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University of Minnesota Athletics
MINNESOTA AND MICHIGAN STATE SPLIT; 2-5 & 10-1
4/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Freshman left-hander Jay Gagner started the early game for Minnesota. Gagner struck out four batters and allowed just one run in five innings of work. He retired nine of his first 11 batters faced before Michigan State could catch up with him.
Bob Malek did all the damage for Michigan State with a triple in the fourth and his third home run of the season - a three-run shot to right-center - in the seventh. Malek was responsible for all five runs in the game, as he went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI.
Minnesota carried a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning with two outs to go, but a booted double-play attempt kept the inning alive for the Spartans, and Malek capitalized on the very next pitch. Freshman Chad Drexler accepted the loss for Minnesota, while Bryan Gale improved to 4-0 on the year.
Sophomore Luke Appert knocked in both runs for the Golden Gophers with a single in the third inning and a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Junior Scott Howard scored on both plays.
Minnesota got the win back in the second game, dropping the Spartans with an old fashioned 10-1 shellacking. The Golden Gophers scored four runs in the third inning and four runs in the fourth to give them the commanding lead. Freshman Josh Krogman worked three-hit magic through six innings, allowing no walks and just one run while striking out four; and sophomore Nick McCauley hurled a perfect 1-2-3 seventh to seal the win.
Hannahan finished the game 3-for-4 with four runs and two RBI, while Steidl continued his season-high 17-game hit streak and added some spectacular defense with a fully extended diving catch in center field. Senior Josh Holthaus and sophomore Scott Welch both had two-hits each for Minnesota, and Senior Rob LaRue knocked in two pinch-hit RBI to compliment the Golden Gopher offense.
Minnesota, now 20-13 overall and 8-3 in the Big Ten, will face Minnesota State University, Mankato on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Siebert Field.
