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University of Minnesota Athletics
Baseball Drops Series Finale to Indiana 9-6
4/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Minnesota jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the fourth innings, but saw Indiana take a big chunk out of it in the fourth inning when the Hoosiers scored three runs to make it 5-3. Indiana exploded for six runs to take control of the game in the bottom of the fifth, as the Hoosiers moved ahead 9-5 in the inning and never relinquished control for the rest of the game.
The two teams were scoreless for the first three innings. Minnesota struck first with five runs in the top of the fourth inning to go up 5-0. Mike Mee (Richfield, Minn.) led off the inning with a single to get things started for Minnesota. Indiana retired the next two batters, but David Hrncirik (Madison, Wis.) kept things going with a single that moved Mee to second base. Tony Leseman (St. Paul, Minn.) followed with a double to the left centerfield gap to score Mee and Hrncirik to put Minnesota ahead 2-0. It appeared Indiana was going to get out of the inning when Sean Kommerstad (Minnetonka, Minn.) hit a line shot right at the Hoosier second baseman. However, the second baseman misplayed the ball and threw it away to allow Leseman to score to make it 3-0. Sam Steidl (Alexandria, Minn.) followed with an RBI double to right centerfield to put Minnesota ahead 4-0. Steidl came home to score on a Luke MacLean (Bloomington, Minn.) single to put the Golden Gophers ahead 5-0.
Indiana score three runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 5-3. Seth Bynum started the scoring with a single that brought home two runs to make the score 5-2. Two batters later Kevin Mahar brought home Bynum with an RBI single to cut the lead down to 5-3.
The Hoosiers erupted for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to claim the lead from Minnesota at 9-5. After the first two Indiana hitters reached base, David Hughes delivered a sacrifice fly to cut the Minnesota lead to 5-4. The next batter, Reggie Watson, tied the game at 5-5 with an RBI single. Two batters later, Seth Bynum delivered a triple to deep right centerfield to bring home two runs to give the Hoosiers their first lead of the game at 7-5. Joe Kemp and Ryan Donley also delivered RBI singles in the inning to extend the Hoosier lead out to 9-5.
Minnesota added another run in the top of the ninth to make it 9-6 on a Leseman RBI single to left field that brought home Andy Hunter (West St. Paul, Minn.). However, that was the last run the Golden Gophers would get as the game ended with the same score.
Andy Peters (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) took the loss giving up two runs in a third of an inning to fall to 0-3 on the season. Matt Loberg (Anoka, Minn.) started and got the no-decision going four and one thirds innings, giving up five hits, five runs and striking out three batters. Jay Gagner (Cumberland, Wis.) came in and pitched three and two thirds innings of shutout baseball, allowing five hits and striking out four batters.
Indiana's Adam Pegg got the win to move to 3-2 on the season, as he went six innings, gave up 10 hits, two earned runs and struck out five batters. Steve Nielson pitched three innings of relief, gave up four hits and one run to pick up the save for the Hoosiers.
Minnesota was led offensively by Leseman who was three-for-five with one run and three RBI. Steidl was also two-for-four with one run and one RBI. Mee also had three hits in the game for the Golden Gophers. Hunter was two-for-five with a run, while Hrncirik was two-for-four with a run.
Matt Fornasiere (Maple Grove, Minn.) also had a double in the first inning of the game to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. That hitting streak matches the season-high 14-game hitting streak that Mee had earlier in the season.
Seth Bynum paced Indiana going three-for-five with four RBI and two runs in the game.
The Golden Gophers return home to face South Dakota State in a midweek game on Wednesday, Apr. 14 at 3 p.m. in their first game at Siebert Field. Minnesota will host its first home Big Ten baseball series against Penn State on Apr. 16-18.
