Iowa upsets Gophers in Big Ten softball tournament

May 9, 2015 at 3:46AM

Iowa upset the second-seeded Gophers 2-0 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten softball tournament in Columbus, Ohio.

The loss deprived the Gophers (46-9) of a chance to repeat as the conference tournament champion, but they still will get an at-large NCAA bid.

The 10th-seeded Hawkeyes (19-39) scored both their runs in the third inning on catcher Holly Hoffman's two-out, two-run double. Pitcher Shayla Starkenburg did the rest, shutting out Minnesota on a two-hitter.

The Gophers, rated No. 9 in the latest ESPN/USA Softball poll, had swept visiting Iowa, 8-0, 8-0 and 9-0 in a three five-inning games in late April.

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Paul Vernon/The Associated Press

The Gophers had two shots to win it in the final seconds of regulation, but both fell short. They face unbeaten Nebraska next.

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