The Gophers left San Diego with 2-3 record in their most recent tournament.
No. 21 Minnesota (12-7) played two ranked opponents over the weekend and lost both contests. The team defeated Oregon State 4-1 and Colorado State 5-3 for its two victories. The Gophers also lost to the hosts of the tournament, unranked San Diego State.
“Our big challenge is … consistency,” head coach Jamie Trachsel said. “To be good, let alone great, you have to be consistent. We’re working on that, not just individually as players but certainly as a team.”
Minnesota ends with a victory
Sunday’s game would prove to be a close one as well, with Minnesota winning 5-3. The Gophers were down 3-0 heading into the fifth inning, but catcher Kendyl Lindaman hit a three-run home run to tie the game. Minnesota got the go-ahead run from first baseman Sydney Dwyer and never looked back.
“It felt good, we just needed something to get our team going,” Lindaman said. “[The three-run home run] was just what we needed at this point.”
Gophers drop two in a row on Saturday
The early contest was against Long Beach State and Minnesota ended up dropping a close game 1-0.
The 49ers pitcher that day, Cielo Meza, pitched a complete-game no-hitter against the Gophers. Meza allowed just one runner on base in the game, left fielder Carlie Brandt, who reached it on a walk. Meza struck out 11 batters to earn the victory.
Amber Fiser pitched for Minnesota against Long Beach State. Fiser did what she could to keep Long Beach State off the board, but the 49ers managed to get one run on five hits to win the game. The Minnesota pitcher tied her career-high 10 strikeouts in the loss.
The second game on Saturday came against UCLA. The game ended through the middle of six innings with the Bruins winning 12-4.
“We faced a lot of really good competition,” Brandt said. “Coming together, playing our game, keeping our composure, I think that went a long way.”
The Bruins did not give the Gophers a chance to get comfortable. They scored in five of the six innings played en route to their blowout win. Minnesota had three pitchers in the game, with each going no more than three innings each. Brandt was credited with the loss in her two innings pitching.
Minnesota scored two runs in each the fifth and sixth innings — but it was too little, too late as they dropped both games on Saturday.
“I loved how our team came back and battled back,” Trachsel said. “We had great energy, we made some adjustments at the plate [and] we challenged them defensively.”
Minnesota splits first two games
Friday, the Gophers earned a split, with a 4-1 victory over Oregon State and a loss to San Diego State, 6-2, in the second game.
The early victory Friday was highlighted by early offense. The Gopher scored all four of their runs in the first two innings and Fiser held the lead in another complete game of pitching.
The second game didn’t go the way Minnesota wanted. Despite taking a 2-1 lead in the third inning, Minnesota surrendered five runs in the third and fourth to San Diego State. The six runs were enough for the Aztecs to prevail in the victory.
