Gophers Split With Michigan
(GopherSports.com) -- The Golden Gopher baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader against Michigan. Minnesota (18-20, 7-10 Big Ten) won the first game at Siebert Field 2-1, and the Wolverines (26-17, 10-7 Big Ten) won the second 4-2.
Game 1: Gophers 2, Michigan 1 -
Ben Meyer pitched a complete game and the Minnesota bats provided just enough offense to get him a win. The right-hander allowed one run on six hits and struck out six in the first complete game by a Gophers pitcher this season.
The Gophers provided Meyer all the run support he needed in the fifth. Catcher Matt Halloran led off the inning with a single and stole second. Jordan Smith drove in Halloran with a double to tie the game. A two-out single by right fielder Matt Fiedler gave the Gophers a 2-1 lead.
Minnesota won despite 14 strikeouts and seven men left on base.
Meyer's record improved to 4-4 with the win. He also passed some career milestones. Meyer ranks eighth all-time in the Minnesota record books with 203 strikeouts. He also moved up to fifth on the Gophers' career innings list with 266.
Michigan starter Jacob Cronenworth allowed Minnesota's four hits and two runs, taking the loss to fall to 2-4. Reliever Evan Hill kept the Gophers hitless in his three innings.
Game 2: Michigan 4, Gophers 2
The Gophers tied the game at 2 in the fifth inning, but Michigan reclaimed the lead in the seventh and struck out 13 batters in a 4-2 game to split the doubleheader. The Wolverines had 12 hits to the Gophers' six.
Tim Shannon allowed nine hits but only two runs in his five-inning start for the Gophers. The first run scored in the second. Cody Bruder had singled and been thrown out by Fiedler trying to stretch the hit into a double. Jake Bivens and Kevin White both got on base after that, and Kendall Patrick's ground-rule double scored Bivens. Patrick struck again with a solo home run in the fourth to make it 2-0.
Jordan Smith hit a two-out, two-run single to tie the game in the fifth. Designated hitter Micah Coffey had singled and Halloran had been hit by pitch with one out in the inning and both scored on Smith's hit.
Smith and first baseman Toby Hanson each hit a double in the nightcap, but both came with no one on base and both were left on base.
Michigan went ahead on a squeeze bunt in Lucas Gilbreath's (1-2) second inning of work. Maezes reached base with no one out after swinging at a wild pitch that got to the backstop. He advanced to third on a groundout and a Bruder single, then scored on Bivens' bunt. The Wolverines added an insurance run in the ninth on a relay throw error following a hit to the outfield.
Starter Ryan Nutof exited a tie game after 5 1/3 innings, allowing both Minnesota runs and six of its hits and striking out six. Mac Lozer (2-0) finished the sixth with two strikeouts. Bryan Pall and Benedetti finished the game, with Benedetti earning his second save in the final 1 1/3 innings.
Smith hit 2-for-4 in the second game. For Michigan, Bruder was 3-for-5, and four other batters had two hits each.
NOTABLE
*The series opener extended Minnesota's winning streak to six games, the longest such streak for the Gophers this season.
*Meyer's nine-inning start was his first since going the distance against Northwestern on March 23, 2014.
*Handel's reached base streak is now at 15 games after he recorded hits in both of Saturday's games. Injured center fielder Dan Motl has the team's longest active on base streak at 18 games, including a 17-game hitting streak.
*Aside from Smith's outfield assist, defensive highlights for the Gophers in the first game included a foul ball catch by third baseman Tony Skejfte leaning over the railing and a lineout double play starting with a leaping catch by Handel.
*Fiedler now has five outfield assists this season to lead the team.
UP NEXT
The Gophers and Wolverines will conclude their series Sunday with first pitch at 12:05 p.m. CT. The game will be available on BTN Plus.
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