University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, April 16
5:00 PM
University of Minnesota
20-5, 0
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Nebraska
14-11, 0
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Nebraska
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Minnesota
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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Rally for Walk-Off Win over Nebraska
4/16/2021 8:20:00 PM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS – A seventh-inning rally gave Minnesota (20-5) an 8-7, walk-off victory in Friday's series opener with Nebraska (14-11) at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
Down 7-6 heading into the bottom of the seventh, No. 7 hitter Carlie Brandt led off for Minnesota with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Sara Kinch, who already had a home run and single on the day, picked up her career-best third hit with a single to left field, putting runners on the corners. A walk to Elle Jensen filled the bases with no one out and the top of the lineup due up.
MaKenna Partain, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, pulled a 2-1 pitch through the right side, driving home Brandt with the tying run. The other baserunners initially each moved up only one base, but the throw in from Nebraska right fielder Tristen Edwards bounced and hit Partain's leg while she stood at first base, ricocheting away and allowing Kinch to come home with the winning run.
The walk-off win helped the Golden Gophers extend their winning streak overall to six games and their streak against Nebraska to 12. Minnesota has outscored the Huskers, 95-30, in that stretch.
Ava Dueck picked up the win in relief of starter Amber Fiser. Dueck gave up just one hit and one walk while striking out two over the final 2.1 innings to improve to 2-0 on the season. Fiser struck out six in 4.2 innings, but she gave up nine hits and seven runs, though only two of those were earned.
Scoreless through the top of the second, Minnesota's three-run third inning kicked off a stretch of five consecutive half-innings with a run scored.
Kinch got the scoring started with a leadoff home run; her fourth of the season. The Golden Gophers then took advantage of a pair of Husker errors. Jensen followed Kinch's home run with a grounder to Nebraska shortstop Billie Andrews. Jensen beat out the throw and then took second on an Andrews throwing error. Partain then sent a grounder of her own to Brooke Andrews at third base and Brooke's throwing error put runners on second and third with no one out. Natalie DenHartog made Nebraska pay as she tripled into center field to score a pair.
Nebraska got one run back in the top of the fourth, but Minnesota countered in the bottom the fourth as Chloe Evans, pinch running for Kinch, scored on a passed ball to put Minnesota in front 4-1.
The Cornhuskers took the lead in the top of the fifth as they scored six runs on a five hits and a pair of Minnesota errors.
An error with the bases loaded brought in the first Nebraska run of the inning, while Kaylin Kinney's single up the middle made it a one-run game. Later in the frame, with two outs and facing a full count, Peyton Glatter doubled into left center to put Nebraska on top, 5-4. Brooke Andrews followed with an RBI single, while a throwing error on the play allowed an additional run to score.
Down 7-4, Minnesota scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to one.
With one out and MacKenzie Denson on first, Brandt drew a walk to put two runners on. Kinch picked up her second RBI of the game with a single to right center, plating Denson and moving Brandt to third. Jensen then grounded out to short, but it allowed Brandt to score from third and set the stage for the seventh-inning comeback.
Minnesota and Nebraska resume the series Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon on BTN Plus.
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Down 7-6 heading into the bottom of the seventh, No. 7 hitter Carlie Brandt led off for Minnesota with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Sara Kinch, who already had a home run and single on the day, picked up her career-best third hit with a single to left field, putting runners on the corners. A walk to Elle Jensen filled the bases with no one out and the top of the lineup due up.
MaKenna Partain, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, pulled a 2-1 pitch through the right side, driving home Brandt with the tying run. The other baserunners initially each moved up only one base, but the throw in from Nebraska right fielder Tristen Edwards bounced and hit Partain's leg while she stood at first base, ricocheting away and allowing Kinch to come home with the winning run.
The walk-off win helped the Golden Gophers extend their winning streak overall to six games and their streak against Nebraska to 12. Minnesota has outscored the Huskers, 95-30, in that stretch.
Ava Dueck picked up the win in relief of starter Amber Fiser. Dueck gave up just one hit and one walk while striking out two over the final 2.1 innings to improve to 2-0 on the season. Fiser struck out six in 4.2 innings, but she gave up nine hits and seven runs, though only two of those were earned.
Scoreless through the top of the second, Minnesota's three-run third inning kicked off a stretch of five consecutive half-innings with a run scored.
Kinch got the scoring started with a leadoff home run; her fourth of the season. The Golden Gophers then took advantage of a pair of Husker errors. Jensen followed Kinch's home run with a grounder to Nebraska shortstop Billie Andrews. Jensen beat out the throw and then took second on an Andrews throwing error. Partain then sent a grounder of her own to Brooke Andrews at third base and Brooke's throwing error put runners on second and third with no one out. Natalie DenHartog made Nebraska pay as she tripled into center field to score a pair.
Nebraska got one run back in the top of the fourth, but Minnesota countered in the bottom the fourth as Chloe Evans, pinch running for Kinch, scored on a passed ball to put Minnesota in front 4-1.
The Cornhuskers took the lead in the top of the fifth as they scored six runs on a five hits and a pair of Minnesota errors.
An error with the bases loaded brought in the first Nebraska run of the inning, while Kaylin Kinney's single up the middle made it a one-run game. Later in the frame, with two outs and facing a full count, Peyton Glatter doubled into left center to put Nebraska on top, 5-4. Brooke Andrews followed with an RBI single, while a throwing error on the play allowed an additional run to score.
Down 7-4, Minnesota scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to one.
With one out and MacKenzie Denson on first, Brandt drew a walk to put two runners on. Kinch picked up her second RBI of the game with a single to right center, plating Denson and moving Brandt to third. Jensen then grounded out to short, but it allowed Brandt to score from third and set the stage for the seventh-inning comeback.
Minnesota and Nebraska resume the series Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon on BTN Plus.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dueck, Ava (2-0)
L: Courtney Wallace (6-5)
Batting:
2B: Tristen Edwards 1 ; Courtney Wallace 1 ; Peyton Glatter 1
3B: Brooke Andrews 1
RBI: Kaylin Kinney 1 ; Peyton Glatter 3 ; Brooke Andrews 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Billie Andrews 1 ; Tristen Edwards 1 ; Cam Ybarra 1 ; Courtney Wallace 2 ; Caitlynn Neal 1 ; Peyton Glatter 1
Batting:
3B: DenHartog, Natalie 1
HR: Kinch, Sara 1
RBI: Partain, MaKenna 1 ; DenHartog, Natalie 2 ; Kinch, Sara 2 ; Jensen, Ellee 1
SH: Hansen, Emily 1 ; Jensen, Ellee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Partain, MaKenna 1 ; Denson, MacKenzie 1 ; Brandt, Carlie 2 ; Kinch, Sara 2 ; Evans, Chloe 1 ; Jensen, Ellee 1
HBP: Kemmetmueller, Katelyn 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UT
/ SoftballUT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballINF
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