pinch hit and knocked in the Gophers eighth run of the game later in the fifth. Parlich recorded the final RBI of the day with the bases loaded in the sixth inning for the Gophers second run-rule walk-off in as many games.
Second Game: Minnesota 12, Purdue 2
Lindaman, Sydney Dwyer Sam Macken all homered in Minnesota's 12-2 victory over Purdue to complete their sixth Big Ten series sweep.
Dwyer is closing in on the Gophers single season RBI record. She now has 69 on the season after five more RBIs in the second game of the day. The record is 74 in a season by Shannon Beeler. Lindaman's big day propelled her into third all-time for most in a single season with 64 this year.
Lindaman nailed her 17th home run of the season in the first inning over the left field wall to give Minnesota an early 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second Dwyer sent one over the fences for her ninth home run of the season.
Purdue tried to answer back with a triple in the top of the third but Macken came up with a big catch in foul territory to get out of trouble.
Dwyer worked her RBI magic again in the bottom of the third to score Maddie Houlihan and MaKanna Partain off a single up the middle.
Lindaman tallied her second home run of the game and 18th of the season in the bottom of the fourth with a blast to dead center. She came into the weekend already owning Minnesota's single season home run record.
The Gophers went back to small ball right after Lindaman's homer. Houlihan reached first after a bunt to third. She stole second right after and reached third on a wild pitch. Partain was walked, and swiped second right after. The Gophers again had five stolen bases in the second game of the day with Houlihan and Wagner each recording two and Partain stealing one.
Dwyer came up next and smacked a double to the gap in right center to again score them both. Dwyer has now recorded five RBIs in four games this season.
Later in the frame Macken put the cherry on top on her last home at bat of the regular season. She cracked a grand slam to complete a seven run fourth inning. She had three home runs on the weekend and now has seven this season.
Amber Fiser got the nod in the circle and pitched four innings. She only allowed three hits while recording five strikeouts and is now 11-0 on the season. Fincuane entered the game in the top of the fifth and closed out senior day with a strikeout for the final out.
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