University of Minnesota Athletics
Weekend Wrap-Up: Gopher Baseball at Campbell
2/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 29, 2016 
After opening the season on a positive note, Minnesota built upon its momentum and took two of three from Campbell this past weekend in a non-conference road series.
The Gophers had 11 different players tally a hit and 10 recorded multiple base knocks to give the team a .354 batting average in the three-game series. The Maroon and Gold slugged at a .460 clip, aided by nine doubles and an opposite-field homer by Micah Coffey.
On the mound, Minnesota totaled 26 strikeouts compared to just 10 walks during the weekend. Starting pitchers Matt Fiedler and Dalton Sawyer paced the staff with strikeout totals of eight and five, respectively.
Moving Runners
The theme of the weekend was to advance runners and get them across the plate, any way possible. The Gophers successfully advanced runners in 53 percent of their opportunities. Connor Schaefbauer proved his value at the dish with a team-leading six advances.
The senior infielder laid down two sacrifice bunts ââ'¬" both of which led to runs brought in by the following batter, including what would be a game-winning single up the middle that scored two in the game on Sunday.
Getting Hits in a Pinch
Minnesota's bench provided the spark needed when called upon during the weekend. The Gophers hit a blistering .667 in pinch-hitting opportunities. The biggest, however, came from freshman Eddie Estrada in the series finale.
Estrada stepped to the plate with runners on second and third in the top of the eighth inning with the infield crept in and the series on the line. The freshman rocketed a single through the middle and plated two runs that proved to be the necessary run support to clinch the three-game bout with Campbell.
"I was just staying mentally prepared until my opportunity came up," said Estrada. "I'm glad I could get it done when the team needed me to step up."
Clutch Genes
In the final two games of the weekend, the Maroon and Gold's bullpen was outstanding and slammed the door on the Camels' offense.
On Saturday, Fred Manke provided 2.2 innings of relief and limited Campbell to just one hit, while striking out three. Manke continually pounded the zone and mixed up his approach to keep the opposition off-balance en route to his first career save.
In the series final, Jordan Jess earned his first save of the season by working out of a jam with runners on the corners in the eighth inning, before inducing a groundout, flyout and strikeout on the outside corner to seal 7-5 win.
"It felt great to come in and secure a series win," stated Jess. "Out last two wins should definitely give us momentum as we head to Georgia State this weekend."
The Gophers had 11 different players tally a hit and 10 recorded multiple base knocks to give the team a .354 batting average in the three-game series. The Maroon and Gold slugged at a .460 clip, aided by nine doubles and an opposite-field homer by Micah Coffey.
On the mound, Minnesota totaled 26 strikeouts compared to just 10 walks during the weekend. Starting pitchers Matt Fiedler and Dalton Sawyer paced the staff with strikeout totals of eight and five, respectively.
Moving Runners
The theme of the weekend was to advance runners and get them across the plate, any way possible. The Gophers successfully advanced runners in 53 percent of their opportunities. Connor Schaefbauer proved his value at the dish with a team-leading six advances.
The senior infielder laid down two sacrifice bunts ââ'¬" both of which led to runs brought in by the following batter, including what would be a game-winning single up the middle that scored two in the game on Sunday.
Getting Hits in a Pinch
Minnesota's bench provided the spark needed when called upon during the weekend. The Gophers hit a blistering .667 in pinch-hitting opportunities. The biggest, however, came from freshman Eddie Estrada in the series finale.
Estrada stepped to the plate with runners on second and third in the top of the eighth inning with the infield crept in and the series on the line. The freshman rocketed a single through the middle and plated two runs that proved to be the necessary run support to clinch the three-game bout with Campbell.
"I was just staying mentally prepared until my opportunity came up," said Estrada. "I'm glad I could get it done when the team needed me to step up."
Clutch Genes
In the final two games of the weekend, the Maroon and Gold's bullpen was outstanding and slammed the door on the Camels' offense.
On Saturday, Fred Manke provided 2.2 innings of relief and limited Campbell to just one hit, while striking out three. Manke continually pounded the zone and mixed up his approach to keep the opposition off-balance en route to his first career save.
In the series final, Jordan Jess earned his first save of the season by working out of a jam with runners on the corners in the eighth inning, before inducing a groundout, flyout and strikeout on the outside corner to seal 7-5 win.
"It felt great to come in and secure a series win," stated Jess. "Out last two wins should definitely give us momentum as we head to Georgia State this weekend."
Players Mentioned
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IF
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