State-bred horse Zozos could run in Kentucky Derby

Zozos, owned and bred by Barry and Joni Butzow of Eden Prairie, finished second to Epicenter in Saturday's Louisiana Derby and is likely headed to the Kentucky Derby.

Zozos led for much of the 1 3/16th-mile race at Louisiana's Fair Grounds. Epicenter, the favorite, kicked into gear down the stretch to win in a track-record time of 1 minute, 54.38 seconds. Zozos was 2 ½ lengths back, with Pioneer of Medina third.

The second-place finish in New Orleans gave Zozos 40 Kentucky Derby points, predicted to be enough to make the field for the May 7 race. The colt, trained by Brad Cox, won his first two starts and was making his stakes debut in the $1 million Louisiana Derby.

The Butzows have raced at Canterbury Park for many years and are members of the track's Hall of Fame.

RACHEL BLOUNT

The Gophers' Max McHugh came close, but couldn't complete his second sweep of the breaststroke events in the NCAA swimming and diving meet in Atlanta.

A day after winning the 100-yard breaststroke for the second straight year, the senior from Sturgeon Bay, Wis., took second in the 200 breaststroke (1:48.76). His time was a program record but he finished as the national runner-up behind Arizona State freshman Leon Marchard (1:48.20).

McHugh was second in the preliminaries (1:50.31) behind Penn freshman Matt Fallon (1:49.03) who was third in the finals.

Leadoff hitter Lauren Espalin hit a three-run homer in the second inning and a grand slam in the third as the Gophers softball team beat host Rutgers 11-7. Minnesota (14-12-1, 1-1 Big Ten) led 11-1 after 2½ innings.

The grad transfer from California tied a program record with her seven RBI and is the first to reach that mark since 1999.

Senior righthander J.P. Massey pitched 6⅔ strong innings as the Gophers baseball team beat Western Illinois 7-2 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Massey gave up two runs, both unearned, on five hits and struck out six.

Otto Grimm led Minnesota (7-15) at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI while Brady Counsell had a go-ahead two-run double in the fourth that put the Gophers ahead to stay.

The Minnesota Whitecaps, seeded fifth, will face No. 1 seed Connecticut at noon Sunday in the Isobel Cup semifinals at AdventHealth Center in Wesley Chapel, Fla.

With Amanda Leveille back in net for the first time since Jan. 23, the Whitecaps rolled past the Metropolitan Riveters 4-1 on Friday in the preliminary round.

Said Leveille, who made 32 saves: "I didn't even think I got that many shots [Friday].

"My teammates blocked so many in front of me and I think our team absolutely dominated."

Odell Frye of the Gophers won the 100-meter dash (11.43 seconds) in the Arizona State Invitational while teammate Janielle Josephs won the 400 (53.06). Both those times are the third best in program history.

Frye also led off the winning 4x100 relay (44.58), whose time is the Gophers' fourth-best ever.

Arianna Del Moral, a midfielder for the Gophers and, last fall for St. Cloud State, has signed with Minnesota Aurora FC. The women-led and community-owned franchise will begin its first season in the USL W League in May.