April 21, 2008

Iowa City, IA (UWIRE) -- The No. 25 Iowa softball team had a successful weekend in Big Ten play, winning three out of four games at Pearl Field to improve to an overall record of 32-14 and 10-4 in the conference.

That one loss, however, frustrates the Hawkeyes.

Iowa swept a double-header on April 19 against Wisconsin, 2-0 and 8-1, and in the first contest of a double-header against Minnesota on Sunday, the Hawkeyes beat the Golden Gophers, 2-0.

But the weekend finale, which was also the last of a nine-game homestand, was scoreless for 12 innings before Minnesota put a run on the board in the top of the 13th to defeat the Hawkeyes, 1-0.

In game one, Iowa struck first in the bottom of t he second inning, when a Gophers' fielding error allowed junior shortstop Erin Riemersma to score from second. The insurance run came in the fourth, when sophomore first baseman Katie Brown knocked in junior pinch-runner Callie Adreon from second.

From there, junior pitcher Brittany Weil took over, fanning seven Minnesota hitters en route to her 20th victory of the season.

In the second game, sophomore Amanda Zust pitched seven shutout innings before Weil came in relief in the eighth to pitch the final six frames for the Hawkeyes. Both pitchers finished with nine strikeouts in the second contest.

"The pitching today was outstanding," Weil said. "Amanda had a hell of a first seven innings, our defense played real well behind us. Emily [Nichols] was a rock behind the plate."

Coach Gayle Blevins not only liked what she saw from both her pitchers, but in particular, she appreciated that they could get key strikeouts that got Iowa out of some difficult situations.

"I think our pitchers did everything that we could've possibly asked of them," Blevins said. "I think all of us would acknowledge that they did what they needed to do."

In the sixth, the Hawkeyes had the bases loaded with nobody out but were unable to plate anyone. Minnesota got out of the jam with one out, when Riemersma popped out to center, and freshman Chelsey Carmody was called out on the throw home.

Iowa had two more golden opportunities in extra innings. In the ninth, Iowa left runners on second and third stranded with one out. Then in the 12th, with Nichols on second, senior Summer Downs looked to have the game-winning hit on a single to right field, but Nichols was thrown out on a play at the plate, preventing the Hawkeyes from completing the sweep.

"We had a lot of opportunities that game," Nichols said. "All of us had a lot of opportunities. We just didn't do it."

The lone Gopher run came with two outs in the 13th and runners on first and second. Brown dropped a ground-ball out at first, allowing the Gopher runner on second to score.

"You could probably tell at that point in time that's probably what the game was going to come down to was one opening somewhere," Blevins said.

Even though 7-2 on the nine-game homestand wasn't what anyone on the team had in mind, the players feel they've gotten better through each of the nine home contests.

"We've actually really come together since we've been home," Weil said. "I'm looking forward to the rest of our season, because I think this team is going to do a lot of good things."

(C) 2008 The Daily Iowan via UWIRE