University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, February 23
2:00 PM
University of Minnesota
3-3
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TCU
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TCU Horned Frogs
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Minnesota Gophers
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Gopher Offense Steps Up to Claim Game Two Against TCU
2/23/2020 7:20:00 PM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Baseball team flipped the script against TCU on Sunday afternoon to claim the second game of the series, prevailing with a final score of 7-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Gophers got out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, with Jack Wassel doubling in Otto Grimm to score Minnesota's first run of the series. Minnesota grabbed hold of the momentum from there, scoring in each of the following three innings as well.
In the second, Easton Bertrand launched a solo home run to right field to pad the Gopher lead to 2-0. In his first start of the 2020 season, Bertrand collected three hits and scored two runs for the U.
The Maroon and Gold's two-run lead was erased in the third when TCU used an RBI double and infield single to push across two runs. TCU's two runs in the third chased Gopher starter Sam Thoresen out of the game, who lasted 2 2/3 innings with two earned runs, two hits, five walks and five strikeouts.
After J.P. Massey worked the Gophers out of the third inning, the Minnesota bats stepped up once again. With two runners on base, Wassel crushed a 1-0 offering into the bleachers in right field, scoring both Chase Stanke and Zack Raabe.
With a 5-2 lead, TCU again battled back in the top of the fourth with a three-run double to right-center. The bases-clearing hit would only tie the game momentarily, however, as the Gophers answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
In the fourth, a wild pitch brought Bertrand in to score and then Raabe drove in Grimm with a subsequent base hit to center. Although that would conclude the scoring for Minnesota in the contest, it would be all the Gophers would need to even the series.
Things got interesting in the seventh, as TCU used a lead-off hit-by-pitch and a pair of wild pitches to bring another runner across home with an RBI groundout. That brought the game to 7-6 in favor of the Gophers, but reliever Bubba Horton would shut down the Horned Frog offense upon entering the game with one out in the seventh.
Tasked with holding Minnesota's one-run advantage, Horton dominated the TCU lineup, firing 2 2/3 scoreless frames and allowing just one hit. Horton would finish with a whopping seven strikeouts in his limited time on the mound, registering his final punch-out to secure the victory in the ninth.
Horton earned his second save of the young season in the process, with Massey earning the win for the Maroon and Gold. Massey finished with 3 2/3 innings of work to go along with four earned runs, two hits, four walks and four strikeouts.
TCU starter Charles King received the loss, throwing 3 1/3 innings and surrendering all seven earned runs with nine hits and four strikeouts.
Quotable
"We talked before the game a little bit about gaining some perspective. We have to embrace the bumps and some of the ugliness that's going to show up until we get more game experience and play more," said head coach John Anderson. "I was proud of us today. There was some ugliness but we found a way to overcome it and hung in there and were resilient. You see that quality in your team and you can fix the other things, but the attitude and the grinders that we have here, that's something that's hard to teach."
"We met before the game and [Anderson] told us to stick to us, don't worry about what's going on over there and what happened in the past is in the past," said Horton. "All we can do is bring the energy today, play as a team and I think we did a really good job of that."
Notable
With his 2 2/3 inning save, Horton has now worked five innings of shutout baseball in the past week while earning the first two saves of his collegiate career. Horton allowed just two hits against 10 strikeouts in his first two outings of the year, walking none.
Minnesota swatted their first two home runs of the 2020 campaign on Sunday, as both Wassel and Bertrand left the yard in game two. Wassel paced the team with four RBI in the game.
Up Next
Minnesota will face TCU tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. CT for the third and final game of the series at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Gophers got out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, with Jack Wassel doubling in Otto Grimm to score Minnesota's first run of the series. Minnesota grabbed hold of the momentum from there, scoring in each of the following three innings as well.
In the second, Easton Bertrand launched a solo home run to right field to pad the Gopher lead to 2-0. In his first start of the 2020 season, Bertrand collected three hits and scored two runs for the U.
