A wild game finished in a wild way as Sydney Fabian dodged a tag at home plate to end a ten inning three hour and forty minute marathon of a Big Ten championship game against No. 2 Michigan. 


The Big Ten Tournament championship victory is the second in three years for the No. 23/19 University of Minnesota Gophers. They also won in 1999 and in 2014. 

Sara Groenewegen was named the tournament MVP for what head coach Jessica Allister called one of the gutsiest performances she has ever seen. Groenewegen pitched every inning, 24, of the tournament for the Gophers. She struck out 11 batters only giving up two earned runs in the ten inning championship game. 

"I am just so proud of our team right now. We were nothing but resilient. Nothing from today, either game, was easy," Allister said. 

Early both teams traded scores all the way.

Michigan scored right away in the top of the first and the Gophers answered when Sam Macken came home on a wild pitch. Michigan scored in the third and again the Maroon and Gold answered in the form of a Macken run when Maddie Houlihan brought her in with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning. 

The biggest answer of the game came when Minnesota went down 3-2 going into the bottom of the sixth. Parlich drilled a bases loaded single to score Kayla Wenner. Groenewegen fired in two more strikeouts in the top of the seventh leaving a chance for the Gophers to win in the bottom. Paige Palkovich made it to second but the Gophers did not bring her home sending the game to extra innings. 

In the top of the eighth inning Michigan put runners on second and third but Groenewegen forced a pop up to get out of the jam. The Gophers went three up, three down in the bottom.

 Michigan again put on pressure loading the bases in the ninth but Groenewegen fired in a strikeout catching the batter looking as she painted the upper corner. 

“I think a lot of people outside of Minnesota softball don’t believe we can do it,” Groenewegen said, “and they don’t believe we can be in the top-25 in this country, and I think this proves right there that we can compete with anyone in the country.”

Groenewegen went on to say that she lays her heart on the line every game and that she was not thinking about the number of innings she had pitched.

Houlihan made it all the way to third in the bottom of the ninth but the Gophers could not quite punch her home needing to rely on their great defense and Groenewegen for three more outs to start the tenth. The Gophers did just that with three quick outs that ended in Groenewegen's eleventh strikeout.

 With one out in the bottom of the tenth Sydney Dwyer ripped a single through the right side and had Dani Wagner check in to run. Wagner stole second base to get into scoring position. The Gophers were aggressive on the base path all evening recording six stolen bases. 

Fabian reached on an error to put runners on first and second. Macken made solid contact and reached first on a fielder's choice as Wagner was thrown out at third. 

Parlich followed also making strong contact right after and the shortstop booted it into the outfield. Fabian slid into third thinking she was cutting it close there but quickly got up and sprinted to home plate where she beat out a tag for the score. 

"She (Allister) was saying go go go. I know there is always a chance," Fabian said. "I slid and it worked out."

Information provided courtesy of Minnesota Softball

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