April 6, 2012
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Wisconsin 3, Minnesota 0
Goodman Diamond • Madison, Wis. | |
| |
 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | | MINN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
| 5 | 2
| WIS
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 8
| 0
| | | | | | Pitchers
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | | W | Darrah (12-6) | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | | L | Moulton (15-9) | 6.0 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | | |
| |
MADISON, Wis. -- Great pitching and tough defense lead Wisconsin to a 3-0 win over Minnesota Friday afternoon at Goodman Diamond. The Badgers capitalized on eight hits and two errors by Minnesota to improve to 4-3 in the Big Ten (18-12 overall).
| Fast Facts | | • Badgers improve to 4-3 in Big Ten | | • Four Badgers record multi-hit games | | • Darrah throws sixth shutout of season | |
"Minnesota is a great team and they've been playing really hot all season, especially coming off winning the Nebraska series,” said head coach Yvette Healy. “We're really proud of our team.”
The first inning was three up, three down for both teams following a big double play by the Badgers. After a leadoff single, Minnesota’s (21-11, 3-4) Madie Eckstrom hit a bullet to Shannel Blackshear at third base who doubled up Kari Dorle with a throw over to first to stop the Gophers' momentum.
The Badgers got on the board in the second inning after Stephanie Peace started things off with a walk and Marissa Mersch singled into right field. Michelle Mueller reached base on an error, scoring Peace.
Minnesota started off the third inning with a single into left field, but another double play from Blackshear ended the inning fast.
Kendall Grimm singled to lead off the bottom of the third for the Badgers, and Whitney Massey scored her, hitting an RBI double into right center field, giving Wisconsin a 2-0 lead after three innings.
A one-out single from Mersch got things going for Wisconsin in the fourth inning. Mueller followed up with a single, and pinch-hitter Karla Powell earned a walk to load the bases. Grimm hit an RBI single through the left side to put the Badgers up 3-0.
Minnesota started to rally back in the top of the sixth inning with a single from Kaitlyn Richardson through the right side. After a walk from UW starting pitcher, Cassandra Darrah, the Gophers had runners on first and second with no outs. A ground ball got the lead runner out, followed up by a strikeout from Darrah. The inning ended with a pop fly to right field.
The Badgers finished up the game in the seventh inning in 1-2-3 fashion, with Darrah striking out Bree Blanchette for the third out. Darrah earned her sixth shutout in her 14th complete game of the season, improving to 12-6. The sophomore right-hander struck out seven batters and only allowed five hits.
“Cassandra (Darrah) pitched a great game, one of the best that I've seen since she's been here,” continued Healy. “To get some momentum for us and win four in a row, that's a big deal. We always like to string stuff together, but we're really proud of how the team came out today and we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
The two teams will decide the series in a doubleheader tomorrow at noon and 2 p.m. at Goodman Diamond. After the first game of the day, fans can participate in a scavenger hunt.
