University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Purdue
Gophers Win in Extras at Purdue
5/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score: Minnesota 4, Purdue 3 (10 inn.) 
Micah Coffey and Matt Fiedler each blasted home runs, but it was a sacrifice fly from Jordan Smith in the 10th inning that sent No. 25 Minnesota to a 4-3 win at Purdue in extra innings on Friday night. The Gophers (31-15, 13-5 Big Ten) regained the top spot in the conference after amassing 11 hits and limiting the Boilermakers (7-40, 2-20) to just six.
Fiedler got the start on the mound and produced another quality outing as he went 6.2 innings, surrendering five hits and two earned runs, while striking out five.
The junior also was one of four players to collect two hits and he led the way with two RBI.
Toby Hanson, Connor Schaefbauer and J. Smith joined Fiedler with multi-hit performances.
Lucas Gilbreath earned the win on the mound in relief as he tossed 2.1 flawless innings out of the bullpen that were highlighted by four strikeouts. Jordan Jess earned his eighth save of the season after closing the contest in a five-pitch bottom of the 10th.
Purdue took the lead in its first chance at the dish on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded. Fiedler worked his way out of the jam, but the Boilermakers held a 1-0 lead on their home turf.
Fiedler helped out his own cause in the top of the third. After Riley Smith singled through the left side, Fiedler stepped to the plate with two outs and put a drive into a ball that cleared the left field wall for his seventh roundtripper of 2016. The home run gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead.
The Gophers threatened again in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames, but left four men stranded on base.
Meanwhile, their ace was dealing. Fiedler retired 10 of the 12 batters he faced in that span, including one with a swinging strikeout.
With the score still set at 2-1, Purdue found life in the bottom of the seventh. The home team loaded the bases with its first three hitters and scored on a ground out and a passed ball to take a 3-2 lead. Fiedler was lifted with two outs and Gilbreath came in to register the inning's final out.
The lead did not last longer that one pitch as Coffey took the opening heave of the eighth inning over the wall and into the visiting bullpen in right field to knot the game back up at 3-3.
Both teams had a runner in scoring position in the eighth and ninth inning, but were unable to capitalize, forcing the game into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th frame, Alex Boxwell smashed a double down the line in left field to get things started. He later advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Once To. Hanson walked, J. Smith came to the dish with one out. He got the job done as he took a low pitch in the zone and popped one out to deep center that was enough to score Boxwell and give the Gophers a 4-3 lead.
That was all Jess needed to slam the door in the bottom of the 10th en route to Minnesota's series-opening victory. Jess' eight saves are the most by a Gopher pitcher since Scott Matyas tallied 11 in 2011.
Minnesota and Purdue are set to resume their series tomorrow afternoon with a 1 p.m. showdown in West Lafayette, Ind.
