LEESBURG, Fla. – Rutgers softball opened up its second Big Ten weekend in Florida dropping a pair of contests to Minnesota, a squad that appeared in the 2019 College World Series.
 

Minnesota 8, Rutgers 5

STANDOUT STATS

• Rutgers was able to come back twice against Minnesota before the Golden Gophers stayed in front with their final at-bat in the top of the seventh.
• Graduate student Gabrielle Callaway went 2-for-4 and was responsible for two runs and an RBI.
• Freshman Kayla Bock and freshman Kobie Hura both went 1-for-3. Bock collected her first career triple with RBIs and a run. Callaway Hura also added in an RBI.
• Sophomore Ashley Hitchcock got the start pitching 4.1 inning with a pair of strikeouts.

THE RUNDOWN

• A Minnesota home run to left center from Sara Kinch opened up scoring in the top of the fourth.
• Rutgers countered at their at bat with a leadoff home run to right from Gabrielle Callaway.
• The Golden Gophers added four runs on four hits at their next turn at the plate. Emily Hansen used a two RBI double down the right field line, Syndey Strelow sent in a run with a single to left and Chloe Evans stole home to put Minnesota up 5-1.
• Just as they had done previously, the Scarlet Knights tied the ballgame with their turn at bat. With the bases loaded and no outs, Kiersten Withstandley used a sac fly to left to score Payton Lincavage, who opened the inning reaching base on an error. Two batters later, Kayla Bock sent her first career triple into right field for two RBIs and reached home on a single to short by Kobie Hura, the next Scarlet Knight batter.
• Minnesota produced four hits to open the top of the seventh to claim a lead for good. MaKenna Partain had an RBI double to left center and single from Brandt drove home another two runs.

Minnesota 4, Rutgers 0

STANDOUT STATS

• Sophomore Payton Lincavage and fifth-year senior Anyssa Iliopolous both went 1-for-3 with sophomore Ashley Hitchcock going 1-for-1 pinch hitting.
• Graduate student Izzy Berouty was inside the circle to start pitching 4.0 innings, with left-hander Jaden Vickers tossing the final two innings of play.

THE RUNDOWN

• MaKenna Partain led off the bottom of the first with a single right and scored off a double to left center from Hansen for the early 1-0 Golden Gopher lead.
• Natalie DenHartog added a two run shot to left to put Minnesota ahead 3-0 at the end of four.
• The Golden Gophers added another run in the fifth as Partain opened with a triple and scored off a Ellee Jensen groundout at second.  

UP NEXT

The Scarlet Knights close out the series with Minnesota on Friday at 11:20 a.m. Rutgers will also face Indiana in a doubleheader on Saturday and single game on Sunday.


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