The Lindenwood Softball team faced the University of Minnesota on a cold, windy late afternoon at the Lou Brock Sports Complex. The Lions secured a 3-0 victory over the Gophers. This win marks the first time the Lions have defeated a Power Four opponent during their Division I era.
After a quick three innings, Dallis Darnell singled to get the Lions’ first hit of the game. Izzy Wilcox followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance Darnell to second, but Minnesota’s strong defense prevented the Lions from scoring as the next two batters were unable to drive in a run. Later in the inning, the Gophers nearly scored again, but senior pitcher Avery Wapp kept them off the scoreboard with a flyout to right field, ending the top of the fourth. At the start of the fifth inning, Wapp recorded her 400th career strikeout, helping to keep Minnesota from scoring. This achievement made Wapp the third Lion since 2012 to reach 400 strikeouts, joining Amanda Weyh (2020-24, 556 Ks) and Kendall Ryndak (2012-15, 466 Ks).
At the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lions broke the deadlock with a single from Anna Sanders, a groundout from Tori Hatton, and two errors by Minnesota, which allowed the Lions to score their third run after a throwing error by the Gopher catcher. Wapp then closed out the game by striking out three batters in the top of the sixth. Overa
ll, Wapp pitched the final 3.1 innings, earning the win without allowing a hit and striking out four.
Lindenwood will now return to OVC play this weekend, traveling to Charleston, IL, for a three-game series against Eastern Illinois University on March 13-14. Their next home series will be a doubleheader against Bradley University on Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, with games at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. CST, both games streamed on ESPN+.
