University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
16-9, 2-1
Nebraska
13-11, 1-2
Gophers Shut Out Nebraska for B1G Series Win
3/25/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LINCOLN, Neb. - A pair of rookie pitchers tossed a combined shutout and the Gopher Baseball team scraped together a pair of runs to edge out Nebraska 2-0 Sunday en route to a Big Ten Conference season-opening series victory over the Cornhuskers at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.
Patrick Fredrickson (3-0) tossed 7.0 shutout innings in his first start against a Big Ten foe, striking out six while scattering just four hits. He was relieved by fellow rookie right-hander Max Meyer, who collected his sixth save of the season striking out one in two hitless innings.
Minnesota (16-9, 2-1 Big Ten) got a pair of hits from both Ben Mezzenga and Eli Wilson, but scored both of its runs when the Nebraska (13-11, 1-2 Big Ten) defense gave up a pair of errors in the fifth. Jack Wassel led off the inning with a single, advancing to second on an error. A walk to Wilson followed, and each man was sacrificed up a base by Luke Pettersen. Mezzenga grounded a ball up the first base line that went off the first baseman's glove and out into right field, allowing both men to come in to score.Patrick Fredrickson gets the strikeout to end the first!
We're still scoreless after 1. pic.twitter.com/jX4ex5aynj- Minnesota Baseball (@GopherBaseball) March 25, 2018
The Cornhuskers never got a runner to third base and only touched second three times, as Jesse Wilkening and Scott Schreiber each doubled in the game, with the latter advancing to second in the ninth on a ground ball after a walk.How did the #Gophers score the first couple runs of this game? This way. pic.twitter.com/t9SRUmlIcK
- Minnesota Baseball (@GopherBaseball) March 25, 2018
NOTABLE
Mezzenga extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his double in the first inning … Terrin Vavra's 23-game streak of reaching base came to a close. He has been on base in all but two games for the Gophers this season … Fredrickson has now tossed 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to March 11 against Creighton, a span of four appearances.
UP NEXT
Minnesota will leave conference play for a week as the Gophers host St. John's (N.Y.) University in a three-game set for the Gophers' final series for the year at U.S. Bank Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for just after 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Fredrickson, Patrick (3-0)
L: Warren, M. (3-1)
S: Meyer, Max (6)
Batting:
2B: Mezzenga, Ben 1
SH: Pettersen, Luke 1 ; Coffey, Micah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wassel, Jack 1 ; Wilson, Eli 1
HBP: Kozicky, Jordan 1
Batting:
2B: Schreiber, S 1 ; Wilkening, J 1
