The University of Minnesota closed out the first weekend of competition with a split against Indiana, today at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex in Leesburg, Florida. The Golden Gophers won the first game, 6-2, but fell in 7-5 in the final game of the weekend.
Katie Kemmetmueller led the Gophers today when she went 4-7 and had three runs, a home run and an RBI. Megan Dray went 3-6 on the day with two doubles and a run, followed by MaKenna Partain when she was 3-7.
Gophers are off next weekend, and return to play March 11-14, also in Leesburg, Florida.
Game One Recap
Kemmetmueller went 3-4 with a home run and two runs scored. Dray also went 2-2 with a double and two RBIs, while Sydney Strelow was 2-3 with an RBI.
Autumn Pease earned the win, her second of the season. She went 6 and 2/3 innings pitched. She did not allow an earned run, struck out seven and walked two in the 25 batters she faced.
Minnesota opened the day with a 3-0 lead in the first. Brandt started things off with a walk, while Kemmetmueller added a hit. After an error put Natalie DenHartog on to load the bases, Hansen plated the first Gopher run, while Megan Dray followed with a double to center to score both Kemmetmueller and DenHartog.
Kemmetmueller earned Minnesota’s first home run of the season on a solo shot to center field to make it 4-0, top of the third. Indiana brought in a new The Gophers followed with two more on a RBI single for Strelow, while the second run scored on an errant throw to third to plate Dray.
Minnesota held the 6-0 lead until Indiana pushed across two in the bottom of the seventh. After a Minnesota error, Indiana singled to put two on with one out. One run scored off a single to left, while another off a Gopher wild pitch. However, the Gophers got out of the inning and earned the 6-2 win.
Game Two Recap
Despite a comeback effort, the Gophers fell in the sixth game of the weekend, 7-5, to Indiana. Partain went 2-3, while DenHartog went 2-4 and Kemmetmueller was 1-3. Amber Fiser picked up the loss.
Indiana opened the second game with two runs in the first inning. The Hoosiers added a single run in the fifth and sixth, while they produced two in the top of the seventh.
Minnesota got on the board in the fifth inning. Strelow started things off and was hit by a pitch, while Ali Lindner reached on an error. Partain singled to first to load the bases. Strelow scored on a wild pitch. With the bases loaded again, the Gophers however stranded three runners on a strikeout.
Down six runs, Minnesota plated four in the seventh. Partain got a hit and came around to score on a DenHartog double. An Indiana error led to Kemmetmueller and DenHartog to score and cut the lead to three. Ellee Jensen scored on another error to cut the Indiana lead to two. However, the Gopher comeback fell short after scoring four runs in the final inning.
(info courtesy of Gopher Sports)