University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
14-14, 0
Maryland
14-14, 0
Gophers Split with Maryland to Open B1G Play
3/22/2024 8:37:00 PM | Softball
Minnesota fall in game one and defeat Maryland in game two
GAME 1 | Maryland 7, Minnesota 6
COLLEGE PARK, MD - The Minnesota Golden Gophers put together a ferocious comeback, but the late-game rally came up short and they fell 7-6 to the Maryland Terrapins Friday.
Freshman Macy Richardson (0-2) took the loss in the circle for Minnesota (14-14, 0-1 B1G). Senior Jacie Hambrick was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going three shutout innings while allowing two hits, walking one and striking out one.
At the plate, the Golden Gophers were led by junior Taylor Krapf, who went 2-for-4 on the day with a home run and three RBI. Sophomore Addison Leschber put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Sophomore Jess Oakland also contributed for Minnesota, putting together two hits in three trips to the plate while adding a walk.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Golden Gophers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with two runs in the top of the first inning. Minnesota plated two runs when Krapf left the yard with Oakland aboard.
The Golden Gophers lost the lead they built in the first, but got back on the board in the sixth trailing 6-2. Minnesota scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run homer from Leschber, which brought the score to 6-5 in favor of the Terrapins.
Minnesota kept the Terrapins off the scoreboard before rallying to even it up at six in the seventh. The Golden Gophers scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Krapf. Maryland then scored one time over the remaining two innings to break the tie and grab the 7-6 win.
GAME NOTES
» Minnesota's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed three runs across.
» Minnesota pitchers faced 43 Maryland hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out nine.
» Krapf led the Golden Gophers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
GAME 2 | Minnesota 15, Maryland 6
COLLEGE PARK, MD - Senior Sydney Strelow and sophomore Jess Oakland each racked up four hits to help lead the Minnesota Golden Gophers over the Maryland Terrapins 15-6 on Friday.
Freshman Macy Richardson (1-2) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Minnesota (15-14, 1-1 B1G). The right-hander went 2.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits, allowing no walks and striking out two.
In addition to her four hits, Oakland had a double, a home run and four RBI to lead the Golden Gophers. Strelow added a double and two RBI to her four-hit performance as well. Junior Kayla Chavez also chipped in for Minnesota, putting together two hits in five trips to the plate while adding a double, a home run and three RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Golden Gophers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with three runs in the top of the first inning. Minnesota hit two home runs in the inning on the way to scoring five runs.
The Terrapins then gained ground, narrowing the lead to 5-2 until the Golden Gophers expanded their advantage in the second. Strelow's run-scoring single highlighted an inning where Minnesota scored twice, which brought the Golden Gophers lead to 7-2.
Maryland narrowed Minnesota's lead to 7-4 before the Golden Gophers stretched the advantage to 9-4 in the fifth inning. The Golden Gophers added two runs when a single from Oakland scored senior Delanie Cox and senior Maddy Ehlke.
The Terrapins fought back, closing the gap to 9-5 until Minnesota added some insurance in the seventh. The Golden Gophers scored six runs in the inning, highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of Oakland, bringing the score to 15-5 in favor of Minnesota. Maryland put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Golden Gophers still coasted to the 15-6 win.
GAME NOTES
» Minnesota got four-hit games from both Strelow and Oakland.
» The Golden Gophers had both Chavez and Oakland smack multiple extra-base hits in the ballgame.
» Oakland drove in four runs for Minnesota.
» Every Minnesota starter reached base safely in the win.
» Minnesota's highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed six runs across.
» Minnesota took a 5-2 lead in the top half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Minnesota hitters hit three homers in the ballgame.
» The Golden Gophers out-hit the Terrapins at a 14-11 clip.
» Minnesota went 7-for-15 (.467) with runners in scoring position.
» Minnesota pitchers faced 34 Maryland hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out three.
» The Golden Gophers drew 10 walks from Maryland pitching.
» Oakland led the Golden Gophers at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a double, a home run and four RBI.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Courtney Wyche (7-5)
L: Richardson, Macy (0-2)
Batting:
2B: DeBord, Morgan 1
HR: Krapf, Taylor 1 ; Leschber, Addison 1
RBI: Krapf, Taylor 3 ; Strelow, Sydney 1 ; Leschber, Addison 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Oakland, Jess 3 ; Krapf, Taylor 1 ; Strelow, Sydney 1 ; Leschber, Addison 1
Batting:
2B: Megan Mikami 1 ; Jaeda McFarland 1 ; Sammi Woods 1
HR: Mazie MacFarlane 1
RBI: Jaeda McFarland 1 ; Sydney Lewis 2 ; Mazie MacFarlane 2 ; Michaela Jones 1 ; Sammi Woods 1
SH: Madison Runyan 1
SF: Sydney Lewis 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Megan Mikami 2 ; Jaeda McFarland 1 ; Caitlyn Cornwell 1 ; Bailey Murphy 1 ; Mazie MacFarlane 2
