University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
24-10, 8-1
Iowa
22-12, 6-5
No. 25 Gophers Win Eighth Straight at Target Field
4/20/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS ââ'¬" The No. 25-ranked Gopher Baseball team rallied from a run down in the late innings to claim a 4-3 victory over Iowa in the opening game of the teams' Big Ten Series at Target Field on Friday afternoon.
No. 25 Minnesota (24-10, 8-1 Big Ten) earned a hint of payback after the Hawkeyes knocked the Gophers from the Big Ten Tournament at the end of last season. The two teams cruised through the first four innings before Iowa (22-12, 6-5 Big Ten) took its first lead of the game in the fifth, stringing together back-to-back singles and a wild pitch to claim a 1-0 lead. Minnesota had a quick answer in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back hits of their own leading off the inning, and a two-out base knock by Alex Boxwell that brought home Cole McDevitt with the game-tying run.
The two teams repeated their efforts in the sixth as Tyler Cropley homered with one out in the top of the inning, and Minnesota answered with a bunt single by Ben Mezzenga, coming around to score on an RBI single by Eli Wilson. Reggie Meyer worked the first 6+ innings for Minnesota, chased by a pair of errors on the Gopher infield that would eventually result in a 3-2 lead for Iowa after a sacrifice fly later in the inning. Meyer struck out five and allowed five hits.
Brett Schulze (8-0) took the ball for the next 1.2 innings, striking out one and allowing just one hit as Minnesota regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh. McDevitt once again led off the inning with a single, advancing on a sacrifice bunt by Toby Hanson, who made his return to the line-up for the Gophers with a single in the game. Jordan Kozicky doubled to center, bringing home McDevitt, and he came around to score as Luke Pettersen doubled off the right field wall for the go-ahead run. Nick Nelsen (2-1) relieved starter Nick Allgeyer in the seventh, allowing one run on one hit while getting just one out in the game.
Max Meyer allowed a walk and then claimed the final four outs for his ninth save of the season.
QUOTABLE
"Against the first hitter, he was rushing a little bit. He's showed that ability to make the adjustment. After that, he struck the next guy out. He understands himself and how to make adjustments on his own. That's why he has nine saves." ââ'¬" John Anderson on his rookie closer, Max Meyer
NOTABLE
Ben Mezzenga extended his hitting streak to seven games. He now owns two of the three longest hitting streaks for Minnesota this season, having hit safely in 10-straight games earlier this season … Pettersen extended his streak of reaching base to nine consecutive games.
UP NEXT
First pitch of game two is set for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Target Field. The series concludes on Sunday at Siebert Field as the two teams compete on Big Ten Network at 1:00 p.m.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Schulze, Brett (8-0)
L: Nelsen, Nick (2-1)
S: Meyer, Max (9)
Batting:
HR: Cropley, Tyler 1
RBI: Cropley, Tyler 1 ; Boe, Mitchell 1
SH: Jenkins, Justin 1 ; Norman, Ben 1
SF: Boe, Mitchell 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cropley, Tyler 1 ; Crowl, Kyle 1 ; Jenkins, Justin 1
Batting:
2B: Pettersen, Luke 1 ; Kozicky, Jordan 1
RBI: Pettersen, Luke 1 ; Wilson, Eli 1 ; Kozicky, Jordan 1 ; Boxwell, Alex 1
SH: Hanson, Toby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mezzenga, Ben 1 ; McDevitt, Cole 2 ; Kozicky, Jordan 1
CS: Boxwell, Alex 1
