University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, March 27
Urbana-Champaign, IL
1:00 PM
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Illinois
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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Partain Breaks School Record, Gophers Blast Illinois
3/27/2021 6:35:00 PM | Softball
MaKenna Partain's 198 career runs scored is a school record, besting Tyler Walker who had 197
MINNEAPOLIS – After four home runs on Friday night, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-3) blasted a combined five more in two wins on Saturday to extend their winning streak to nine. They topped the University of Illinois (10-5), 5-1 and 9-5, on the road this afternoon.
MaKenna Partain broke the Minnesota career runs record on Saturday. She now has 198 in her career moving past Tyler Walker, who ended her career with 197.
The Gophers will look for the sweep over the Fighting Illini tomorrow afternoon at 12 p.m. CT.
Game One: Minnesota 5, Illinois 1
Emily Hansen and Megan Dray each launched long balls to keep the Minnesota power game rolling in game one. Amber Fiser dazzled in the circle, as she went the distance striking out four and scattering five hits.
Katelyn Kemmetmueller got the scoring started in the first inning for the Gophers. She walked in four straight pitches and moved around the base path on a pair of wild pitches. Hansen drilled a single through the right side to bring her home.
Illinois responded in the bottom of the first with a run, but it would be the only one allowed by Fiser.
Hansen broke the game open in the third inning hitting a home run with Partain and Kemmetmueller on base.
In the bottom of the third, the Fighting Illini put on a scoring threat with a single to right, but Sydney Strelow placed a perfectly timed ball to home for a big out.
Dray padded the lead with a two-out, solo shot in the fifth inning. It was the first home run in the Maroon and Gold for the North Carolina transfer.
Illinois led off with a pair of walks in the bottom of the seventh after Fiser had retired the previous ten batters. A base running miscommunication helped the Gophers get out of trouble later in the inning and Fiser was able to settle in to finish off the complete game victory. Fiser is now 5-2 on the season.
Partain went 2-3 and also drew one walk while Hansen went 2-3 with one home run and four RBI in the victory.
Game Two: Minnesota 9, Illinois 5
The second game of the day was a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing hands five times.
After a scoreless first inning, Natalie DenHartog launched her third home run of the season to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead early.
Illinois took their first lead of the weekend in the third inning with a double followed by a home run. Pitcher Autumn Pease (pitched 6.0 inning in a 6-0 win on Friday) had gone 8.1 innings against Illinois without allowing a run before the home run.
The Gophers quickly rallied to start the fourth. Strelow got it going with her second single of the game. Later in the frame, with two outs on the board Ellee Jensen reached on an error to keep the Minnesota at-bat alive. Partain stepped to the plate after the error and drove in Strelow with a single to right. Illinois tried to pick Partain off at first, but an error allowed the speedy Jensen to scoot home and push the Gophers back in front.
The back-and-forth continued in the bottom of the fourth. Pease fired in two straight strikeouts to start the frame, but Illinois responded with a two out, solo shot to tie the game again. Strelow again came up big in the field to deny more damage in the fourth when Illinois tried to stretch a double into a triple but was thrown out from right field.
Ava Dueck replaced Pease in the circle in the bottom of the fifth. She went to work quickly inducing two groundouts, but Illinois broke the tie after a hit by pitch and home run to take a 5-3 lead into the sixth.
The fireworks weren't done as the Gophers again retook the lead in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Partain ripped a double to deep center. Kemmetmueller was then intentionally walked setting up the go-ahead run at the plate. Hansen took advantage with her second home run of the day on a no-doubter to right field making it 6-5 in favor of the Gophers. Partain broke the school runs record on the Hansen home run.
The Maroon and Gold tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a two-out rally. Brandt launched a solo shot and the Gophers quickly loaded the bases right after. Hansen added one more RBI on the day on a hit by pitch and Dray brought in the final run on a bases loaded walk. Hansen finished the afternoon with a combined eight RBI.
Dueck picked up her first career victory in the circle, allowing only two hits in three innings. Pease went four innings with five strikeouts.
MaKenna Partain broke the Minnesota career runs record on Saturday. She now has 198 in her career moving past Tyler Walker, who ended her career with 197.
