University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Iowa
Minnesota Takes Series Against Iowa on Sunday
4/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score: Iowa 6, Minnesota 3 
| Box Score: Minnesota 6, Iowa 3
The Gophers defended their home turf by taking two of three from Iowa in the series this weekend. Minnesota (15-10, 2-1 B1G) split the doubleheader with Iowa (11-14, 3-3 B1G) on Sunday with each team taking 6-3 decisions at Siebert Field.
On the day, Matt Fiedler paced the offense with five hits, including two home runs and touted a team-high five RBI. Connor Schaefbauer chipped in with a pair of solo homers, while Austin Athmann added one as part of his three hits in the two contests.
The Gophers used just four pitchers on Sunday, with Jordan Jess and Tyler Hanson posting 0.00 ERA's in a combined 6.0 innings pitched. Toby Anderson was pegged with the win in the series finale.
Minnesota returns to the diamond on Tuesday and Wednesday next week in home games against North Dakota State and Northern Illinois, respectively. Both games are slated to begin at 3 p.m. at Siebert Field.
Game No. 1 ââ'¬" Iowa 6, Minnesota 3
The Gophers outhit Iowa, 11-8, but it was not enough as the Hawkeyes evened the series at one game apiece after a 6-3 victory at Siebert Field.
Minnesota was paced by Matt Fielder, who produced a 3-for-5 performance with a home run and two RBI at the plate. Austin Athmann and Terrin Vavra notched multi-hit games with 2-for-4 and 2-for-5 marks, respectively.
On the hill, Dalton Sawyer was tagged with the loss after tossing 4.2 innings with five hits, five earned runs and five strikeouts. Tyler Hanson finished the game off well after securing a stat line of 4.1 innings, three hits and a career-high six strikeouts, all of which came in a row.
The Hawkeyes got on the board in their first at-bat by scoring a run on two hits and were aided by a throwing error. They made the score 2-0 in the third frame by manufacturing a sacrifice fly after a ground-rule double and an advancement to third base.
Minnesota, however, responded in the home half of the inning when Vavra laced a double down the line in left and advanced to third and scored on wild pitches.
Iowa got all the offense it needed in the top of the fifth when it plated four on three hits, including a home run and an RBI single that scored two, making the score 6-1 in favor of the road squad.
The Gophers did not go quietly as they mounted a comeback in their final chance at the dish. After Dan Motl singled up the middle, Fiedler smacked a two-run homer to center field to bring the deficit down to three.
Iowa then made a pitching change and held on for the win, setting up a decisive game in the series finale.
Game No. 2 ââ'¬" Minnesota 6, Iowa 3
It took less than an inning for the Gophers to respond after dropping the opening game. Minnesota scored four runs in the first inning en route to a series-clinching 6-3 win against Iowa at Siebert Field on Sunday afternoon.
Connor Schaefbauer tied a season-high with three hits, including a career-best two home runs, to go along with a pair of RBI. Matt Fiedler and Austin Athmann chimed in with homers and combined for four RBI as the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters in the lineup.
The Maroon and Gold got a career outing from starter Toby Anderson. The junior threw a personal best 7.1 innings, scattering six hits and three runs while striking out a career-high six batters to guide him to his fourth win of the season.
Minnesota touted its most powerful inning in its first chance at the plate. Dan Motl led off with a ground-rule double to right-center and was brought in by a two-run blast by Fiedler ââ'¬" the second two-run shot in as many at-bats for the junior from Eagan, Minn. Athmann then followed by crushing a solo homer that was a no-doubter once it left his bat to give the Gophers back-to-back home runs for the first time since 2012. With the next batter retired, Schaefbauer stepped to the plate and belted his first career blast in the left-center gap.
When all was said and done, the Gophers held a commanding 4-0 lead with eight innings left to play.
The Hawkeyes got back into the game in the top of the second by scoring three, highlighted by a two-run home run.
It was at that point when Anderson settled into a groove. He retired 16 of the next 18 batters he faced, including 10 in a row to keep Iowa at bay.
Minnesota found life again in the bottom of the fifth. Alex Boxwell opened the inning with a double to left field. After a Terrin Vavra walk, Fiedler drove a pitch through the left side for an RBI single and give the Gophers a 5-3 lead.
Iowa made its final push in the top of the eighth stanza. With runners on second and third and one out, a ball was hit out to left field for what would have been a sacrifice fly, but the relay combination of Jordan Smith, Micah Coffey and Vavra threw down the runner at third base for the final out of the inning before the Hawkeyes could cross the plate.
The home team added to its margin in its final chance at the plate. With one gone, Schaefbauer drilled a solo home run to deep center off the batter's eye to put the game out of reach at 6-3.
Jordan Jess then slammed the door shut in the ninth, sending Minnesota to its fourth win at home and first conference series win in Big Ten play.
