University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Iowa
Minnesota Falls in B1G Tournament Opener
5/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score: Iowa 8, Minnesota 2 
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Minnesota dropped its opening game of the Big Ten Tournament in an 8-2 defeat at the hands of Iowa on Wednesday evening. The Gophers (34-19) will play either Michigan in an elimination game tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.
The Maroon and Gold were outhit 18-6 by the Hawkeyes (28-25) in the nine-inning affair.
Luke Pettersen paced the offense with two hits, including a double down the left field line. Connor Schaefbauer laced the first home run by any player in the tournament with a two-run roundtripper in the bottom of the third.
On the mound, Matt Fiedler suffered his first defeat since March 11 after surrendering five runs in 2.1 innings. Tyler Hanson came on and worked the next 2.2 frames and then was succeeded by Ty McDevitt, who stabilized the game and closed the final four innings without allowing a run while adding two strikeouts.
Iowa did a majority of its scoring in the opening two stanzas by plating five runs on seven hits, including two extra-base hits, to take a 5-0 lead after two. The damage could have been more disastrous if not for a full-extension, highlight-reel grab by Dan Motl in the right-center gap.
Minnesota responded by cutting the deficit to three in the bottom of the third. After Jordan Smith drew a walk, Pettersen smacked a single into right field. The Hawkeyes then turned a double play, but a runner was still in scoring position at third.
Schaefbauer stepped to the plate and took the second pitch he saw over the wall in right-center for a tape-measure shot. After the blast, the Gophers trailed 5-2.
Iowa score three runs on a double, sacrifice fly and single, respectively, to take an 8-2 lead in the fifth.
McDevitt was then called upon to keep the game within reach, and he did just that, getting out of three jams with runners in scoring position for Iowa to keep the Hawkeyes off the scoreboard in the final four innings.
The offense was held to just one hit from the bat of Pettersen in the last four stanzas. When all was said and done, Minnesota fell 8-2.
The Gophers will square off against Michigan in an elimination game tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. inside TD Ameritrade Park.
