Gopher Softball Team Sweeps Purdue

MINNEAPOLIS (Gophersports.com) -- The No. 13/9 Minnesota softball team concluded its regular season Saturday with a pair of wins over Purdue at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. The Gophers celebrated their Senior Day by defeating the Boilermakers, 3-2, in eight innings in Game 1 before rallying late for a 4-2 triumph in the second game. The victories improved the team's record on the season to 46-8--it finished Big Ten play at 20-3.

The Maroon and Gold's 46 wins are its most since 1999 and their 20 conference wins match their most ever, tying the team's 20-4 campaign in 1991.

Sara Groenewegen set the program's single-game strikeout record in the opener with 19. She conceded two runs (one earned) on two hits in eight innings of work. She earned her 28th win, tying Sara Moulton's2011 season for the second-most in a season in Gopher history. The White Rock, B.C. native also upped her 2015 strikeout total to 332, the second-most in school history.

Nikki Andersonfollowed Groenewegen's dominant performance in the circle in Game 1 by stifling the Boilers in Game 2. The junior allowed two runs on four hits, registering a career-best nine strikeouts to improve to 10-2 on the year.

Minnesota will not play Sunday and will resume action at the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio next week. The defending champion Gophers will be the tournament's second seed and will receive a bye in the first round. They will play either the seventh or 10th seed in the quarterfinal round at 1:30 p.m. CT Friday.