After a tough weekend against the Nebraska Huskies, the Gophers gave up 32 runs in the series. But a 6-2 win over North Dakota on Tuesday offered a reset before entering the final stretch of the season.
On an off day this week, Minnesota was still at work.
“We’re chasing something bigger than ourselves right now,” senior pitcher Sydney Schwartz said.
Minnesota sits at 15-30 overall and 6-12 in Big Ten play, but Schwartz said the Nebraska series was more about lessons to take in than results.
“We knew going into it was going to be a tough weekend,” Schwartz said. “Obviously, they’re a very respected team.”
Still, Sunday’s finale gave Minnesota a glimpse of what the team can be for the rest of the season.
The Gophers answered Nebraska’s first-inning run with two of their own when Tara Wolocko tripled to tie the game before Schwartz drove in another run with an RBI single.
“Yeah, I mean, it was awesome,” Schwartz said. “You want to come out with a hard, hot start every single game.”
But that momentum faded quickly.
Nebraska responded behind a strong lineup and pitching.
“They’re very selective with their pitches,” Schwartz said. “They weren’t aggressive, which kind of took me by surprise.”
Against a team like Nebraska, Schwartz said every pitch begins to feel heavier.
“We know we had to score often and early to beat a good team like that,” Schwartz said. “So just knowing that each at-bat is crucial is kind of stressful in certain ways.”
Minnesota scored only four runs throughout the series, but Schwartz said the losses do not define the team.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say the results say a lot about us,” Schwartz said. “Just because we went 0-3 this past weekend doesn’t mean that the rest of our season is going to go anything like this series did.”
After the series, the Gophers responded Tuesday by beating North Dakota with a 6-2 win.
Sophomore Natalie Susa earned the win in the circle, while Wolocko went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Senior Maggie Werner added two RBIs of her own.
The win also gave Minnesota momentum heading into one of its biggest series of the season. Wisconsin enters the weekend 24-16 overall and 9-9 in Big Ten play, while the Gophers remain in the hunt for a Big Ten tournament spot.
For Schwartz, the matchup is personal.
“My older sister played at Wisconsin, so I always am a little bit like, ‘Oh, I want to beat them so bad,’” Schwartz said.
Schwartz said Minnesota is trying to recreate the energy it had earlier this season during wins over Indiana and Iowa, when the team felt more confident and had a brand of softball.
“I think our whole demeanor was a little bit like, ‘Okay, it’s conference play. We’re ready to go,’” Schwartz said.
Minnesota has six games left to make a final push. The first Wisconsin series starts Friday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. at home.
“We want to bring that every single game, the next six games that we have,” Schwartz said. “Because if we don’t, then we won’t get there.”
