University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
35-15, 16-4
Penn State
9-40, 5-17
11-Run First Inning Earns Gophers Bounce Back Win
5/5/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS – An 11-run first inning led to a bounce back win for Minnesota (35-15, 16-4 Big Ten) over Penn State (9-40, 5-17) Saturday afternoon at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. 19-0. Sending 15 different players to the plate, Minnesota recorded 13 hits in the shortened-five inning game as the Gophers put up the highest single-game run total of the season. With the win Minnesota has secured the number two seed and an opening round bye in the Big Ten Tournament set to take place in Madison, Wisc. May 10-12. The official bracket will be announced tomorrow following the conclusion of all Big Ten games.
“I was proud of the kids for coming out, being aggressive and attaching the zone,” said head coach Jamie Trachsel. “We were able to get a bunch of kids in and I think it was a team effort today. I love that we kept them [Penn State] to zero because it’s not easy to have a shutout and I love the energy our team showed today.
The runs started coming in early for Minnesota who batted around in the first inning with 14 plate appearances. Kendyl Lindaman began her 2-for-3 game driving in the game’s first run scoring MaKenna Partain. In her second at-bat of the inning, Lindaman sent a grand slam over the center field wall to record all five of her RBI in the opening frame. Driving in runs during the inning were Danielle Parlich, Allie Arneson and Ellee Jensen. Senior Sydney Dwyer closed out the half inning with a solo home run to center to make it 11-0.
Starter Amber Fiser worked an efficient two innings before Sydney Smith entered the game out of the pen. Smith worked out of a jam in the third forcing Penn State to strand them loaded. Tossing two scoreless innings of relief Smith picked up her fourth win of the season in the circle.
Minnesota continued to add to their lead plating three runs in the second inning. Partain’s RBI single scored Carlie Brandt before Maddie Houlihan plated a pair with a single to left.
In the third, an RBI double by Dani Wagner scored pinch-runner Katelyn Kemmetmueller to set up senior Ellie Cowger to make her first plate appearance of the year as a pinch-hitter. Connecting on a 0-2 pitch, Cowger recorded her second-career hit roping one up the middle to drive in Wagner.
Adding three more in the fourth, pinch-hitter Kaylen Krueger and Dwyer scored on a Nittany Lion error before pinch-hitter Anne Miller scored on a wild pitch.
Rachel Lowary threw the final inning of work allowing one hit and two strikeouts.
Up next
Minnesota and Penn State meet up in regular-season finale Sunday, May 6 with a first pitch time of 1 p.m. General Admission tickets are sold out but a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets will be sold at the gate prior to the game. Fans who cannot make the game can watch by tuning into ESPNU. The Gophers will honor five seniors prior to Sunday’s game as part of the final home game of the regular season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Smith, Sydney (4-4)
L: Shaffer, Madison (2-21)
Batting:
2B: Arrizurieta, Gianna 1
Batting:
2B: Lindaman, Kendyl 1 ; Dwyer, Sydney 1 ; Wagner, Dani 1 ; Brandt, Carlie 1
HR: Lindaman, Kendyl 1 ; Dwyer, Sydney 1
RBI: Partain, MaKenna 2 ; Lindaman, Kendyl 5 ; Houlihan, Maddie 2 ; Dwyer, Sydney 1 ; Wagner, Dani 1 ; Parlich, Danielle 1 ; Arneson, Allie 1 ; Cowger, Ellie 1 ; Jensen, Ellee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Partain, MaKenna 3 ; Krueger, Kaylen 1 ; Lindaman, Kendyl 2 ; Houlihan, Maddie 1 ; Dwyer, Sydney 3 ; Kemmetmueller, Katelyn 1 ; Wagner, Dani 2 ; Miller, Anne 1 ; Parlich, Danielle 1 ; Arneson, Allie 1 ; Brandt, Carlie 1 ; Jensen, Ellee 2
SB: Lindaman, Kendyl 1 ; Houlihan, Maddie 1
HBP: Partain, MaKenna 1 ; Krueger, Kaylen 1
