Groenewegen leads U sweep of Iowa in softball

The No. 10 Gophers swept a softball doubleheader from Iowa at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on Saturday, winning both games in five innings by 8-0 scores.

It also gave the Gophers 40 wins for the second season in a row.

Sara Groenewegen pitched a one-hitter for the Gophers (40-8, 14-3 Big Ten) in the opener and also hit a two-run homer, her 10th of the season. The Hawkeyes' only hit came in the third inning when Sammi Gyerman got an infield single, otherwise Groenewegen would have had back-to-back no-hitters. She beat North Dakota State 8-0 Wednesday when she pitched her second no-hitter of the season.

The Gophers hit three homers in the second game. Kaitlyn Richardson hit a solo homer in the second inning and, in the fifth, Erica Meyer hit a two-run homer and Sam Macken a three-run blast which ended the game.

Kylie Stober and Nikki Anderson combined on a three-hitter against Iowa (16-36, 7-12) in the second game.

The sweep keeps the Gophers in second place in the conference race, two games behind Michigan, which is 17-2 in the Big Ten.

Senior Ben Meyer pitched a six-hitter as the Gophers beat Michigan 2-1 on Saturday in the first game of a Big Ten baseball doubleheader at Siebert Field, but the Wolverines won the second game 4-2 to end the Gophers' six-game winning streak.

Michigan (26-17, 10-7 Big Ten) won the second game by breaking a 2-2 tie with single runs in the seventh and ninth. The Gophers (18-20, 7-10) scored their two runs on Smith's single in the fifth.

• The Edmonton Rush, which has clinched the Western Division title, defeated the Minnesota Swarm 16-12 in the National Lacrose League at Xcel Energy Center. The Rush (12-5) led by only a goal at halftime but outscored the home team 6-0 in the third period to take a 14-7 lead. Robert Church led Edmonton with three goals and four assists. Jordan MacIntosh and Miles Thompson each had hat tricks for the Swarm (5-12).

• Ohio State beat the Gophers 4-0 in the semifinals of the Big Ten men's tennis tournament at Illinois. The Buckeyes won the double point and got quick wins, in succession, at No. 4, 6 and 5 singles to clinch the match.

• The Gophers men's golf team was tied for fifth place in the Big Ten meet in Evansville, Ind., with a three-round score of 882, 18 over par but only five shots behind second place Ohio State. Gophers sophomore Jose Mendez, a co-medalist a year ago, was tied for fifth with a 2-under 214. He shot a 70 his third round after two 72s.

• After two rounds of the Big Ten women's golf meet in Indianapolis, Ind., the Gophers were tied for eighth. Their top golfer was Emie Peronnin, tied for 19th at 149.

• Augustana will take a 16-stroke lead into the final round of the NSIC women's golf meet on Sunday at Dacotah Ridge Golf Course in Morton, Minn. The Vikings, led by Sierra Langlie, a freshman from Andover, with a 19-over 235, have a 968 total after three rounds. Second is Concordia (St. Paul) at 984. Rachel Gray of the Golden Knights is in second in the individual competition with a 241.