University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
1-1
Kennesaw State
1-1
Gophers Score 20 Runs in Doubleheader Sweep
2/17/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
KENNESAW, Ga. - The offense came alive on day two of the Atlanta Challenge for Gopher Baseball as the team exploded for 20 runs, defeating Kennesaw State 9-3 and 11-8 in a doubleheader sweep on Saturday at Stillwell Stadium.
Minnesota (2-1) also got 6.0 shutout innings of work from Nick Lackney (1-0), the longest start of his career, in game one, and 6.2 innings of shutout ball from the bullpen in game two, as three relievers combined to strike out 10 while allowing just three hits and one walk as the Gophers manufactured a comeback against Kennesaw State (1-2).
"I was impressed today with the fact we lost a tough opener but the guys came back and regrouped," said head coach John Anderson after the games. "We had a good effort in that first game all the way around with a lot of people contributing. A double header is a long day. It's hard to sweep somebody. [We put ourselves] down 5-0 and responded right afterward with a six spot. I told them afterwards, if your team values are grit and passion, I saw a lot of that today."
Lackney faced the minimum through four innings, striking out 4.0 on the day while allowing just three hits and a walk on the day. On the offensive side of the ball, the Gophers put up crooked numbers in each of the first three innings of game one. Luke Pettersen led off the game with a double, one of five Gophers with multiple hits in the game. Jordan Kozicky had a three-RBI game with a double, while Toby Hanson scored a pair of runs, going 3-for-5 with a double of his own.
Rookie Joshua Culliver took over on the bump for Lackney for the final three innings, striking out the first batter he faced. While he'd allow three runs before his day was through, he did earn his first collegiate save.
"At first, it was pretty surreal that I was out there. After getting that strikeout, I kind of settled in and took control after that," said Culliver after the game. "It really hit me in that last inning that I was pitching my first collegiate game. Early on, I just wanted to focus on getting in there and getting out of the inning."
Jake Stevenson took the mound for the Gophers in game two. After a quick first inning, 2017 All-Atlantic Sun First Team selection Grant Williams would find a pitch he liked and lifted a grand slam home run that helped put Minnesota behind after two. The Gophers had a quick response on offense, putting up six runs in the third inning.
Each of Minnesota's nine starters had at least a hit in game two with Hanson, Eduardo Estrada, Jr., and Cole McDevitt each ripping a double in the game. Three unearned runs gave Kennesaw State back the lead in the bottom of the third, but Alex Boxwell launched a home run of his own in the top of the fourth, and the Gophers added runs in the fifth, sixth, and ninth to take the lead while the bullpen remained nearly perfect the rest of the way.
Redshirt junior Jeff Fasching (1-0) returned to the mound for the first time since an injury cut his 2017 season off after just six appearances, picking up the victory with 2.1 shutout innings, striking out four.
"It felt awesome [to be back on the mound]," Fasching said. "[Stevenson] pitched pretty well honestly, but he just caught a couple bad breaks here and there. It was my job and the rest of the staff's job to go pick him up and keep that game close. With our hitters, if you keep it close, they're going to win it eventually."
Jackson Rose relieved him, facing just eight batters in his 2.1 innings of work with four strikeouts of his own. Anderson turned the ball to freshman Max Meyer in the eighth, and he quickly escaped the inning with a double play ball before coming back out for the ninth and striking out two for his first collegiate save.
QUOTABLE
"We've been preaching the whole fall and winter about grit, bouncing back from adversity and overcoming the things that we can't control. We really worked on that today. The way our bats came out hot in the first game and then came back in the second game showed the values of our team." - Joshua Culliver
NOTABLE
Nick Lackney's start was just the second of his career and first since his rookie season when he tossed 3.1 innings against South Dakota State on April 12, 2016 … similarly, Jake Stevenson's start was the third of his Gophers career, with his last start coming as a 3.0 inning effort against North Dakota State on April 19, 2016 … Minnesota's comeback victory of at least five runs actually came at the end of the 2017 season, defeating Indiana after trailing 6-0 in the Big Ten Tournament on May 26 … the doubleheader sweep is the first non-conference road series sweep for Minnesota since a two-game sweep of Creighton back on March 7-8, 2015.
UP NEXT
The Gophers return to the diamond tomorrow afternoon as Minnesota closes its stay in the Peach State taking on Georgia State (1-1) at the GSU Baseball Complex in Atlanta. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. ET.
Single-game tickets, season tickets, and group ticket packages are available for all Gopher Baseball games including the 2018 DQ Classic/Big Ten-Pac-12 Challenge at U.S. Bank Stadium on March 2-4. Stay up to date with all Gopher Baseball news by following the Gophers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via the links provided, or get all Minnesota Golden Gopher athletics news and highlights, including exclusive behind-the-scenes content and special ticket offers and promotions delivered straight to your inbox by signing up today!
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lackney, Nick (1-0)
L: Kennedy, Ryan (0-1)
S: Culliver, Josh (1)
Batting:
2B: Pettersen, Luke 1 ; Kozicky, Jordan 1 ; Hanson, Toby 1 ; Boxwell, Alex 1
RBI: Kozicky, Jordan 3 ; Hanson, Toby 1 ; Vavra, Terrin 2 ; Boxwell, Alex 1 ; Wilson, Eli 1
SH: Smith, Riley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pettersen, Luke 1 ; Coffey, Micah 2 ; Kozicky, Jordan 1 ; Hanson, Toby 2 ; McDevitt, Cole 1 ; Vavra, Terrin 1 ; Wilson, Eli 1
SB: Hanson, Toby 2 ; McDevitt, Cole 1
CS: Boxwell, Alex 1
Batting:
2B: Bramlett, Forrest 1 ; Norman, Terence 1
RBI: Bramlett, Forrest 1 ; Bryant, LaDonis 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Williams, G 1 ; Smith, Jaylen 1 ; Bramlett, Forrest 1
SB: Bryant, LaDonis 1
HBP: Smith, Jaylen 1
