By Kaitlin Merkel/Murphy News Service
Game No. 1:
Gophers open series with 6-1 win
A three-run home run by left fielder Jordan Smith capped off a series-opening 6-1 win for the Gopher baseball team against the Penn State Nittany Lions Friday at Siebert Field.
The Gophers opened the game with two runs on three hits in their half of the first, setting the pace for a game in which the offense roughed up Penn State starting pitcher Nick Hedge for nine hits and six runs.
Gopher starting pitcher Ben Meyer pitched a gem for Minnesota, allowing only one run on 6 hits and striking out seven through seven innings.
“My fastball really felt good the whole game and then my slider was probably the best it’s been all year so I was really working on those two pitches and then mixing a couple changeups,” Meyer said.
Meyer also credited the Gophers offense as key in the win.
“It was awesome, that home run in the eighth inning there was huge just to give us a little more run support,” he said, “But when we get those runs early, it’s really nice on my part just to go out there and kind of let those guys get themselves out because I know that we’ve already got the lead.”
Reliever Jordan Jess pitched two scoreless innings and struck out two to preserve the win for Minnesota.
Centerfielder Dan Motl extended his hitting streak to 16 games with two hits and one RBI. Shortstop Michael Handel and right fielder Matt Fiedler also had one RBI each on the day.
Minnesota improved to 14-19 on the season, 4-9 in Big Ten play while Penn State dropped to 12-21, 2-7 in conference play.
Game No. 2:
Gophers win second straight, beat Penn State 8-1
Another strong pitching performance and another three-run home run led the Gopher baseball team to a 8-1 win, their second straight of the series, Saturday against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Minnesota starting pitcher Tim Shannon pitched 6.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits and striking out four.
“[Shannon] attacked the zone and had all three pitches working for him,” shortstop Michael Handel said, “He just got ahead of all the batters and when he does that, all three pitches that he has make him a lot harder to hit.”
Minnesota took a 2-0 lead in its half of the third on a triple by third baseman Tony Skjefte.
The three-run home run by shortstop Handel, his third of the year, extended the Gophers lead to 5-0 in the fourth. Handel went 4-5 with 4 RBI overall on the day with two singles and a ground rule double in addition to the home run.
“I was just seeing the ball well,” Handel said, “They were throwing strikes, I just was aggressive as well … and [it] happened to fall.”
Reliever Dalton Sawyer came on for Minnesota with one out in the seventh and pitched one scoreless inning.
Tyler Hanson took over for Sawyer with one out in the eighth and recorded the save for Minnesota, pitching 1.2 innings.
Gopher center fielder Dan Motl extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a two-run single in the eighth inning, making the score 7-1 Minnesota. Motl later scored on the double by Handel and the Gophers won 8-1.
Minnesota improved to 15-19 on the season, 5-9 in Big Ten play while Penn State fell to 12-22, 2-8 in conference play.
The Gophers look to continue the momentum and sweep Penn State in the series finale Sunday.
“When we get all three things going—defense, pitching and hitting—we’re going to be a pretty good team,” Handel said.
Game No. 3:
Gophers complete sweep with 9-5 win
The Gopher baseball team completed the sweep of the Penn State Nittany Lions with a 9-5 win Sunday at Siebert Field.
After allowing Penn State to score three runs on an error, a wild pitch and a RBI groundout in the top of the first, Minnesota settled down to keep Penn State to two runs through the remaining eight innings.
Minnesota responded with six runs in their half of the first, scoring on a sac fly by first baseman Toby Hanson and four doubles hit by four different Gophers: second baseman Connor Schaefbauer, catcher Matt Halloran (two-run double), right fielder Jake Bergren and left fielder Jordan Smith.
“We had a rough first inning today,” Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson said, “I thought our kids responded really well after the first inning and we got the momentum back on our side. We played better baseball the rest of the game.”
The Gophers extended their lead in the third with a triple by centerfielder Alex Boxwell, bringing the score to 7-3. In the fourth, Hanson singled in a run and third baseman Micah Coffey hit a sac fly to bring in another, making it 9-3.
“[We] got contributions from a lot of people up and down the lineup,” Anderson said, “I thought we put together some outstanding at bats. We did a better job of hitting the ball the other way and to the middle of the field.”
Gopher freshman starting pitcher Fred Manke pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out four to earn the win in his first start of the season.
Relievers Matt Fiedler (1IP, 2H, 2R, 1BB, 0K) and Jordan Jess (1.2 IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 0K) preserved the lead before reliever Lance Thonvold pitched two innings and recorded three strikeouts to seal the win for the Gophers.
Minnesota improved to 16-19 on the season, 6-9 in Big Ten play, while Penn State tumbled to 12-23, 2-9 in conference play.
Centerfielder Dan Motl, who entered the game with a 17 game hitting streak, was taken out of the game after he was hit in the face by a pitch during his at bat in the first inning. While his streak still stands because of the HBP, Anderson said Motl is “going to be out for a long time probably.”
Anderson said third baseman Tony Skjefte, who was removed from the game Saturday after a collision with the Penn State first baseman, has a slight concussion.
As the Gophers head into a home series with Michigan next weekend, Anderson said it was time to “regroup and go with what we have” after the injuries to Skjefte and Motl.
Reporter Kaitlin Merkel is studying journalism and Spanish at the University of Minnesota.