Jess Oakland powers Gophers softball team to walkoff victory over Indiana

The Hoosiers had won 23 games in a row before blowing a 5-1 lead to the Gophers.

April 8, 2023 at 10:00PM
Minnesota's Jess Oakland (9) runs after hitting a pitch during an NCAA college softball game against Western Kentucky, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, in Leesburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
The Gophers’ Jess Oakland during a game in February in Leesburg, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Jess Oakland homered twice and hit a walkoff sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to lift the Gophers softball team to a 6-5 victory over Indiana on Saturday at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium, ending the Hoosiers' 23-game winning streak.

The Gophers (22-15, 3-5 Big Ten) rallied from a 5-1 deficit to hand Indiana (30-10, 9-1) its first loss since March 5, a nonconference loss against Wisconsin. The winning streak had been tied for second-longest active streak in the nation behind Oklahoma. which has won 28 in a row.

Oakland, who led off the second inning with a homer, hit a two-run shot in the fourth to pull the Gophers within 5-3. Natalie DenHartog hit a two-out RBI double in the fifth inning, and Delanie Cox tied the score on a fielder's choice in the sixth.

In the seventh, Kayla Chavez reached second to start the inning on a two-base error by Indiana third baseman Brianna Copeland, The Gophers loaded the bases before Oakland's one-out fly to right drove in Chavez with the winning run.

U baseball routed

Jake Jarvis homered and drove in five runs and Purdue routed the Gophers baseball team 15-3 at Siebert Field.

Jarvis' fourth-inning leadoff homer started the scoring for the Boilermakers (14-15, 5-3 Big Ten), who scored three runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth before breaking the game open late.

Easton Fritcher, Sam Hunt and Brady Jurgella drove in ninth-inning runs for the Gophers (7-22, 2-3).

Kicker joining Gophers

David Kemp, a placekicker who spent the past two seasons with Memphis, announced on Twitter that he is transferring to the Gophers.

Kemp, 5-9 and 170 pounds, did not play in the 2022 season because of injury. In 2021, the Wichita, Kan., native was 5-for-7 on field-goal attempts and 7-for-9 on extra-point attempts in four games with the Tigers.

A three-star recruit out of Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville, Fla., Kemp was the eighth-ranked kicker in Florida in the 2021 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings of major recruiting services.

RANDY JOHNSON

Etc.

• St. Olaf junior midfielder Victor Gaulmin was named first team All-America by D3soccer.com after recording 11 goals and six assists in 21 games for the Oles. St. Olaf forward Shea Bechtel and Gustavus Adolphus goalkeeper Wesley Sanders were second-team selections.

• St. Mary's senior guard Raheem Anthony was selected as first team All-America by D3Hoops.com after leading the MIAC in scoring at 24.6 points per game. Carleton's Jeremy Beckler was named to the fourth team.

about the writer

Star Tribune staff

See More

More from Gophers

card image

Gophers Football Insider: Bold moves by P.J. Fleck and his staff, plus key moments from QB Max Brosmer and freshman safety Koi Perich, add up to an upset of USC.