The Maroon and Gold's two-run lead was erased in the third when TCU used an RBI double and infield single to push across two runs. TCU's two runs in the third chased Gopher starter Sam Thoresen out of the game, who lasted 2 2/3 innings with two earned runs, two hits, five walks and five strikeouts.
After J.P. Massey worked the Gophers out of the third inning, the Minnesota bats stepped up once again. With two runners on base, Wassel crushed a 1-0 offering into the bleachers in right field, scoring both Chase Stanke and Zack Raabe.
With a 5-2 lead, TCU again battled back in the top of the fourth with a three-run double to right-center. The bases-clearing hit would only tie the game momentarily, however, as the Gophers answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
In the fourth, a wild pitch brought Bertrand in to score and then Raabe drove in Grimm with a subsequent base hit to center. Although that would conclude the scoring for Minnesota in the contest, it would be all the Gophers would need to even the series.
Things got interesting in the seventh, as TCU used a lead-off hit-by-pitch and a pair of wild pitches to bring another runner across home with an RBI groundout. That brought the game to 7-6 in favor of the Gophers, but reliever Bubba Horton would shut down the Horned Frog offense upon entering the game with one out in the seventh.
Tasked with holding Minnesota's one-run advantage, Horton dominated the TCU lineup, firing 2 2/3 scoreless frames and allowing just one hit. Horton would finish with a whopping seven strikeouts in his limited time on the mound, registering his final punch-out to secure the victory in the ninth.
Horton earned his second save of the young season in the process, with Massey earning the win for the Maroon and Gold. Massey finished with 3 2/3 innings of work to go along with four earned runs, two hits, four walks and four strikeouts.
TCU starter Charles King received the loss, throwing 3 1/3 innings and surrendering all seven earned runs with nine hits and four strikeouts.
Quotable
"We talked before the game a little bit about gaining some perspective. We have to embrace the bumps and some of the ugliness that's going to show up until we get more game experience and play more," said head coach John Anderson. "I was proud of us today. There was some ugliness but we found a way to overcome it and hung in there and were resilient. You see that quality in your team and you can fix the other things, but the attitude and the grinders that we have here, that's something that's hard to teach."
"We met before the game and [Anderson] told us to stick to us, don't worry about what's going on over there and what happened in the past is in the past," said Horton. "All we can do is bring the energy today, play as a team and I think we did a really good job of that."
Notable
With his 2 2/3 inning save, Horton has now worked five innings of shutout baseball in the past week while earning the first two saves of his collegiate career. Horton allowed just two hits against 10 strikeouts in his first two outings of the year, walking none.
Minnesota swatted their first two home runs of the 2020 campaign on Sunday, as both Wassel and Bertrand left the yard in game two. Wassel paced the team with four RBI in the game.
Up Next
Minnesota will face TCU tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. CT for the third and final game of the series at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Massey, J.P. (1-0)
L: King, Charles (0-1)
S: Horton, Bubba (2)
Batting:
2B: Sacco, Tommy 1 ; Henry, Austin 1 ; Wolfe, Hunter 1
RBI: Sacco, Tommy 1 ; Henry, Austin 3 ; Wolfe, Hunter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brown, Porter 1 ; Sacco, Tommy 2 ; Wood, Gene 1 ; Shepherd, Conner 1 ; Sikes, Phillip 1
SB: Sikes, Phillip 1
CS: Wolfe, Hunter 1
HBP: Wood, Gene 1 ; Rodgers, Gray 1
Batting:
2B: Grimm, Otto 1 ; Wassel, Jack 1
HR: Wassel, Jack 1 ; Bertrand, Easton 1
RBI: Raabe, Zack 1 ; Wassel, Jack 4 ; Bertrand, Easton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Grimm, Otto 2 ; Raabe, Zack 1 ; Stanke, Chase 1 ; Wassel, Jack 1 ; Bertrand, Easton 2
HBP: Stanke, Chase 1 ; Sweeny, Ronald 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
4
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballIF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballIF
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