Amber Fiser struck out 12 and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout to lead the Gopher softball team to a 3-0 victory over North Dakota State Friday night.
It was the second game of the opening round of the Minneapolis Regional of the NCAA softball tournament, with Georgia defeating Drake 6-4 in eight innings in the first game.
Minnesota and Georgia meet in the winner’s bracket at 3 p.m. Saturday.
If the Gophers win, they’ll advance to the championship round and play whoever is still alive at 3 p.m. Sunday. If they lose, they’ll play the winner of Drake versus NDSU at 8 p.m. Saturday.
- Game 1: Georgia 6, Drake 4
- Game 2: Gophers 3, NDSU 0
- Game 3: Gophers vs. Georgia, 3 p.m. Saturday
- Game 4: Drake vs. NDSU , 5:30 p.m. Saturday (elimination game)
- Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 8 p.m. Saturday (elimination game)
- Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 3 p.m. Sunday
- Game 7 (if necessary): Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 5:30 p.m. Sunday
Unfortunately, the weather on Sunday is going to be brutal, with temps struggling to reach 40 degrees and a healthy amount of rain possible in the Twin Cities.
If the Gophers win the Minneapolis Regional they will host next week’s Super Regional against the winner of the Baton Rouge Regional, which features LSU, Texas Tech, Monmouth and Louisiana Tech.
Super Regionals are a best-of-three, with the winner advancing to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
