It was yet another sweep for the Husky softball team this weekend, as they improve their already sterling record to 34-9 and their conference record to an unbelievable 15-0, with 5 series wins! Their opponent: the now 14-27 Minnesota Golden Gophers, who sit at 6-13 away from home after the conclusion of this series. But it wasn’t as easy as the records may indicate, as the Huskies still had to scrap and claw for their victories.
The Golden Gophers have definitely struggled this year in both hitting
and pitching stats. Their best player, Maggie Werner, is hitting .340, with 5 home runs and 15 driven in. No other player is hitting over .300. On the mound, the Gophers have a 4.49 ERA as a staff, having a combined opponent batting average of .287.
In game one, it remained a scoreless deadlock until the 3rd, when Marley Teasley walked and Kaycie Burdick moved her to 3rd on a single, her second knock of the game:
Then Alexis Deboer did Alexis Deboer things, launching a ball over the center field wall for a 3 run shot:
From there, the Gophers would make it 3-2, thanks to 2 back to back walks from Morgan Reimer. Then Marley Teasley would bring in Ava Carroll with a fielder’s choice, and Kaycie Burdick would later single, bringing home Teasley and Mazzola on an error, making it 7-2 Dawgs. Minnesota would score 2 on a home run by Cassie Johnson in the top of the fifth, trimming the Husky lead to 3. They would score 2 more, on a Sydney Schwartz single and a Maggie Werner single, respectively, making it 7-6. Another Alexis Deboer RBI would make the score 8-6 Washington and that’s where the score would stay, giving the Huskies the win and Morgan Reimer her 21st win of the year.
Game 2 started with a ceremonial first pitch by our resident good boy, Dubs!
Minnesota jumped out to an early advantage, thanks to a Sydney Schwartz solo shot. But Alexis Deboer again showed off the power, blasting a grand slam in the bottom of the first and making it 4-1.
After that, despite one more run from Minnesota, the Huskies kept firm control over the game, getting a leadoff hit in 4 straight innings. Kaycie Burdick started the scoring in the fourth off with an RBI single, and Giselle Alvarez kept the line moving, bringing home Jing Gardner, while Burdick herself would score on a RBI groundout by Jaydn Glab, making it 7-2. Sophia Ramuno pitched 5 innings of solid ball, striking out 3 and getting the win, while Allie Thomsen struck out 5 in relief.
The third game started with Minnesota jumping out to an early 1-0 lead, but a Burdick leadoff single set up Giselle Alvarez to bring her home with an RBI double:
From the second inning on, the Huskies were firing on all cylinders. Alexis Deboer got another RBI, as did Giselle Alvarez and Jaydn Glab drove Deboer home with an RBI double. Melody Acevedo showed off the wheels, initially hitting a single which drove in the run, but impressively stretching it into 2 bases.
Ava Carroll would round out the scoring for the weekend, driving in Tia Durst all the way from second on a RBI single, as the Huskies would win 6-1.
Overall, it was yet another strong series offensively from a team accustomed to such showings, and a complete game from Morgan Reimer, in which she only gave up a single run, further displayed her dominance.
The Huskies next head to Eugene to take on the hated Ducks of Oregon in a weekend set.
