The No. 14 Gophers softball team lost twice Saturday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Tallahassee, Fla., as their losing streak grew to three games after a 5-0 start. That's as many as they lost in the regular season in 2017.

After falling to No. 8 Florida State 3-2 on Friday, the Gophers lost 6-5 to Notre Dame and 9-3 to the Seminoles in a rematch.

Against the Fighting Irish, Kendyl Lindaman had a two-run homer for the Gophers in the third inning to tie the score at 2-all. And Maddie Houlihan had a two-run single in the seventh as Minnesota tried to rally from a three-run deficit.

Amber Fiser took the loss, giving up four earned runs, seven hits and three walks.

Junior Sydney Smith, a transfer from LSU, gave up seven earned runs and 14 hits, including three homers, against FSU. The Seminoles scored four runs in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead and got three more in the seventh.

Gophers sweep in baseball

The Gophers took a 9-0 lead after 5½ innings and beat Kennesaw State 9-3 in the first game of a nonconference doubleheader in Kennesaw, Ga., in the Atlanta Challenge and then won an 11-8 slugfest.

Starter Nick Lackney pitched six shutout innings for Minnesota (2-1), allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out four to get the win in the first game. Toby Hanson's two-run single broke an 8-all tie in the sixth inning of the second game.

U weight throwers excel

The weight throwers for the No. 11 Gophers women's track and field team put on quite a show at the Parents Day Invite at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.

Kaitlyn Long broke her own program record with a winning toss of 75 feet, 11 inches, and teammates Agnes Esser (71-1¼) and Nayoka Clunis (70-3¾) had the second- and third-longest throws in program history.

Those three throws also are among the top 10 nationally this indoor season.

Nack swims to sixth silver

Danielle Nack of the Gophers earned her sixth silver medal in the Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio, when the senior from Mankato took second place in the 200-yard butterfly in 1 minute, 54.72 seconds, a school record. Three of her medals came on relays.

Teammate Lindsey Kozelsky took third in the 200 breaststroke (2:07.37).

The Gophers finished fourth (1,049 points) as a team; Michigan won the meet (1,465).

Etc.

• The Gophers men's tennis team beat Wisconsin 5-2 in its Big Ten opener. … Minnesota's women's tennis team lost 4-3 to Memphis in Columbia, Mo.