University of Minnesota Athletics
Baseball Loses Fourth Straight, Falls to NSU 6-4
2/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Minnesota struggled out of the gate, committing two errors in the first inning, leading to two Northwestern State runs. The Demons got one more in the second, upping their lead to 3-0.
Minnesota had an opportunity in the top half of the fourth, when junior Scott Welch and senior Scott Howard hit back-to-back one-out doubles; but both were left stranded. The Maroon and Gold were held scoreless through five innings.
Welch sparked the Golden Gopher offense in the top of the sixth inning with a leadoff home run to left-center field. Howard followed with his second double of the game, then senior Jeremy Beaulieu knocked his second hit of the afternoon. After a walk by sophomore Sam Steidl, junior Ben Pattee singled in both Howard and pinch runner Chris Guetzlaff, tying the game at 3-3.
Northwestern State answered with a home run of its own. Tyler Durham hit his first home run of the season over the right field wall with one out in the bottom of the sixth, lifting the Demons over the Golden Gophers 4-3.
Two more runs in the seventh gave Northwestern State a 6-3 advantage, before Steidl singled home Guetzlaff for Minnesota to narrow the lead to 6-4 in the eighth. That was all the Golden Gophers could muster, however. The Maroon and Gold stranded 11 runners on base, six in scoring position. They also struck out 11 times.
Starter C.J. Woodrow lasted six and one-third innings, surrendering four earned runs. The junior righthander struck out four Demon batters, but lost his second start of the season. Gary Adair collected his first win of 2002 for Northwestern State.
The two teams will go again Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. CDT at Brown-Stroud Field. Minnesota (0-4) will start sophomore southpaw Jay Gagner (0-0, 16.20). Northwestern State will throw senior righty Jason Slanina (1-0, 1.29).
