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University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Defeats Towson University 6-4
2/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Minnesota baseball team (2-3) used a five-run sixth inning to defeat Towson University (2-4) 6-4 at the Wake Forest Baseball Park in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Saturday, Feb. 26.
Entering the bottom of the sixth inning, the two teams were tied at 1-1. Justin Gominsky (Mahtomedi, Minn.) led off the inning with a single to left center field, and Nick O'Shea (Blaine, Minn.) followed with a two-run homer to center field to make it 3-1. Trip Schultz (Forest Lake, Minn.) drew a walk and stole second, and Matt Puhl (North St. Paul, Minn.) followed by also drawing a walk. David Bettenburg (St Paul, Minn.) loaded the bases with no outs when he reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt.
Andy Henkemeyer (Sauk Rapids, Minn.) plated Schultz with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1. With two outs, AJ Pettersen (Minnetonka, Minn.) reached on an infield single to load the bases. Kyle Geason (Eden Prairie, Minn.) was hit by a pitch to bring home Puhl and Gominsky plated Bettenburg when he reached on an infield single on a high chopper that made it 6-1. Overall, the Gophers sent 11 batters to the plate and scored five runs.
Towson got two runs back in the top of the seventh on an RBI ground out by Brady Baxter and a pinch-hit RBI double by Andrew Parker to make it 6-3. The Tigers loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the eighth inning. Scott Matyas (North Prairie, Wis.) came in and struck out Austin Harclerode, before walking Pat Fitzgerald to bring home Chris Wychock to cut the Gopher lead to 6-4. Matyas struck out Baxter and got Parker to line out to third based to keep Minnesota's two-run lead intact.
In the top of the ninth, Matyas retired all three batters to collect the save.
Matyas finished the game with four strikeouts and one walk in two shutout innings. He collected his second save of the season and 27th of his career. Senior Phil Isaksson (Eau Claire, Wis.) started and took a no-decision as he went 5.1 innings, gave up four hits, one run, walked two and struck out two. Freshman Tom Windle (Maple Grove, Minn.) picked up his first collegiate win to move to 1-0, as he gave up two hits, two runs, walked three and struck out one in one inning of work.
Towson starter Charlie Cononie took the loss to fall to 0-2, as he gave up five hits, three runs, walked two and struck out seven. Sean Thompson gave up three hits, one unearned run, walked one and struck out three in three innings of relief.
Minnesota scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth to go up 1-0. Pettersen singled, stole second and moved to third on a balk. After Gominsky walked, O'Shea delivered an RBI single to get the Gophers on the board first.
The lead was short-lived, as Harcelerode delivered a solo home run to left center field to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the fifth. Pettersen tied a career-high with four hits, as he went 4-for-5 with one run and a stolen base. O'Shea finished 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. O'Shea has now collected a hit in every game, and has four multi-hit games in the first five contests. Gominsky reached base three times, and was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
Harclerode led Towson, as he went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Baxter and Parker also knocked in runs for the Tigers, while Wychock and Fitzgerald each scored a run.
Minnesota will finish up action at the Wake Forest Tournament when it faces Delaware State on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. (CT). That game can be heard live in the Gold Zone.
