Gophers fall to Washington in World Series

(FOX 9) - A second loss in the Women's College World Series has brought an end to a record-setting season for the Gophers.

The team lost a storm-delayed matchup Saturday afternoon to Washington, 5-3.

The Gophers were already in the consolation bracket on Saturday after losing their World Series opener to UCLA, 7-2.

The softball team won an impressive 46 of 60 games during the regular season and made it to the Women's College World Series for the first time.

In Saturday's matchup, Washington took an early lead in the first inning, scoring two quick runs. The Gophers answered back in the third with a score of their own.

At the end of the fifth, the Gophers trailed 3 to 1 as storms pushed through the Women's College World Series venue in Oklahoma City, forcing a three-hour long delay. When play resumed at 4 p.m., Washington struck again, scoring two more runs. In the final inning, the Gophers attempted a rally, tallying two more runs of their own, but came up short.

“It's a pretty big stage when you do make a mistake or have an error. We're always hoping our kids can rebound and respond and be resilient,” head coach Jamie Trachsel said in a release. “I think they continued to fight offensively. We just gave up too many runs to too many good teams. That's hard to overcome.”

But, despite the loss, players say they're proud of how far they've come.

“Minnesota softball is changing. We're competitive. We can compete with anyone in the country,” senior Sydney Smith said in a release. “We've proved that this year. We're ending our season as the No. 7 team in the country. Not many programs can say that.”