The Gophers will look for the sweep over the Fighting Illini tomorrow afternoon at 12 p.m. CT.
Game One: Minnesota 5, Illinois 1
Emily Hansen and Megan Dray each launched long balls to keep the Minnesota power game rolling in game one. Amber Fiser dazzled in the circle, as she went the distance striking out four and scattering five hits.
Katelyn Kemmetmueller got the scoring started in the first inning for the Gophers. She walked in four straight pitches and moved around the base path on a pair of wild pitches. Hansen drilled a single through the right side to bring her home.
Illinois responded in the bottom of the first with a run, but it would be the only one allowed by Fiser.
Hansen broke the game open in the third inning hitting a home run with Partain and Kemmetmueller on base.
In the bottom of the third, the Fighting Illini put on a scoring threat with a single to right, but Sydney Strelow placed a perfectly timed ball to home for a big out.
Dray padded the lead with a two-out, solo shot in the fifth inning. It was the first home run in the Maroon and Gold for the North Carolina transfer.
Illinois led off with a pair of walks in the bottom of the seventh after Fiser had retired the previous ten batters. A base running miscommunication helped the Gophers get out of trouble later in the inning and Fiser was able to settle in to finish off the complete game victory. Fiser is now 5-2 on the season.
Partain went 2-3 and also drew one walk while Hansen went 2-3 with one home run and four RBI in the victory.
Game Two: Minnesota 9, Illinois 5
The second game of the day was a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing hands five times.
After a scoreless first inning, Natalie DenHartog launched her third home run of the season to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead early.
Illinois took their first lead of the weekend in the third inning with a double followed by a home run. Pitcher Autumn Pease (pitched 6.0 inning in a 6-0 win on Friday) had gone 8.1 innings against Illinois without allowing a run before the home run.
The Gophers quickly rallied to start the fourth. Strelow got it going with her second single of the game. Later in the frame, with two outs on the board Ellee Jensen reached on an error to keep the Minnesota at-bat alive. Partain stepped to the plate after the error and drove in Strelow with a single to right. Illinois tried to pick Partain off at first, but an error allowed the speedy Jensen to scoot home and push the Gophers back in front.
The back-and-forth continued in the bottom of the fourth. Pease fired in two straight strikeouts to start the frame, but Illinois responded with a two out, solo shot to tie the game again. Strelow again came up big in the field to deny more damage in the fourth when Illinois tried to stretch a double into a triple but was thrown out from right field.
Ava Dueck replaced Pease in the circle in the bottom of the fifth. She went to work quickly inducing two groundouts, but Illinois broke the tie after a hit by pitch and home run to take a 5-3 lead into the sixth.
The fireworks weren't done as the Gophers again retook the lead in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Partain ripped a double to deep center. Kemmetmueller was then intentionally walked setting up the go-ahead run at the plate. Hansen took advantage with her second home run of the day on a no-doubter to right field making it 6-5 in favor of the Gophers. Partain broke the school runs record on the Hansen home run.
The Maroon and Gold tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a two-out rally. Brandt launched a solo shot and the Gophers quickly loaded the bases right after. Hansen added one more RBI on the day on a hit by pitch and Dray brought in the final run on a bases loaded walk. Hansen finished the afternoon with a combined eight RBI.
Dueck picked up her first career victory in the circle, allowing only two hits in three innings. Pease went four innings with five strikeouts.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Fiser, Amber (5-2)
L: Addy Jarvis (3-1)
Batting:
2B: Kemmetmueller, Katelyn 1
HR: Hansen, Emily 1 ; Dray, Megan 1
RBI: Hansen, Emily 4 ; Dray, Megan 1
SH: Brandt, Carlie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Partain, MaKenna 1 ; Kemmetmueller, Katelyn 2 ; Hansen, Emily 1 ; Dray, Megan 1
CS: Strelow, Sydney 1
Batting:
2B: Bella Loya 1 ; Maddison Demers 1
RBI: Jaelyn Vickery 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bella Loya 1
SB: Avrey Steiner 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UT
/ Softball
C/1B
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballUT
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballUT
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballIF
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Gophers (5) - North Dakota (3) Highlights
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