University of Minnesota Athletics
GOLDEN GOPHERS FALL IN EXTRA-INNINGS TO BOILERMAKERS 7-6
5/12/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Minnesota's magic number to clinch the Big Ten regular-season title remains at two, as Northwestern and Penn State failed to complete their game because of rain Friday in Evanston, Ill. The Gophers still need a combination of two wins and/or Penn State losses to win the championship. Northwestern leads Penn State, 11-6, after 7 ˝ innings and will complete the game Saturday at noon.
With the score tied at 6-6 in the top of the 12th inning, the Boilermakers loaded the bases on reliever Brandon Kitzerow. On a suicide squeeze, Purdue left fielder Chris Walker, who had led off the inning with a single, scored from third to give the Boilermakers a 7-6 lead.
Minnesota had a chance in the bottom of the 12th with the bases loaded and only one out, but Josh Holthaus bounced into a game-ending double play to end the Gopher threat in the inning.
After Purdue jumped on the board with single runs in the first and second innings, Minnesota came back to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jack Hannahan's sacrifice fly to left field scored Rick Brosseau from third. Luke Appert's RBI-single to right field tied the game up at 2-2.
The Golden Gophers took their first lead of the game with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Jack Hannahan on first after a walk, Luke Appert then deposited Ben Quick's pitch over the center field fence to put the Gophers up 4-2. For Appert, it was his sixth home run of the year. Purdue would cut the lead in half in the top of the seventh when Daryl Hallada smacked a lead-off homer off of Minnesota starter Mike Kobow.
In the bottom of the seventh, Minnesota opened up a 6-3 lead. Mike Arlt smacked his first home run of the season, a solo shot over the left center field fence. Later in the inning, Chris Guetzlaff laced an RBI single to center field that score Rick Brosseau from second.
But the Boilermakers came back with three runs in the top of the eighth when Purdue catcher Erik Frei drilled a three-run home run to straight-away center field which sent the game to extra innings.
Gopher starting pitcher Mike Kobow saw his consecutive complete-game streak come to an end at four games in the eighth inning after he was relieved by Brandon Kitzerow. Kitzerow went on to pitch 4 1/3 innings, yielding only three hits, but would take the loss, his first of the season.
123 456 789 10 11 12 R H E Purdue 110 000 130 0 0 1 7 11 1 Minnesota 000 202 200 0 0 0 6 7 1 Purdue - Quick, Kaebisch (7), Helmer (7), Blasko (11) and Frei. UM - Kobow, Kitzerow (8) and Negen and Holthaus. WP - Blasko (4-1). LP - Kitzerow (1-1). HR: (UM) Appert (6), Arlt (1), (PU), Frei (5), Hallada (5). Att. 923. T: 3:31.
