University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Ohio State
Buckeyes Edge Gophers in Regular Season Finale
5/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score: Ohio State 6, Minnesota 5
Minnesota concluded its regular season on Saturday with a 6-5 loss to Ohio State at Siebert Field. The Big Ten regular season champion Golden Gophers (34-18, 16-7 Big Ten) collected 13 hits, but lost on a Buckeyes (38-17-1, 15-9 Big Ten) home run in the 10th inning.
Five Gophers notched multiple hits in the game, as Dan Motl, Matt Fiedler, Austin Athmann, Micah Coffey and Toby Hanson had two apiece. Athmann scored two runs, and Motl drove in two. Ronnie Dawson highlighted the Buckeyes' lineup with two home runs, including the game winner.
A double play ended the Buckeyes' first turn at the plate, but they scratched across two runs with three hits and assistance from an error in the second inning. Gophers' starter Toby Anderson stranded two baserunners to prevent further damage.
Minnesota recovered from the early 2-0 deficit with a four-run fourth inning. Austin Athmann and Micah Coffey started the inning with back-to-back singles and advanced on an Alex Boxwell bunt. Toby Hanson's sacrifice fly scored Athmann, and Riley Smith's single to left plated Coffey. Jordan Smith walked before Motl hit a two-run triple.
Ohio State made it 4-3 in the fifth when Tre' Gantt hit a double and scored on a squeeze bunt by Craig Nennig. Minnesota responded in the bottom half of the frame. Athmann and Coffey both belted base hits, and Athmann scored on a Boxwell grounder to push the lead back to two runs at 5-3.
In the top of the sixth, Ohio State again cut into the lead with a Troy Kuhn double and Troy Montgomery RBI single. Tyler Hanson entered the game in relief and retired the next three batters. He stayed in the game to pitch a 1-2-3 seventh. Anderson's final line was five innings, eight hits and four runs, three of them earned. He did not walk any batters.
Minnesota threatened with a leadoff double by Fiedler in the seventh, but could not plate a run. Ohio State tied the game the next inning with Dawson's first solo home run of the day. The Gophers left one runner on in each of the next two innings, and Ohio State took the lead for good in the 10th on Dawson's second solo shot.
The crowd of 1,354 at Siebert Field was invited to stay for a postgame senior day ceremony. The Gopher baseball program recognized senior players Jordan Jess, Ty McDevitt, Dalton Sawyer, Connor Schaefbauer and Motl, as well as senior managers Joey Brettingen, Austin Burandt and Kan Ikeda and athletic trainer Eli Mansfield.
Minnesota, the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, will open conference tournament play on Wednesday, May 25 at 5 p.m.
