University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
6-2
North Dakota State
4-4
Gophers Come Back for Anderson's 1250th Win
2/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS - On a night the Gopher Baseball team did not have its strongest offensive showing of the year, the team relied on the arms of three freshman pitchers to lead the way as Minnesota came from behind to scratch out a 3-1 win over North Dakota State on Tuesday night at U.S. Bank Stadium to earn the 1,250th win in the career of head coach John Anderson.
The Gophers got 5.0 innings of work out of rookie right-hander Patrick Fredrickson, allowing one unearned run after an error on the infield by Minnesota (6-2). Righty Sam Thoresen (1-1) relieved Fredrickson in the sixth, allowing just one hit in 2.0 shutout innings, striking out two before handing the ball over to lefty Ryan Duffy. While a ninth-inning error put the lead in jeopardy against the Bison, Duffy pitched 1.1 shutout innings before senior Jackson Rose entered to strike out the game's final two batters to earn the save against North Dakota State (4-4).
"I'm very impressed with our three freshman pitchers, that's something that jumps out at me," said head coach John Anderson after the game. "Fredrickson went out there and filled the strike zone with three pitches. Thoresen had his best outing of the year. He's starting to figure it out. Ryan Duffy has some composure out there. Coming into last fall, I didn't think he'd be this far along. He's been good for us."
Junior Terrin Vavra continued his hot streak at the plate, getting on base in each of his first four plate appearances and finishing 3-for-4 on the day with a walk. After the third-inning error gave NDSU a 1-0 lead, Minnesota used three walks and a hit-by-pitch for Vavra to drive in the run to tie the game. Jordan Kozicky got hit by a pitch in the sixth and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch with pitcher Chris Choles on the mound, costing Kyle Ferderer (0-2) the defeat on the day.
"When you're in the zone, you're in the zone," said Anderson on Vavra's hot streak. "He was able to prepare all year long with no injury. We always knew there was a high level of talent, but it was just a question of when he'd be healthy. You're seeing what I thought was there since we recruited him."
Another walk helped the Gophers tack on a run in the eighth as Cole McDevitt led off the inning with a free pass and came around to score during a double play.
QUOTABLE
"We're working on it. It's a big building with funky dugouts. Sometimes it's hard for the players on the bench to connect with the players on the field. We have to find a way in a space like that to bring more energy from the dugout." - John Anderson on the unique atmosphere inside of U.S. Bank Stadium
NOTABLE
Terrin Vavra and Alex Boxwell each extended their hitting streaks to seven games, tied for the team lead … Vavra now has five multi-hit games this season, two more than anyone else on the team. He also has three hits in four consecutive games … Anderson's 1,250 career victories are the seventh-most among active coaches in the entire NCAA and fifth-most in NCAA Division I.
UP NEXT
The Gophers continue their home stand at U.S. Bank Stadium Wednesday when the team welcomes South Dakota State to Minneapolis. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
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: Thoresen, Sam (1-1)
L: Kyle Ferderer (0-2)
S: Rose, Jackson (1)
Batting:
RBI: Mason Pierzchalski 1
SH: Drew Fearing 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Matt Elsenpeter 1
Batting:
RBI: Vavra, Terrin 1
SH: Pettersen, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kozicky, Jordan 1 ; McDevitt, Cole 1 ; Estrada, Jr., Eduardo 1
SB: Boxwell, Alex 1
HBP: Kozicky, Jordan 2
