Hannah Cady's first-pitch, opposite-field homer to left field gave No. 21 Northwestern an 8-7 victory over the visiting Gophers in the Big Ten softball opener for both teams.
Breezy Burnett hit a grand slam for the Gophers (19-11) in the second inning and Taylor Krapf a three-run homer in the fifth. Krapf's homer was her team-high 10th of the season.
The Wildcats (15-8) have won five straight games.
U baseball loses
The Gophers baseball team lost 5-2 to Creighton in a nonconference baseball game in Omaha, Neb. This weekend's series against the Blue Jays was moved there because of poor field conditions at Siebert Field.
Creighton (9-7) scored four runs in the sixth on four hits and a walk off 6-5 sophomore lefthander Tucker Novotny. He gave up five runs and seven hits in 5 ⅔ innings. He struck out four, walked one.
Minnesota (4-19) scored its runs on Jake Perry's RBI single and a wild pitch in the seventh.
U track update
Gophers sophomore Devin Augustine set a school record in the 200-meter dash (20.49 seconds) at the Clyde Hart Classic in Waco, Texas.
In field events, junior Kostas Zaltos won the hammer throw with a toss of 240 feet, 8 inches — 15th best in the world this season — and senior Jake Kubiatowicz took first in the discus (183-6).
