COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland and Minnesota went punch-for-punch all Friday night, delivering a thriller of a conference opener and energizing the crowd despite temperatures in the 30s and a brisk wind chill. Minnesota's firepower was too much to match, and the Terps couldn't complete the late comeback, falling 6-5.

Maryland got off to one of its best starts of the season, quickly scoring three runs off of Minnesota's ace pitcher Fiser on a Gracie Voulgaris triple and a Sammie Stefan double.

The Gophers would get one back in the third on an RBI double, but Sydney Golden made Minnesota struggle most of the evening in the batter's box. She'd end the day with 5.1 innings pitched and a season-high seven strikeouts.

Minnesota put up another run in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to one, but the Terps just stretched their lead again on another Gracie Voulgaris RBI base hit.

In the top of the sixth, the Gophers hit a momentum-shifting grand slam to take the 6-4 lead, but the Terps weren't out of it yet. JoJo McRae hit an RBI single in the bottom of the frame to cut the Minnesota lead to one, and Sami Main set down three straight Gopher batters in order to give the Terps a chance.

The Terps got two on in the bottom of the seventh, but weren't able to come out on top after a hard-fought battle with the No. 20 team in the country. Maryland plays the second leg of the series vs. Minnesota tomorrow at 2 p.m.

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