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/ BaseballTop Moments of 2020: Stahl’s Unassisted Double Play Secures Creighton Sweep
12/2/2020 9:29:00 AM | Baseball
As the Gophers inch closer to the spring, Gopher Sports will be reliving some of the team's most memorable moments from the abbreviated 2020 season. Up next, we have Minnesota's two-game, midweek sweep of Creighton spanning from March 10-11, which ultimately ended up representing the Maroon & Gold's final games of the campaign.
Heading into the midweek series, the Gophers were badly in need of momentum after dropping two out of three games the previous weekend to Utah at home. In the Tuesday opener at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minnesota turned to then-freshman right-handed pitcher Trent Schoeberl, who would be making his third career start and fifth overall appearance of the year.
Schoeberl more than did his part to help the Maroon & Gold return to their winning ways, setting new career highs in innings pitched (six) and strikeouts (seven) while limiting the Bluejays to just one run on two hits. Even so, the Gophers trailed, 1-0, entering the bottom of the sixth inning.
With a potential win on the line for Schoeberl, the Gopher bats finally came alive. Jack Kelly and Zack Raabe both reached base via a pair of singles, setting the stage for Otto Grimm to knot up the game up at one run apiece with an RBI single to center field. After a Sam Ireland walk loaded the bases, Chase Stanke delivered a go-ahead, two run double to deep center.
From there, Minnesota would never relinquish their 3-1 lead. In the seventh inning, Kelly and Grimm widened the advantage to 5-1 with RBI singles. Although Creighton tightened the game to 5-3 with a pair of runs in the ninth inning, Ireland was ultimately able to nail down the save. Schoeberl received his second college win in the process, while Raabe finished 4-for-4 at the plate with his second consecutive four-hit game.
With the first game of the series theirs, head coach John Anderson elected to start junior righty Nolan Burchill in game two. Tossing five quality frames, Burchill was touched up for a solo homer in the second and another run in the fifth, but ultimately exited with Minnesota in possession of a firm, 3-2 lead thanks to RBI hits from Jack Wassel and Kelly back in the third inning.
In the sixth, the Gophers tacked on two more runs. Max Meyer reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Ireland and advancing Andrew Wilhite to third. The very next batter, Drew Stahl, then singled to right field, plating Wilhite.
The 5-2 Gopher lead was protected well up until the ninth inning, with Bennett Theisen and Danny Kapala combining for three shutout innings of relief. However, Creighton quickly scored two runs in the ninth to draw within one run of Minnesota, forcing Anderson to bring Patrick Fredrickson out of the bullpen to close it out.
After surrendering a single, Fredrickson forced a fly out and then intentionally walked the following batter to load up the bases. With one out and the winning run on second base, the Gophers narrowly escaped as Stahl snagged a hard line drive and quickly stepped on second base in one foul swoop for an unassisted double play.
For Fredrickson, the former 2018 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, the save signified the very first of his collegiate career. Burchill was credited with the win, tossing five innings with two earned runs allowed on four hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
Although it was not yet known at the time, Stahl's signature double play would end up being the last play of Minnesota's 2020 season. Capping off the campaign with two victories, the Maroon & Gold enter 2021 riding a two-game winning streak.
Quotable
"There's a pattern here in the last couple of days where we're executing more pitches and throwing more strikes. I think our at bats have also gotten better, especially with guys in scoring position," said Anderson. "To be able to win two midweek games when we were really short on the mound, our two starters the last two days, Burchill and Schoeberl, deserve a lot of credit for the outcome."
"Capping off that Creighton series with the double play was something really special to me and something I'll cherish for a really long time," said Stahl. "Kind of the first time I had made a play that was impactful at the collegiate level and something I was excited and happy to do for our team and be able to share it with my teammates. In the moments right before that, I was just thinking about any possible situation that could come up with the ball in play and honestly, that was one that hadn't come up in my mind. I probably had 10, 15 plays that I had thought through and knew where I was going to go with the ball if I got it. I was just happy that I was able to trust my instincts and baseball IQ to be able to make a play and just enjoy that win and series sweep with the team."
Heading into the midweek series, the Gophers were badly in need of momentum after dropping two out of three games the previous weekend to Utah at home. In the Tuesday opener at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minnesota turned to then-freshman right-handed pitcher Trent Schoeberl, who would be making his third career start and fifth overall appearance of the year.
Schoeberl more than did his part to help the Maroon & Gold return to their winning ways, setting new career highs in innings pitched (six) and strikeouts (seven) while limiting the Bluejays to just one run on two hits. Even so, the Gophers trailed, 1-0, entering the bottom of the sixth inning.
With a potential win on the line for Schoeberl, the Gopher bats finally came alive. Jack Kelly and Zack Raabe both reached base via a pair of singles, setting the stage for Otto Grimm to knot up the game up at one run apiece with an RBI single to center field. After a Sam Ireland walk loaded the bases, Chase Stanke delivered a go-ahead, two run double to deep center.
From there, Minnesota would never relinquish their 3-1 lead. In the seventh inning, Kelly and Grimm widened the advantage to 5-1 with RBI singles. Although Creighton tightened the game to 5-3 with a pair of runs in the ninth inning, Ireland was ultimately able to nail down the save. Schoeberl received his second college win in the process, while Raabe finished 4-for-4 at the plate with his second consecutive four-hit game.
With the first game of the series theirs, head coach John Anderson elected to start junior righty Nolan Burchill in game two. Tossing five quality frames, Burchill was touched up for a solo homer in the second and another run in the fifth, but ultimately exited with Minnesota in possession of a firm, 3-2 lead thanks to RBI hits from Jack Wassel and Kelly back in the third inning.
In the sixth, the Gophers tacked on two more runs. Max Meyer reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Ireland and advancing Andrew Wilhite to third. The very next batter, Drew Stahl, then singled to right field, plating Wilhite.
The 5-2 Gopher lead was protected well up until the ninth inning, with Bennett Theisen and Danny Kapala combining for three shutout innings of relief. However, Creighton quickly scored two runs in the ninth to draw within one run of Minnesota, forcing Anderson to bring Patrick Fredrickson out of the bullpen to close it out.
After surrendering a single, Fredrickson forced a fly out and then intentionally walked the following batter to load up the bases. With one out and the winning run on second base, the Gophers narrowly escaped as Stahl snagged a hard line drive and quickly stepped on second base in one foul swoop for an unassisted double play.
For Fredrickson, the former 2018 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, the save signified the very first of his collegiate career. Burchill was credited with the win, tossing five innings with two earned runs allowed on four hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
Although it was not yet known at the time, Stahl's signature double play would end up being the last play of Minnesota's 2020 season. Capping off the campaign with two victories, the Maroon & Gold enter 2021 riding a two-game winning streak.
Quotable
"There's a pattern here in the last couple of days where we're executing more pitches and throwing more strikes. I think our at bats have also gotten better, especially with guys in scoring position," said Anderson. "To be able to win two midweek games when we were really short on the mound, our two starters the last two days, Burchill and Schoeberl, deserve a lot of credit for the outcome."
"Capping off that Creighton series with the double play was something really special to me and something I'll cherish for a really long time," said Stahl. "Kind of the first time I had made a play that was impactful at the collegiate level and something I was excited and happy to do for our team and be able to share it with my teammates. In the moments right before that, I was just thinking about any possible situation that could come up with the ball in play and honestly, that was one that hadn't come up in my mind. I probably had 10, 15 plays that I had thought through and knew where I was going to go with the ball if I got it. I was just happy that I was able to trust my instincts and baseball IQ to be able to make a play and just enjoy that win and series sweep with the team."
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