University of Minnesota Athletics
BB: Minnesota Gets Swept by Iowa in Doubleheader
5/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
In the first game of the doubleheader, the two teams played a similar game to the first game of the series on Friday night.
Minnesota starter Cole DeVries (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Iowa’s Jeff Maitland locked up a pitcher’s duel that remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning.
In the fifth inning, Iowa got the board with a single run to take a 1-0 lead. With one out, Jeff Engel beat out an infield single on a drag bunt. Minnesota got the second out of the inning, but pinch-runner L.J. Mims stole second with two outs. Iowa shortstop Andy Lytle delivered a two-out RBI single to give the Hawkeyes a 1-0 lead.
Minnesota came right back with a single run in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 1-1. Mike Mee (Richfield, Minn.) got the Golden Gophers started with a leadoff double. Kevin Carlson moved him to third on a ground out. Iowa brought in their top relief pitcher in Tim Gudex, but Andy Hunter (West St. Paul, Minn.) delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 1 -1. Gudex got out of the inning to keep the game tied at 1-1.
Iowa came right back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. Skyler Moss started the inning by reaching on infield single on a drag bunt. Nate Yoho walked to make first and second with no one out. DeVries got Welker to fly out to left field, and recorded the second out when Dusty Napolean reached on a fielder’s choice to make it first and third with two outs. Andy Cox loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Pinch-hitter Travis Sweet chopped a slow bouncer down the third base line and beat it out to bring home Moss. Napolean came home to score on a throwing error to give Iowa a 3-1 lead.
Matt Fornasiere (Maple Grove, Minn.) helped start a threat when he doubled and stole third with one out. However, Gudex retired the next two batter to give Iowa the game one victory.
Gudex pitched one and two thirds scoreless innings to register his eight win of the season. DeVries pitched his second career complete game, but took the loss to fall to 2-4 on the season. DeVries gave up six hits, two earned runs and struck out four batters in six innings of work.
David Hrncirik (Madison, Wis.) went two-for-three for Minnesota in the first game, while Hunter was one-for-three with an RBI. Mee was also one-for-four with a run.
Iowa was led by Andy Lytle who was one-for-two with one RBI in the game.
In the second game, the tone of the series changed as both teams combined for 19 runs after amassing just nine in the first two games.
Minnesota started the offensive onslaught with three runs in the top of the first to go up 3-0. Hrncirik delivered a bases-loaded RBI single to give the Golden Gophers a 1-0 lead. Tony Leseman (St. Paul, Minn.) followed with a sacrifice fly to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead. Taylor VanderAarde (Hastings, Minn.) singled with runners on first and second to bring home Hunter to make it 3-0.
Iowa cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second with a Luis Andrulonis RBI single. However, Minnesota came right back with a single run in the top of the third on a Leseman solo home run to push the lead to 4-1.
The Hawkeyes cut the lead to down to 4-3 with two runs in the bottom of the third. Yoho made it 4-2 with an RBI single, and Cox delivered a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to one run at 4-3.
Minnesota came right back with two runs in the top of the fourth to go up 6-3. With one out, Luke MacLean (Bloomington, Minn.) and Mee delivered back-to-back singles. Hunter brought them both home with a two-run double to the left centerfield gap to make it 6-3.
Iowa tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-6. Sweet had an RBI single to cut the lead to 6-4. Later in the inning, L.J. Mims scored on a passed ball to cut the lead to 6-5. Justin Petty followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 6-6.
Jon Mueller (LaCrosse, Wis.) did a good job of wiggling out of a first and third no out jam in the fourth to keep the game tied at 6-6. Mueller got Yoho to pop out to Hrncirik to third base, and escaped the inning when Welker grounded into a double play.
VanderAarde gave Minnesota a one-run lead when he delivered a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning to make it 7-6. However, Iowa answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 8-7. Cox came around to scored on a throwing error to tie the game at 7-7, and Dusty Napolean followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Hawkeyes an 8-7 lead.
Minnesota responded with two runs in the top of the sixth to go back up 9-8. Mee led off the inning with a single, and came around to score to make it 8-8 on a Hunter double in the right centerfield gap the missed going over the fence for a home by a matter of inches. Hunter moved up to third on a wild pitch with no outs. After Iowa got Hrncirik to ground out without the runners advancing, the Hawkeyes intentionally walked Leseman to make it first and third. Dan Thompson (Sun Prairie, Wis.) the grounded out to the left side to bring Hunter home to give Minnesota a 9-8 lead.
The Golden Gophers brought in closer John Gaub. (South St. Paul, Minn.) to close out the game in the bottom of the sixth. Gaub got the first hitter out, before Lytle singled to with one out. Yoho flew out to left field for the second out of the inning. Welker drew a walk to make it first and second, and Cox delivered a two-run double to give Iowa a 10-9 lead.
Gudex, who had come on in the sixth, came on to close out the seventh and picked up his second win of the day and ninth of the season. Gaub suffered his first loss of the season to fall to 2-1. He gave up two runs in one inning of work to take the loss.
Mueller came in and gave up just two unearned runs in two innings of work in the game. Starters Brian Bull (Omaha, Neb.) and Casey O’Rourke each gave up four earned runs in three innings of work for their respective teams.
Hunter led the way going two-for-four with two runs, two doubles and three RBI. VanderAarde was two-for-three with a home run and two RBI in the game. Leseman was also one-for-two with a home run and two RBI. Mee was also three-for-four and tied a career-high with three runs in the game.
Iowa was led by Cox who was one-for-two with three RBI. Lytle was also two-for-four with two runs, while Sweet was two-for-four with one run and one RBI. Petty also finished two- for-three with one run and one RBI.
Minnesota will finish the series against the Hawkeyes on Sunday, May 8 at 1 p.m. in a single game.
That game will be broadcast on WMGT (1220 AM).
