Minnesota Scene: U softball draws New Mexico State in NCAAs

The Gophers softball team will open its NCAA tournament run against New Mexico State in a regional that begins Friday in Tucson, Ariz.

The NCAA released the Division I pairings for the double-elimination tournament Sunday night.

Minnesota (46-9) is in the tournament for the third consecutive season. New Mexico State, which lost to the Gophers 6-1 on Feb. 20, is 46-14. The winner will face the winner of a game between 12th seed Arizona (38-17) and St. John's (28-17).

St. John's defeated St. Thomas twice, 9-6 and 5-1, to win the MIAC baseball tournament championship Sunday at Veterans Field in Minnetonka. The Johnnies (26-14) capped a 4-0 run through the losers' bracket, becoming only the second team to lose its opener and win the title in the tournament's 16-year history.

With the Johnnies' victory came an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

St. Thomas (24-16-1) had reached the NCAA tournament in 19 of the past 20 seasons.

The Gophers outhit Iowa 10-7 but issued seven walks in a 7-1 loss to the Hawkeyes, giving Iowa a three-game sweep in Iowa City.

Designated hitter Matt Fiedler went 3-for-4 and drove in the only run for the Gophers (19-29, 7-14 Big Ten). Joel Booker was 2-for-4 for Iowa (37-12, 18-3), and Daniel Aaron Moriel hit a home run.

Iowa scored five runs on three hits and five walks in 3⅓ innings against Dalton Sawyer (3-3).

Clayton Rask of Riverwood National GC birdied his last hole for a final-round 4-under-par 68 Sunday in winning his fifth Minnesota Golf Champions title at Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park.

Rask finished at 2-under 214, a stroke ahead of Don Berry of Edinburgh USA.

• Gustavus won two doubles matches but fell 5-2 to second-ranked University of Chicago in an NCAA Division III men's tennis regional in Whitewater, Wis. The Gusties finished 20-11. … St. Thomas (19-3) lost to fifth-ranked Carnegie Mellon 5-0 on Saturday in a Chicago regional.