Softball Falls To Minnesota In NCAA Regionals

Saturday, May 22

Los Angeles, Calif.

4 p.m.

Long Beach State University

30-11

Minnesota

30-12

Minnesota

Long Beach State

Photo by: John Fajardo

5/22/2021 8:13:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Long Beach State’s 25th postseason appearance ends with the loss to the Golden Gophers.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Minnesota's Amber Fiser held the Beach to just two hits over her six innings in a gem as the Golden Gophers ended Long Beach State's postseason run in an 11-0 defeat on Saturday.

Despite a cold afternoon from the plate, as a team Long Beach State (30-11) finished the shortened season by setting a school record, hitting .320 collectively to best the .306 set twice in 2014, and 2018. Additionally Alyssa Gonzalez hit .409 on the year, breaking the school record of .407 held by Melanie Muniz in Gonzalez' final season at Long Beach State.

No. 23 Minnesota (30-12) opened up an early lead by scoring in the top of the first. After a leadoff walk and a hit batter, an error at second base allowed both runners to score, though White recovered with her first three strikeouts of the inning to limit the damage to those two unearned runs.

The Golden Gophers added three more runs in the top of the third inning. Makenna Partain again got the trouble started for Minnesota with a leadoff single, and two walks loaded the bases in front of Megan Dray who grounded to third base but the Beach was unable to collect an out on the play. Minnesota then made the Beach pay with a two-run single from Emily Hansen to make the score 5-0.

White had seven strikeouts over the seven innings of work, and finished her career with 303 strikeouts, 13th most in school history in just over two full seasons pitched.

Samantha Fowler entered for the Beach in the fourth inning, and held Minnesota to one run over the next three innings, but a grand slam from Natalie DenHartog was the capper for the Golden Gophers.

Alyssa Gonzalez and Suzy Brookshire became the second third players in school history to hit .400 in a season at Long Beach State, with Gonzalez setting the school record while Brookshire hit an even .400 in her lone season at LBSU.

Gonzalez also closes her career at the Beach as Long Beach State's career leader in batting average at .364 in front of Shayna Kimbrough who hit .353 in her career, while Breezy Wise closes her time at the Beach third in the same category, hitting .351.

The Beach closed out the eighth 30-win campaign under Kim Sowder, playing just a total of 41 games as the team returned to action following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Long Beach State captured its 9th Big West title with a 22-2 conference record, and made the postseason for the 25th time.

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Thursday, August 07

Ten Softball Players Honored As Eastern NFCA All-America Scholars

Monday, July 28

Long Beach State Softball Adds Five Division I Transfers

Friday, July 25

New Softball Coach Kendall Fearn Adds First Assistant, Tyler Heil

Thursday, July 10

Team Stats

Pitching:

W: Amber Fiser (16-9)

L: White, Kellie (16-8)

Minnesota

Batting:

HR: Natalie DenHartog 1 ; Sara Kinch 1

RBI: Natalie DenHartog 4 ; Emily Hansen 2 ; Sara Kinch 1 ; Sydney Strelow 1

SH: Natalie DenHartog 1 ; Sara Kinch 1

Base Running:

RUNS: MaKenna Partain 2 ; Ellee Jensen 3 ; Natalie DenHartog 1 ; Katelyn Kemmetmuelle 1 ; Macy Gill 1 ; Sara Kinch 1 ; Sydney Strelow 1 ; Carlie Brandt 1