There’s a dandy battle today, as No. 16 Alabama, and its strikout ace, Alexis Osorio, faces the No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Ski-U-Mah will bring its ace, Sara Groenewegen, to the circle. Groenenwegen has the second-best ERA in the nation.
On paper, the Gophers look to be the better team, sporting the nation’s No. 1 offense, it’s No. 2 offense, its leading hitter and it second-best pitcher. Alabama, meanwhile, may have the second-most strikeouts in the nation, but has been in a month-long offensive funk.
However, games are not played on paper. Minnesota has only played tourney teams four times, going a meager .