University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
28-12, 11-3
Ohio State
28-13, 9-6
OSU Walks Off No. 21 Gophers in Series Finale
4/29/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State salvaged the series finale, walking off the No. 21 ranked Gopher Baseball team in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 6-5 victory at Bill Davis Stadium.
No. 21 Minnesota (28-12, 11-3 Big Ten) turned to closer Max Meyer (0-2) in the ninth with a 5-3 lead, and the Buckeyes peppered the Gophers in a methodical inning. A single by Jacob Barnwell led things off, followed by a Meyer strikeout of pinch hitter Nate Romans. Dominic Canzone singled through the left side of the infield to put two runners on. Minnesota would get a force at second base for the second out and then walk slugger Noah McGowan to load the bases.
The Gophers attempted to get another force on a slow grounder to shortstop, but McGowan was called safe at second on the fielder's choice, and Ohio State (28-13, 9-6 Big Ten) pulled within one. Dillon Dingler tapped a ball in front of the mound that catcher Eli Wilson fielded and threw on to first, but when the runner collided with first baseman Cole McDevitt, the ball popped loose and two runners scored on the play, allowing OSU to walk off victorious.
After the Buckeyes scored first in the bottom of the second, No. 21 Minnesota took the lead in the middle innings. Jordan Kozicky singled leading off the third and came around to score the game-tying run on a single by Ben Mezzenga later in the inning. He then doubled leading off the fifth and moved to third on a single by Alex Boxwell. Both men scored on a triple by Luke Pettersen, who came in to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Terrin Vavra.
Another leadoff hit for the Gophers cost Ohio State in the sixth as Micah Coffey singled to left and scored on a Toby Hanson double. Sam Thoresen tossed the first 3+ innings for Minnesota, giving up just one run on one hit but walking three batters before handing the ball to Brett Schulze with a runner on first in the fourth. Schulze tossed 4.0 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out two.
The Buckeyes got back on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Tyler Cowles led off the inning with a single, and Andrew Fishel followed with a double. After an RBI groundout, Noah West lined a single to center to pull Ohio State within two. Adam Niemeyer allowed four earned on seven hits over 5.0 innings as the starter for the Buckeyes. After pulling within two, OSU turned to closer Seth Kinker (6-1) early as he entered with two outs in the seventh, allowing just one hit and a walk in 2.1 innings of shutout ball.
The Gophers threatened in the eighth as Toby Hanson made it to third base following a walk but could not add any insurance. Jackson Rose relieved Schulze with a strikeout in a perfect eighth before handing the ball to Meyer in the ninth.
NOTABLE
Luke Pettersen drew a walk in the eighth against Ohio State closer Seth Kinker - his first allowed this season at Bill Davis Stadium ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃÆ'¢'¬¦ Jordan Kozicky went 2-for-3 and extended his season-high hitting streak to nine games ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃÆ'¢'¬¦ the ninth inning error represented the second walk-off defeat for the Gophers this season, falling on a walk-off hit in the 13th inning against TCU back on March 17.
UP NEXT
The Gophers begin a seven-game homestand at Siebert Field on Tuesday evening as Minnesota hosts Concordia St. Paul in a non-conference match-up. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kinker (6-1)
L: Meyer, Max (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Hanson, Toby 1 ; Kozicky, Jordan 1
3B: Pettersen, Luke 1
RBI: Pettersen, Luke 2 ; Mezzenga, Ben 1 ; Vavra, Terrin 1 ; Hanson, Toby 1
SF: Vavra, Terrin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pettersen, Luke 1 ; Coffey, Micah 1 ; Kozicky, Jordan 2 ; Boxwell, Alex 1
SB: Vavra, Terrin 1
Batting:
2B: Fishel 1
RBI: Pohl 1 ; Fishel 1 ; Barnwell 1 ; West 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Foppe 1 ; McGowan 1 ; Pohl 1 ; Cowles 1 ; Fishel 1 ; Barnwell 1
HBP: McGowan 1 ; Cowles 1 ; West 1
