University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Missouri State
Minnesota Edged by No. 23 Missouri State
3/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score: Missouri State 5, Minnesota 4 
Minnesota took the 23rd-ranked team in the nation, Missouri State, to the wire, but ultimately fell on Friday night in Springfield, Mo., 5-4. The Gophers (10-9) used a total of nine hits from seven different players to round out the evening at the plate.
Connor Schaefbauer tied a season-high with three hits with an RBI in the contest to pace the club. Dan Motl, Terrin Vavra and Matt Fiedler - the top three hitters in the lineup - combined for three hits and three RBI in the defeat.
Fiedler started the game on the mound and went 4.0 innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs to go along with three strikeouts. Lucas Gilbreath and Brian Glowicki added 3.0 innings of relief with four strikeouts and one unearned run.
The Maroon and Gold got on the board early in the second inning with a two-out RBI triple by Schaefbauer past the diving attempt from the center fielder that scooted the ball all the way to the warning track.
Minnesota added to its lead in the top of third with back-to-back RBI doubles from Vavra and Fiedler with one out to take a 3-0 cushion.
The Bears (19-2) were limited to just one hit and struck out twice in opening three stanzas, but finally broke through in the fourth inning. Missouri State secured two runs on three hits, highlighted by a two-RBI double to right-center, and brought the score line to 3-2 in favor of the Gophers.
The home team captured the lead, 4-3, in the fifth with a four-hit inning that plated two.
In the sixth, Minnesota loaded the bases with one out after two straight singles from Matt Stemper and Riley Smith preceded a walk by Jordan Smith. Motl came through with a fielder's choice to third base that knotted the game back up at 4-4.
Missouri State regained the lead in the home half of the sixth on an infield single with the bases loaded. It was a lead the Bears would never relinquish and it would send the Gophers to their first loss on Friday night since March 11.
The two teams meet tomorrow in a doubleheader at Hammons Field with the first game set to begin at 2 p.m.
