(Photo Courtesy of Minnesota Athletics)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Minnesota softball team defeated Army, 12-1, and Hampton, 8-0—each in five innings—Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. to improve to 11-1 in 2014, the program’s best-ever 12-game start. Senior Sara Moulton tossed a no-hitter against the Pirates in the second game and surpassed the 1,000-strikeout plateau with the first of her 11 strikeouts on the day in the first inning.
After beginning the weekend with a 3-0 win Friday over George Washington, the Gophers produced runs in eight of 10 innings play on the second day of play at the UNCG Spartan Classic.
Just as she did in the team’s opener Friday, freshman Sara Groenewegen hit a home run in the first inning. The White Rock, B.C. native gave the Maroon and Gold a 2-0 lead with a hard line drive that zoomed over the left field wall.
In the third inning, the Gophers tacked on three runs thanks in part to a two-RBI double by Sydney Fabian. Minnesota broke the game open in the next frame with six runs, including two that came off the bat of junior Tyler Walker, who hit her first homer of the season.
Groenewegen pitched the first three innings and allowed one earned run, while striking out five to get the win and improve to 4-0. Nikki Anderson finished the game in the circle.
Moulton impressed for the second day in a row against Hampton, allowing just one baserunner that reached on an error to earn her fifth-career no-hitter, tying pitching coach Piper Ritter for the most in school history. The Eagan, Minn. native struck out 11 HU batters, including seven in a row from the seven through fifth innings, to move to 7-1. She finished the day with 1,010 career strikeouts.
The offense against the Pirates started again with Groenewegen in the first. The cleanup hitter singled home Erica Meyer to give the Gophers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Walker doubled to score two more in the second inning and Groenewegen hit an RBI double as a part of a three-run third to make it 6-0. An RBI triple by Kayla Wenner and an RBI single by Taylor LeMay in the fifth capped the scoring.
Minnesota will finish its stay at the UNC-Greensboro Sunday with a 10:30 a.m. contest against the host Spartans. Next week, the Gophers will compete in the Louisville Slugger Classic in Tempe, Ariz. On that trip, Minnesota will open play Friday with games versus Detroit and South Carolina before playing Ball State and Florida International Saturday. The weekend will conclude with a showdown against No. 4-ranked host Arizona State.
