University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Utah Valley
Offense Erupts in 13-5 Win at Utah Valley
3/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score: Minnesota 13, Utah Valley 5 
It was a full team effort in Minnesota's 13-5 win at Utah Valley on Friday night in Orem, Utah. The Gophers (9-6) set a new season-high with their run output and tied a season-best with 18 hits from 12 different players in the victory.
The Maroon and Gold had eight different batters tally at least one RBI, while six players had multiple hits in the contest.
Matt Fiedler did it all for Minnesota as he produced on the mound, at the plate and on the basepaths. He got the start on the hill and tossed 6.0 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five. Offensively, Fiedler went 1-for-3 with three RBI and hit his first home run of the season. The junior also swiped a base to round out his stellar performance.
The Gophers raced out of the gates and scored two runs in their opening at-bat. Riley Smith and Terrin Vavra hit a single and double, respectively, to lead off the frame. They both were brought in on ensuing ground outs by Fiedler and Austin Athmann to make it 2-0.
Utah Valley (9-10) answered in its first chance at the dish and tied the game back up behind three straight hits from the top of its lineup.
From that point on, Fiedler settled into a groove and scattered just three hits with five strikeouts across his final five innings of work.
The offense backed its starting pitcher by scoring 10 runs in the next three stanzas.
With two outs in the fourth, the Gophers strung together four consecutive hits by Dan Motl, Riley Smith, Troy Traxler and Schaefbauer that plated three to take a 5-2 lead in the contest.
Fiedler helped his own cause in the fifth by launching a solo homer over the opposite field fence, which proved to be all the offense that was needed.
Minnesota added insurance in the sixth when it scored a season-best six runs in the inning. After a Motl walk and Schaefbauer double off the wall in left field, Jordan Smith drilled a two-run double to left-center. Vavra followed that up with a bunt single that scored another. Fiedler then proceeded to bring in one with a sacrifice fly, which preceded RBI singles from Micah Coffey and Motl to make it a 10-run margin at 12-2.
The Wolverines found life in the bottom of the seventh when they scampered three across the plate on four hits and were aided by an error in the field, but the deficit was too great as a Matt Stemper RBI single in the eighth kept the game out of reach.
Fred Manke and Cody Campbell came on in relief of Fiedler and tossed the final three innings to close out the victory.
Minnesota and Utah Valley meet again tomorrow at Brent Brown Ballpark in Orem, Utah. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
