Gophers Lose Baseball Opener

Houston, Texas ( gophersports.com )- The University of Minnesota baseball team lost 9-1 in its season opener at No. 3 Houston Friday. The Cougars hit three home runs, and the Gophers did not score until the ninth inning.

Ian Rice hit the first of Houston's three homers in the first inning with one man on base. Later in the game, Chris Iriart added a solo shot, and Connor Wong a two-run homer. Four Cougars recorded multiple hits, including a 3-for-4 game by Wong.

Michael Handel hit 2-for-4 with the Gophers' only run. He led off the ninth with a single and scored on Jordan Smith's double down the left line. Houston outhit the Gophers 10-6. Minnesota made three errors to Houston's one.

Ben Meyer took the loss for Minnesota. He gave up five hits, three runs (two earned) and a walk and struck out seven. Houston starter Andrew Lantrip got the win with five innings of one-hit, shutout ball.

NOTABLE MOMENTS AND FACTS

*Matt Fiedler notched the Gophers' first hit of the season with a leadoff single up the middle in the fourth.

*Every ball in the top of the seventh was hit to left field. Minnesota had two on with one out on Handel and Tony Skjefte singles before two flies to left ended the inning.

*Minnesota threatened in the eighth when Toby Hanson led off with a double, his first collegiate hit. The Gophers had runners on the corners after Dan Motl's grounder advanced Hanson and Fiedler drew a 3-2 walk. But the Cougars turned a 4-6-3 double play on Schaefbauer to keep the Gophers off the board a little longer.

*Toby Anderson and Jeff Fasching pitched the rest of the game in relief of Meyer. It was Fasching's first collegiate appearance.

*Matt Halloran made his first start at catcher since early last year, when an injury cut his 2014 season short. He caught all nine innings.

*In all, 14 Gophers saw action on opening day. Besides the two relief pitchers, the other two substitutes were Jake Bergren and Kyle Crocker.

UP NEXT

The second game of the series will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday.