University of Minnesota Athletics
MINNESOTA GLOVES GAME FOUR FROM NORTHWESTERN; COMPLETES WEEKEND SWEEP
5/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Travis Tharp gave Northwestern their biggest lift of the weekend with a three-run bomb over the right field wall in the top of the first inning, but freshman Craig Molldrem hurled six shutout innings of relief for Minnesota, striking out three Wildcats and allowing just four hits. Northwestern had their chances, leaving nine runners on base over the course of the game, but acrobatic defensive plays by the Golden Gophers kept them from converting.
With a Northwestern runner on second base in the eighth inning, and only one out recorded, Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate Sam Steidl made a diving catch in center field to preserve Minnesota's one-run lead. Later, in the ninth, with Wildcats on first and second, Big Ten Player of the Year Jack Hannahan made a leaping catch of his own, over the fence in foul territory along the third base side to end the threat and win the game for the Golden Gophers. Holthaus and Howard also turned in some defensive gems in the game, keeping Northwestern off of the bases.
Offensively, Holthaus extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games, with his two RBI single in the bottom of the third inning, and Haring added another multi-hit performance to his resume with a single and a double. The two, along with Jason Amidon, Ben Birk, Dan McGrath and Jason Shupe all celebrated Senior Day at Siebert Field. The six seniors took part in a pre-game ceremony, as a multitude of Minnesota faithful wished them farewell in their final home games as Golden Gophers.
Minnesota, now 35-19 overall and 19-8 in the Big Ten, will travel to Columbus, Ohio for the Big Ten Postseason Tournament, which begins on Wednesday. The Golden Gophers will enter the tournament as a number two or three seed, depending on the outcome of the Iowa-Purdue game Monday afternoon. Minnesota will then face Illinois or Penn State in game one of the double-elimination brackets. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to a NCAA Regional the following week.
