University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
20-20, 6-10
Nebraska
29-15, 11-5
Gophers Drop Game One to Huskers
5/3/2024 8:23:00 PM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers got an offensive boost from Josh Fitzgerald, who strung together three hits, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday evening.
Senior Justin Thorsteinson (3-2) took the loss on the mound for Minnesota (20-20, 6-10).
In addition to his three hits, Fitzgerald had a double, a home run and two RBI to lead the Gophers. Jack Spanier tallied his fifth multi-hit game and third multi-RBI game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Minnesota struck first after Fitzgerald's RBI double in the bottom of the first. Nebraska answered by putting up one run in both the second and third innings to take a 2-1 lead.
After a scoreless fourth frame, the Huskers capitalized on a few Gopher miscues to take a 6-1 advantage. The 'U' answered with two solo home runs in the bottom half of the inning by Brady Counsell and Ike Mezzenga, cutting the deficit to three.
The Gophers notched three more runs in the bottom of the sixth after a two RBI double by Spanier followed by an RBI double by Jake Perry to tie the game at six.
The Cornhuskers broke the tie and took the lead heading into the seventh inning, when Minnesota got back on the board with a solo home run by Fitzgerald to make it 8-7 in favor of Nebraska. The Golden Gophers were unable to get any closer, as Nebraska added two runs to their tally on the way to a 10-7 final.
GAME NOTES
» Fitzgerald tied the team lead with his fourth three-hit game.
» Minnesota's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed three runs across.
» Spanier notched the fifth multi-hit game of his career and third multi-RBI game.
» Fitzgerald extended his current hitting streak to 12 games, his longest of the season.
» Mezzenga (11) and Counsell (15) both extended their double-digit on base streaks.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Worthley, Jalen (3-0)
L: Thorsteinson, Justin (3-2)
S: Daiss, Casey (5)
Batting:
2B: Sanderson, Case 1
HR: Carey, Dylan 1
RBI: Caron, Josh 2 ; Columbus, Ben 2 ; Sanderson, Case 1 ; Carey, Dylan 3
SH: Anglim, Garrett 1
SF: Columbus, Ben 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Silva, Riley 1 ; Caron, Josh 1 ; Stone, Tyler 1 ; Evans, Cole 3 ; Sanderson, Case 1 ; Carey, Dylan 2 ; Stokes, Rhett 1
SB: Silva, Riley 1
CS: Silva, Riley 1
HBP: Carey, Dylan 1
Batting:
2B: Perry, Jake 1 ; Fitzgerald, Josh 1 ; Spanier, Jack 1
HR: Counsell, Brady 1 ; Mezzenga, Ike 1 ; Fitzgerald, Josh 1
RBI: Counsell, Brady 1 ; Perry, Jake 1 ; Mezzenga, Ike 1 ; Fitzgerald, Josh 2 ; Spanier, Jack 2
SH: Merila, Boston 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Counsell, Brady 1 ; Neels, Weber 1 ; Mezzenga, Ike 1 ; Fitzgerald, Josh 1 ; Sutherland, Charlie 1 ; Berkland, Drew 1 ; Spanier, Jack 1
SB: Berkland, Drew 1
HBP: Neels, Weber 1
