Senior Autumn Pease had everything working on Thursday, striking out nine Ohio State hitters over eight innings of work to help propel the Minnesota Golden Gophers past the Buckeyes 3-2.
In addition to her nine strikeouts, Pease (26-6) threw eight innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on four hits and walking one for Minnesota (37-16).
In the batter’s box, the Golden Gophers were paced by sophomore Kayla Chavez, who went 2-for-4 on the day with a home run and an RBI. Freshman Breezy Burnett furnished a standout performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Senior Natalie DenHartog also chipped in for Minnesota, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Golden Gophers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the bottom of the first inning. Chavez put Minnesota on the board with a leadoff home run off junior Allison Smith.
The Buckeyes then rallied to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead before the Golden Gophers got back on the board in the fifth. Minnesota scored once on an RBI single off the bat of DenHartog, which evened the score at 2-2.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth, when Minnesota walked it off on an RBI single off the bat of Burnett.
GAME NOTES
» Pease struck out nine Buckeyes hitters.
» Minnesota’s highest scoring inning was the eighth, when it pushed one run across.
» The Golden Gophers out-hit the Buckeyes at a 10-4 clip.
» Minnesota went 3-for-10 (.300) with runners in scoring position.
» Minnesota pitchers faced 31 Ohio State hitters in the game, allowing three ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out nine.
» Chavez led the Golden Gophers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
UP NEXT
The Golden Gophers advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semis and will face either No. 7 Penn State or No. 2 Indiana on Friday at 5 p.m. CT.
(info courtesy of Gopher Sports)
