University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
St. John's (Minn)
Gophers Win Midweek vs. St. John's
3/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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March 31, 2015
Photo Gallery The Golden Gophers beat St. John's (Minn.) 9-8 after a pair of two-out hits broke a tie in the eighth. Second baseman Connor Schaefbauer hit a double off the wall in right field, and designated hitter Matt Fiedler hit a single to drive in the go-ahead run.
Minnesota (9-15) held a 12-11 edge in hits over the Johnnies (9-7). Center fielder Dan Motl went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Schaefbauer and Fiedler each hit 2-for-4 and had one and three RBIs, respectively.
The lead changed hands a few times before the Gophers took it for good. Minnesota scored first off of Joe Stanton, with a four-run second assisted by two errors. The Johnnies tied it in the third with four unearned runs of their own against starter Joe Martinson.
Right-hander Fred Manke pitched a scoreless fourth in his first collegiate outing, starting off an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play. St. John's loaded the bases off him with no one out in the fifth. One run scored on a wild pitch, and two more on Mike Stegora's double to give the Johnnies a 7-4 lead.
The lead did not last long. Outfielder Alex Boxwell singled, first baseman Austin Athmann doubled, Motl singled and catcher Matt Stemper hit a two-run home run to left for an 8-7 advantage.
The Johnnies capitalized on an error the next inning. Derek Schiebel walked, then advanced to third on a wild pickoff throw. He scored on Quinn Madsen's double to tie the game.
Jeff Fasching did not allow another run, as he stranded two no-out runners in the seventh inning. Cody Campbell pitched a scoreless eighth to keep the game tied and set the stage for Schaefbauer and Fiedler's winning hit combination. Campbell tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to seal his first win of the year.
Nick Noack (1-1) took the loss after pitching the eighth. Four Johnnies batters recorded two hits, including a 2-for-3, two-run, one-RBI day from Dan Keller.
NOTABLES
*With Manke's debut today, all nine Gophers newcomers, plus redshirt freshman Martinson, have played this season.
*Stemper's second home run of the year was the Gophers' 13th, meaning they passed their 2014 season total.
*Minnesota stole three bases--Schaefbauer, Fiedler and Athmann--and has converted 34 of its 43 attempts on the year.
UP NEXT
The Gophers will travel to Piscataway, N.J., for a Big Ten series at Rutgers April 3-5.
