University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Maryland
Gophers Fall to Terps 8-3 in Finale
3/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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March 22, 2015
The Golden Gopher baseball team fell 8-3 its third game at No. 14 Maryland. As in Saturday's second game, Minnesota (7-13, 0-3) took an early lead before the Terrapins (17-4, 3-0) came back to win. Maryland held an 8-7 edge in hits, and Minnesota committed three errors. Terrapins pitchers struck out 10 Gophers while walking none.
Center fielder Dan Motl led off the game with a single, and left fielder Jordan Smith followed with his first career home run to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead.
The Gophers made it 3-0 in the third. Designated hitter Matt Fiedler got a double when Terrapins second baseman Brandon Lowe ran to the outfield to attempt a catch only to have it fall off his glove. First baseman Toby Hanson came up next and drove a single to left to score Fiedler.
Maryland scored at least one run in each of its next five turns at the plate. During the third and fourth innings, two batters walked and one was hit by pitch. All three scored. Kevin Biondic walked, advanced on a muffed pickoff throw and scored an unearned run on a Lowe single. Nick Cieri and Tim Lewis reached in the fourth and scored on a Jose Papio single and a fielder's choice, respectively, to tie the game 3-3.
Back-to-back doubles by Kevin Smith and Kevin Martir gave the Terrapins their first lead in the fifth. They added two more runs that inning after Tyler Hanson relieved starter Tim Shannon. Shannon (1-2) had a final line of 4 1/3 innings, five hits, five runs (four earned), two walks and three strikeouts in the loss.
Lowe went 3-for-5 on the game, and hit a solo home run in the sixth to add to Maryland's lead. Toby Hanson hit 2-for-4 for the Gophers with one RBI.
Reliever Tayler Stiles (2-1) earned the win for Maryland with three scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out four. Starter Bobby Ruse went four innings and allowed all three runs.
NOTABLES
*Twenty games into the season, the Gophers have already tied their 2014 home run total with a dozen. Nine different Minnesota batters have hit one. Skjefte has three and Fiedler has two.
*Catcher Matt Halloran threw out two base runners in the eighth inning. Fiedler came in to pitch with one out and two on base. After one of his pitches to Smith, Halloran fired a throw to first and Toby Hanson made the tag to pick off Kengo Kawahara. The inning ended when Halloran threw out Biondic trying to steal third on a ball in the dirt.
UP NEXT
Minnesota is scheduled to open its home season with a game against Augsburg on Tuesday at Siebert Field. The Gophers will host Northwestern for their Big Ten home opener March 27-29. Any schedule updates will be posted on GopherSports.com.
