The Iowa softball team fell short in its three-game series against the Minnesota Gophers this past weekend in Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes fell to 4-16 in Big Ten play with losses of 7-5, 6-2, and 5-1.

During Saturday’s Senior Night game, the Hawkeyes could not pull out a win despite a late rally in the seventh inning.

Both teams started out scoreless in the first two innings. Second-year Jalen Adams managed five easy outs in the two innings before the Gophers began to take over. With a home run to left field, the Gophers took the lead in the third, 1-0. 

The Gophers tacked on four more runs in the fourth and two in the fifth. At the bottom of the fifth, with bases loaded, fourth-year Samantha Diaz sent the ball up the middle and pushed the second-year to home plate. 

With the push from the fifth inning carrying over into the sixth, the Hawkeyes sent two more players home. Second-year Avery Jackson and first-year Devin Simon each scored on Gopher throwing errors. 

The Hawkeyes held the Gophers to a scoreless seventh inning leaving the Hawkeyes with a chance to come back. With players on the corners and momentum behind them after sending first-year Jena Young home to make the score 7-4, a weather delay ensued. After the delay subsided the Hawkeyes gave a final push to Tory Bennett to send her home. The late comeback was not enough as a foul ball by Jackson ended the first game of the series.

Sunday’s game provided a more challenging battle between the Hawkeyes and Gophers, sending the game into two extra innings, but the Hawkeyes were unable to claim victory, ending the game, 6-2. 

After two scoreless innings, the Gophers were first to attack with a homer to left field to put the score at 1-0 at the top of the third. But the Hawkeyes were quick to respond in the bottom of the inning. An RBI double to center by Bennett sent fourth-year Grace Banes home to tie up the game at 1-1. 

With the bases loaded, a walk by the Gophers put them back in the lead, 2-1. The Hawkeyes did not have a response right away, but in the bottom of the fifth, Young raced her way to home on a throwing error by the Gophers to tie the game back up at two. 

The game remained silent for the next three innings, with only one hit by the Gophers in the top of the seventh. Third-year Haley Downe took over in the circle in hopes of keeping the Gophers at bay. In the top of the ninth, the Gophers took action, putting up four runs to take over the game and defeat the Hawkeyes.

In the final game of the series, the Hawkeyes committed too many errors late in the game to give the win to the Gophers, 5-1.

Adams appeared in the circle for the second time in the series. Neither team wasted any time, each putting up a run in the first inning. Banes sent a homerun to left field in the bottom of the first to tie up the game at 1. 

Both teams were quiet until the top of the fifth inning when the Gophers gained another run. The Hawkeyes couldn’t produce a response as the Gophers took over, just as they had most of the series. With three unearned runs in the top of the sixth for the Gophers, the Hawkeyes couldn’t come back. 

The Hawkeyes finished the game with three hits and one error.

Up Next

Iowa will head to Cedar Falls on Wednesday to compete against Northern Iowa in its final non-conference game.