University of Minnesota Athletics
MINNESOTA HITS FOUR HOME RUNS, DEFEAT NORTHWESTERN 8-4
5/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Appert was 3-for-3 with two home runs, a single, a walk, three runs scored and four runs batted in. It was Appert's second game of the season with two home runs. Mike Arlt and Scott Welch also hit home runs for the Gophers. Kobow threw his sixth complete game of the season, allowing nine hits and one walk while striking out two batters, and improved his record to 8-2.
Zach Schara dropped to 8-5, allowing four home runs for the first time this season after allowing just two home runs in his first 99 2/3 innings pitched.
Northwestern opened the scoring with one run in the second inning. The Wildcats put together three hits to start the inning. Wesley Robinson and Brandon Ackley hit back-to-back singles, but Robinson was erased at third base on Ackley's hit. Ackley advanced to second on the throw and scored on a double to right-center by Travis Tharp. Tharp was stranded at second base.
Minnesota answered with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Appert hit a one-out single to right field. Scott Howard and Mike Arlt followed with walks to load the bases. Jason Kennedy hit a ground ball to shortstop, but Northwestern failed to turn the double play, scoring Appert with the first run. Jeremy Negen finished the rally with a single to right field, scoring Howard from third base.
The Gophers extended their lead to 4-1 with two runs in the third inning. Scott Welch reached on a fielding error by Northwestern shortstop Jeremy Kurella. Jack Hannahan walked, and Josh Holthaus grounded into a double play, advancing Welch to third base. Appert followed with his seventh home run of the season, a two-run blast to right field.
Minnesota scored a single run in the fourth inning on Arlt's second home run of the season, a leadoff home run over the right field fence. Arlt had not homered in his first 177 at bats of the season before hitting his first home run of the season against Purdue last Friday at Siebert Field. Arlt has hit two home runs in his last 15 at bats.
Northwestern rallied with three runs in the fifth inning to cut the Gopher lead to 5-4. With one out, Kris Musselman and Kurella hit back-to-back singles to put runners at first and third. After Kurella stole second, J.P. Williamson hit a ground ball to shortstop to score Musselman, and all runners were safe on a fielder's choice. Robert Dainton followed with a two-run double to the left-center field fence, scoring Musselman and Kurella. Northwestern proceeded to load the bases, but Brandon Ackley hit into a fielder's choice to end the threat.
The Gophers padded their lead to 7-4 with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Holthaus singled to left field in front of Appert's second home run of the game and eighth home run of the season. The ball just cleared the right-center field fence. Minnesota's Scott Welch hit his first career home run to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning to extend the Gopher lead to 8-4.
